I was looking up stats about admissions at San Diego State and one of the things that startled me was that admissions percentage reported for out of state students is so much higher than for instate students. My assumption is that is because they want the out of state tuition students?. Curious about other schools where being full pay (or in the case of state schools - maybe just out of state) is clearly an advantage. This may fall under the category of ugly but true. Thoughts?
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You need to look for colleges that are need aware for admissions. Otherwise, admissions wonât have any idea if you are full payâŠor not.
I think that the yield for OOS kids is much lower than in-state - so letting in more OOS kids doesnât mean more are coming as a percentage, etc.
On the flip side, there are schools with huge OOS population - and some of it may be to bring in the OOS tuition $$. I think Colorado comes to mind as do small states - UVM, Delaware, etc.
Nonetheless, I wouldnât let that drive my criteria.
Itâs mostly private schools that will love a full pay - but may not a heavy needer.
For SDSU, they show 12.4% OOS and 1.8% foreign - so itâs not very geographically diverse - although CA is a big state - so thereâs geographic diversity within the state.
New Student Profile â Admissions â Analytic Studies & Institutional Research (sdsu.edu)
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Here is the info I found on a website about San Diego State admisssions (havenât checked the reliability so it could be wrong) but if accurate - seems a crazy stat:
The university received 67,602 freshman applications for a place in the Class of 2025; they admitted 25,610 for an acceptance rate of 38%. This was comparable to the 37% admit rate for the Class of 2024. Admission is traditionally much easier for out-of-state applicants than locals. For the Class of 2024, the out-of-state acceptance rate was 82% compared to just 33% for CA residents.
That does not tell how many applied from OOS. Fact isâŠthe CSUs are pricey for OOS students. So this could be a very self selecting group.
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A few things regarding SDSU data or any UC/CSU OOS admit data.
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Due to the high cost of attendance for OOS/International students, the applicant pool can be self-selecting however, many admitted applicants are surprised at the costs so they are probably not running the Net Price calculator prior to applying or think they will receive a large scholarship to reduce costs.
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The # of OOS/International applicants are about 1/3 to 1/4 less than the # of CA applicants so less competition.
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OOS/International Admit rates in general are higher since the yield is much lower due to the high cost of attendance so the schools will admit many more students than actually enroll.
All this needs to be considered in context. There may be a perceived advantage as an OOS/International applicant for these schools but in the end it can be a huge disadvantage if the school is unaffordable.
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Go back to the figures I just gave you, direct from SDSU.
No matter how many they admit, and if your # is 3rd party it may not be accurate - but given nearly 9/10 attending are in state, their OOS yield (% of those accepted actually enrolling) is low.
So they are not securing an inordinate amount of those students.
Whatâs the point of the question ? Are you a full pay family looking to take advantage of wealth ?
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UCâs are a good example.
The OOS/International admit rates for the majority of the UCâs are higher again for the reasons I gave above but the yield rate for almost all of the UCâs with the exceptions of UCLA and UCB are very low so the schools are aware of their historical yield and will accept more students to compensate.
Here is some UC admit data:
2023 Freshman admit rates (Preliminary Data from UCOP)
| Campus | OVERALL | CA RESIDENT | OUT OF STATE | INTERNATIONAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berkeley | 11.6% | 14.4% | 7.8% | 5.2% |
| Davis | 41.8% | 36.3% | 60% | 49.8% |
| Irvine | 25.7% | 20.4% | 47.4% | 32.5% |
| Los Angeles | 8.8% | 9.5% | 8.6% | 6.1% |
| Merced | 88.3% | 95% | 80.9% | 69% |
| Riverside | 70.3% | 68.7% | 87.2% | 81.4% |
| San Diego | 24.7% | 24.5% | 31.8% | 17.8% |
| Santa Barbara | 27.9% | 28.1% | 32.7% | 21.9% |
| Santa Cruz | 62.7% | 60.4% | 81.3% | 61.1% |
UC Yield rates by Residency.
| Campus | OVERALL | CA RESIDENT | OUT OF STATE | INTERNATIONAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berkeley | 46% | 50% | 29% | 54% |
| Davis | 18% | 23% | 8% | 14% |
| Irvine | 22% | 29% | 9% | 14% |
| Los Angeles | 50% | 59% | 33% | 34% |
| Merced | 9% | 10% | 0% | 1% |
| Riverside | 15% | 17% | 5% | 7% |
| San Diego | 21% | 26% | 9% | 17% |
| Santa Barbara | 17% | 20% | 10% | 16% |
| Santa Cruz | 12% | 15% | 6% | 5% |
For the UCâs, there is a mandated enrollment cap of 18% for OOS and International students so that can factor into their admit rates.
