Quad

Head-to-head

San Diego State
U. South Florida

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    U. South Florida costs about $12.5K less per year on average than San Diego State ($18,790 vs. $31,319, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  2. 2

    U. South Florida's grants cover 32% of its full price on average, vs. 15% at San Diego State

    Aid generosity
  3. 3

    San Diego State grads earn $7.2K more ten years out than U. South Florida's ($64,909 vs. $57,743)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  4. 4

    San Diego State graduates 7 pts more of its students than U. South Florida (82% vs. 75%)

    Graduation rate
  5. 5

    San Diego State has 5 pts more first-gen students than U. South Florida (41% vs. 36%)

    First-generation students
  6. 6

    U. South Florida's yield is 4 pts higher than San Diego State's

    Yield rate

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Hollow dots at the center mean that measure isn't reported.

Who's hardest to get into

San Diego State admits 37%, U. South Florida 43%; U. South Florida's yield is higher, at 23%.

Acceptance rate
San Diego State37%
U. South Florida43%
Quad's selectivity
  • San Diego StateVery selectivefrom CaliforniaAccessiblefrom other states
  • U. South FloridaVery selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1000–1600
San Diego StateTest-blind
U. South Florida
1130–1320
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • San Diego StateRigor and GPA very important65%
  • U. South FloridaGPA and school record required

Who's on each campus

San Diego State and U. South Florida are about the same size; San Diego State has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
San Diego State35.4K
U. South Florida37.2K
Pell Grant share
San Diego State32%
U. South Florida29%

Majors and faculty

Business Administration and Management leads at San Diego State, and Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences at U. South Florida.

Students per faculty member
San Diego State27 to 1
U. South Florida22 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • San Diego StateBusiness Administration and Management, General24%
  • U. South FloridaHealth Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General11%

What each costs

U. South Florida costs about $12.5K less a year than San Diego State on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
San Diego State$31.3K
U. South Florida$18.8K
Aid generosity
San Diego State15%
U. South Florida32%

What each pays off

San Diego State's former students earn more, a median $64.9K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 70% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
San Diego State$64.9K
U. South Florida$57.7K
Graduation rate
San Diego State82%
U. South Florida75%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; U. South Florida got more selective while San Diego State held steady.

Applications, 10-year change
  • San Diego StateGrowing+58%
  • U. South FloridaGrowing+174%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:San Diego State University (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;San Diego State University Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why