Admitted in December
CSU GPA: 4.0
A-G courses: 26
UC-approved honors/AP/DE: 10, I think (mix of all three)
Intended Major: Business
OOS (Washington)
Honors: Yes
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Daughter just got accepted - weâre from NJ - undecided major. Very excited about this one! Weather was a major deciding factor, lol, NJ isnât known for its weather for sure. Can anyone share what itâs like to be an OOS student in California? Thank you 
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You should join the Facebook Group of SDSU parents. It is a very active group and people there will be more than happy to give you advice. Congratulations ! The group is called the SDSU (San Diego State) Parent Group.
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Thank you!
Iâm perplexed to hear that SDSU is admitting a lot of OOS students with lower stats than in-state students who applied. As a state school, arenât they supposed to be giving priority to CA residents?
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- Separate application pools for in-state vs. OOS and International. Here are the numbers for 2023 plus almost 9x as many in-state applicants vs. OOS/International applicants so the in-state applicant pool is highly competitive in comparison.
In-state applicants; 74,9380. Non resident applicants: 8,294
In-state admitted: 22,057. Non resident admits: 6,460
In-state enrolled: 4634. Non resident admits: 1,528
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OOS applicants do not get the extra weighting in the CSU application for HS designated Honors classes so their CSU GPA may be lower than in-state CA applicants but may still be considered rigorous in context of their HS.
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OOS students pay more $$$ to attend so locking in some OOS students early unfortunately helps the CSUâs bottom line but also since the OOS/International students are full pay, their yield will be lower due to costs.
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Priority is still given to in-state students and the majority of Undergrads at SDSU and at all CSUâs are still CA students.
CSU systemwide, 93% of all admitted applicants are CA residents.
My son appreciated the diversity that the OOS and International students brought to the SDSU campus.
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If they have such a highly competitive in-state pool then they should accept more from in-state. It sucks to be a CA residentâŠ
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This argument is the same argument that has been used also for the UCâs which have now capped the OOS/International Enrollment to 18% but the enrollment cap has only affected the more popular/well known campuses like UCLA, UCB, UCSD.
An enrollment cap could be mandated for the CSUâs for the non-resident admissions but again it would have little impact other on a few highly applied CSU campuses. As stated, CSU system wide 93% of admitted students are CA residents.
California is a huge state with a large population but when you compare it other states, how many states have 7 out of 10 most applied colleges (UCLA,UCB, UCSD, UCSB, UCD, UCI and CSULB) in the US? How many states have 9 Highly ranked UCâs, 23 CSUâs and numerous Private 4 year universities along with a defined community college system for Transfer to these schools?
Also so many of the CA applicants apply to the same top schools with the same top majors. Only 7 CSU campuses are fully impacted which also happen to be the most applied CSUâs for in-state and non-residents.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I am glad I live in a state where my kids can get an excellent education at any number of in-state schools.
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This fifth generation Californian agrees 
Even though my D24 wants to study Nursing so we may be screwed!
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Yeah, sorry. He applied mechanical at sdsu but biomedical to all other schools with that program.
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Have any OOS students (or anyone) received info about receiving merit aid? I know thereâs one rare OOS merit scholarship. Just wondering when they notify recipients.
Usually any automatic merit scholarships are awarded in March with the financial aid packages. Students applying to the Webers Honors college are eligible for the Honors college scholarships.
Admitted and enrolled students do have access to other scholarships listed here:
https://sacd.sdsu.edu/financial-aid/scholarships/sdsu-aztec-scholarships
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I canât really talk to SDSU. I am a rookie. My 4.0 OOS got in last month and I am just here to learn. My older son is at UCLA. He has all the top stats and was NMF. It is actually harder to get into UCLA as an OOS/International student. Last year it was around an 5% accept rate for that group vs 9% for California students. Our neighbor is at Harvard and did not get into UCLA. Hope I donât sound too defensive but if schools want diversity and want to be top tier they canât take all in state students. But I do understand how competitive it is in California and I would have stress/frustration about that too.