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That makes it sound ugly (which I suppose it can be but this is the world we all live in) - we are a full pay family so I am trying to figure out where that fact can be helpful admissions wise.
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Not making it ugly at all. Iâm asking the purpose. Schools like Tufts, Tulane - if you are seeking that level, may be of interest. WUSTL used to be a âmoneyâ school but is now need blind.
But if youâre willing to spend, ED will be your best friend if thereâs a clear favorite.
I am a full pay parent but not willing to pay full. You are. The question isnât ugly but rather realistic to understand your goals.
If the student is academically qualified for SDSU and thatâs the top choice, then go for it !! If they are admitting a high % OOS it could be to attract $$ or to build a more geographically diverse class but theyr student body heavily slants in state. Relatively speaking, SDSU is affordable OOS tuition wise vs others.
In general, find the right schools - and apply. Wealth helps - at some more than others - but your student should find schools that fit - academically and environmentally etc. money is just one less thing to worry about.
Yes, wealth helps and if you are ok spending full vs seeking merit, then ED will help even more !!
Good luck.
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Since we are talking about SDSU here are the admit numbers for 2023 according to the CSU website.
CA applicants: 74,890
CA admits: 22,057
CA enrolled: 4,634
Admit rate: 29.4%
Yield rate: 21.0%
Non-resident applicants does not breakout OOS or International.
Non-Resident applicants: 8,294 so about 1/9 the number vs in-state
Non-residents admitted: 6460
Non-residents enrolled: 1528
Admit rate: 77.9%
Yield rate: 23.7%
Years ago when my kids were applying to schools, many of the âregularâ publics were accepting OOS kids with âlowerâ stats. These were reach schools that accepted these students, most likely because they were full pay OOS.
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Schools that fully meet studentsâ need are need aware, unless they are the handful that meet need and explicitly say they are need blind. Thus, this group includes most selective colleges.
This is because the school has to stick with their financial aid budget, which is not unlimited. See, e.g., the NY Times article on Trinity (CT) admissions.
Thanks. Agree that fit is of most importance. Child is not that competitive academically (GPA a 3.5, going test optional, doesnât take highest level classes offered by his school etc). We are not trying to find the most impressive name school he could get into - trying to figure out where he would thrive but if there are schools where his stats are borderline and yet we know that they are need aware and admit full pay students at a higher percentage - is helpful info to have. Not sure if San Diego State even on the list (he is a junior) but I had been looking into it and was really surprised at the discrepancy in the in and out of state admissions which led me down this path.
There are more than a handful of colleges that are both need blind AND meet full need for all accepted students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
The list of colleges that do so for international students is the one that is just more than a handful.
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The book âPaying for the Partyâ discussed this. Itâs definitely one way for public flagships to continue to be affordable to in-state students.
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Actually there really are very few schools that are need blind AND meet full financial need. This group says there are 12:
Top 12 Need-Blind Colleges of 2022 | BestColleges.
I just went with the 1st site that came up. Even if they arenât correct with 12, if the number is larger, itâs not much larger.
@Clementine7624 , the FP advantage can go hand in hand with ED, but at more selective schools, you still need to thread the needle in terms of being competitive (and being a good fit.)
While Tufts appears to prefer FP kids, it doesnât compromise to get them - it just is that much harder for kids who need FA. Bucknell is another that seems to like FP ED applicants.
You may want to look at schools that offer merit to attract high performing students. They are signaling that they will accept more $ for a slightly less âshinyâ student in offering to let the shiny student attend for less. Sort of a backwards way of getting to the same place.
I think with a 3.5, TO , and little rigor, youâll have tons of choices
The question is - large, medium, small, weather, geography, sports etc.
Start at home. Take a visit to a few schools. Perhaps big is too big ? Or a mid size and small. They donât need to be on a list - just to take a tour, see the comfort level.
Iâd start there. I grew up in San Diego. A safety to SDSU would be a Chico but far north or U of Arizona, etc. it, ASU, and NAU would all be safeties etc.
As for TO, CA is your state - all the publics are not TO but blind. But Iâd suggest he take a test - one - just to see - maybe will surprise.
Anyway, itâs time to start thinking about what he wants - but it helps to see vs just whatâs on paper - and many will gladly take your student.
And money 
Good luck.
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Northeastern is famously need aware. Case too. We got multiple emails from them confirming whether or not we were applying for FA. As in, âAre you suuuuure youâre not applying for FA?â
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