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Itâs just tough for CA kids who have done really well academically but arenât 1600 SAT kids, because either the top schools are very hard to get into (UCLA, Cal) or other state schools are admitting too many kids from OOS to chase $. We are likely going out of state because my son who has 1400 SAT and 4.2 GPA doesnât want to go to Merced or Riverside.
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I understand especially since the UCâs and CSUâs have gone test blind and HS grade inflation has run rampant so how do you distinguish these students from all the other 4.0+ students applying? The schools are trying to come up with various criteria but as I stated, plenty of CA schools where these students can thrive but are not willing to consider. No college admissions process is perfect so it is best to apply to schools which cater to the studentâs strengths during the process such as competitive SAT scores.
The schoolâs loss if the students go OOS.
But UC and Cal State schools donât accept test scores, so doesnât that benefit high-GPA kids who donât have the highest test scores?
no because they cap the weighted GPA. So then they are making decisions based on⊠what? Who knows! And they refuse to reveal the actual metrics they use to make decisions. Itâs an incredibly opaque and unfair process.
This was posted by admissions last year for SDSU:
MULTI-FACTORED ADMISSION: As an impacted campus, admission is based on many factors. Weighted CSU GPA is the largest factor, but we also consider amount of A-G courses above and beyond the minimum, preparation towards intended major (courses and GPA), HS course rigor, first-generation. and local status.
Some CSUâs such as SJSU and Cal Poly Pomona use an Impaction Index or CPP Index to determine major thresholds for each major and in-coming Freshman class. SJSU is pretty transparent with their admission information unfortunately most campuses will not list their exact criteria.
First, I would like to wish you well and say I hope your child gets in. Please correct me if I am wrong, but I donât believe rejections have been sent out yet? Many of us are still stressed and anxious waiting on admission decisions, and it is easy to worry during the process when we see admissions rolling in.
Second, @Gumbymom accurately points out that sometimes the applications do not capture rigor by GPA alone. My oos studentâs home state GPA is significantly higher than the CSU gpa, but I assume review of her coursework listed in the app factors in the extra rigor. I believe her hard work and application represent more value than just $$$. I further agree with @Gumbymom that it can be enriching to attend schools with students from a variety of backgrounds, which draws many to look oos.
Third, I just want to add some oos perspective here on the thought that it âsucksâ to be a California resident. This idea seems to opt up a lot on California university boards. California has a huge number of public universities and relatively low in-state tuition. In-state students also have much more access to scholarship aid than out of state students, and it is very difficult for oos students to gain resident status.
All of our kids would like to go to their dream schools, but it canât always happen. For example, my child would love to go to a âtopâ UC. She has both the stats and temperament to succeed thereâbut the exorbitant cost and attitude toward oos students took UCs off our list, opening a potential spot for another student.
We have 3 public universities in our state (AZ) and as it happens, WUE exchange rates would make some California schools more affordable in the end. These are some of the schools snubbed on here by CA residents, but which may represent a solid and affordable choice for a student entering the entertainment industry. (Which is a conversation we have had with our high stats child). If we choose a non-WUE public university, our oos tuition dollars will most certainly help keep costs low for in-state CA students. No doubt the low in-state tuition makes the admission process more competitive within the state. Conversely, our top AZ schools offer WUE rates and scholarships to CA residents and many CA residents chase the $ here. IMHO, California residents have an abundance of opportunities many of us would love. Unfortunately, the admissions process everywhere involves tough discussions and potential heartbreak for kids who might have done âeverything right.â
Best of luck to you as the admissions season rolls on. It sounds like your kid has great stats and should find a great college home somewhere!
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Itâs REALLY tough for the California kids who got a few Bâs in high school!! It makes me sick to my stomach THAT kid doesnât have a CHANCE in hell at several of our state schools. I wanted to leave the state for college but back when I graduated (Berkeley High SchoolâCal feeder) my 3.6 would have made me dead in the water.