Transferring to SDSU
San Diego State University admitted 54.9% of its transfer applicants for fall 2025: 9,093 of 16,556. Every major is impacted, so meeting the CSU minimums isn’t enough on its own.
Checked against official CSU and campus sources in October 2026.
Admission numbers
- Fall 2025 admit rate
- 54.9%
- Transfer applicants
- 16,556
- Campus, upper-division transfers
- Impacted
- Spring 2027 transfers
- Closed
| Term | Applicants | Admits | Admit rate | Enrolled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2025 | 16,556 | 9,093 | 54.9% | 4,432 |
From Common Data Set 2025-2026, D2. Counts cover all transfer applicants, not only community college students.
Impaction at SDSU
For fall 2027, SDSU says it is impacted at the undergraduate level in all majors and programs. Applicants who exceed the minimum requirements get priority for the limited spaces.
| Impacted major | What it adds |
|---|---|
| All majors and pre-majors | SDSU designates every major and pre-major as impacted. Each major has its own minimum cumulative GPA for fall 2027 transfer applicants. |
Minimum GPA by major
SDSU sets a minimum GPA for each major. Meeting it makes you eligible for review, and in impacted majors the strongest applicants above it are admitted.
| Major | Published figure | Term |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing (B.S.) | 3.20 minimum GPA | Fall 2027 applicants |
| Advertising, Journalism, Media Studies, Public Relations (B.A.) | 3.00 minimum GPA | Fall 2027 applicants |
| Psychology (Neuroscience) (B.A.) | 3.00 minimum GPA | Fall 2027 applicants |
| Television, Film and New Media (Cinema Studies and Production) (B.S.) | 3.00 minimum GPA | Fall 2027 applicants |
| Business Administration, all emphases (B.S.) | 2.90 minimum GPA | Fall 2027 applicants |
| International Business, all tracks (B.A.) | 2.90 minimum GPA | Fall 2027 applicants |
| Kinesiology and Public Health (B.S.) | 2.90 minimum GPA | Fall 2027 applicants |
| Foods and Nutrition (B.S.) | 2.90 minimum GPA | Fall 2027 applicants |
| Biology and its emphases, Criminal Justice, Microbiology (B.S.) | 2.80 minimum GPA | Fall 2027 applicants |
| Communication (B.A.), Health Communication (B.S.), Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences (B.A.) | 2.75 minimum GPA | Fall 2027 applicants |
| Engineering majors (Aerospace, Civil, Computer, Construction, Electrical, Environmental, Mechanical) (B.S.) | 2.70 minimum GPA | Fall 2027 applicants |
| Psychology (B.A.), Sociology (B.A.), Construction Management (B.S.) | 2.50 minimum GPA | Fall 2027 applicants |
| Computer Science (B.S.), Mathematics, Chemistry and many other majors | 2.00 minimum GPA | Fall 2027 applicants |
Local admission area
For fall 2027, the SDSU Transfer Admission Guarantee covers students who completed all transferable units at Cuyamaca, Grossmont, Imperial Valley, San Diego City, San Diego Mesa, San Diego Miramar or Southwestern College. Students who meet the TAG requirements and the major GPA may be guaranteed admission. Palomar and MiraCosta students get priority only for majors not offered at CSU San Marcos.
ADT and the Transfer Success Pathway
For fall 2027, applicants with an AA-T or AS-T in an SDSU-approved similar major get admission priority and may be within 0.1 of the major's required GPA. Many majors do not accept the ADT pathway, and Kinesiology (Exercise Science) and Liberal Studies (Education-Generalist) are open only to ADT applicants.
SDSU lists the Transfer Success Pathway among its transfer pathways. It offers dual admission to first-time, first-year students at California community colleges who commit to transferring to a CSU within three years.
Dates for fall 2027
For fall 2027, applicants can start the Cal State Apply application on August 1, 2026, and can submit it starting October 1, 2026. The priority filing deadline is November 30, 2026. CSU says many campuses and majors still accept applications after the priority period.
| Date | What |
|---|---|
| November 30, 2026 | Cal State Apply deadline for fall 2027. SDSU accepts no late applications. |
| End of fall 2026 | All nursing prerequisite courses must be complete for fall 2027. None may be in progress in spring 2027. |
| January 31, 2027 | Mandatory Academic History Update in Cal State Apply for fall 2027 applicants. |
| March 15, 2027 | ADT verification form from the community college must be received for fall 2027 admission. |
| End of spring 2027 | 60 transferable units, the Golden Four, 30 GE units and major preparation must be complete. Summer 2027 courses do not count. |
SDSU is not open for spring 2027 admission and is not accepting applications. Appeals for spring 2027 from applicants with extenuating circumstances were accepted only from July 1 to August 31, 2026.
More from SDSU
- Fall 2027 applicants must choose a major and cannot change it as an applicant or admitted student. Source
- Dance, Music, Musical Theatre and Theatre Arts: Performance require auditions, and Television, Film and New Media: Production requires supplemental materials. Source
- Upper-division nursing applicants for fall 2027 must finish prerequisites by fall 2026 and submit the Academic History Update in January 2027. The nursing minimum GPA is 3.20. Source
- The Golden Four (oral communication, English composition, critical thinking and math) must be completed with a C- or higher by the end of spring 2027 for fall 2027 admission. Source
- A separate SDCCD agreement offers guaranteed fall admission to qualified upper-division transfers from San Diego City, Mesa and Miramar Colleges, with criteria that vary by major. Source
- The TAG does not apply to several majors, including Dance, Music, Nursing and Social Work, or to majors with an SDSU-approved AA-T or AS-T. Source
Official links
- SDSU transfer admissionsadmissions.sdsu.edu
- Cal State Applycalstate.edu
- ASSIST: course agreementsassist.org
Other CSU campuses
Questions
What is SDSU’s transfer acceptance rate?
54.9% for fall 2025, 9,093 admitted of 16,556 transfer applicants, from the campus’s Common Data Set 2025-2026, D2.
What GPA do you need to transfer to SDSU?
The CSU minimum is a 2.0 transferable GPA for California residents. Impacted majors set higher lines, for example Nursing (B.S.) at 3.20 minimum GPA (Fall 2027 applicants).
Is SDSU impacted for transfers?
For fall 2027, SDSU says it is impacted at the undergraduate level in all majors and programs. Applicants who exceed the minimum requirements get priority for the limited spaces.
Does SDSU accept spring transfers?
SDSU is not open for spring 2027 admission and is not accepting applications. Appeals for spring 2027 from applicants with extenuating circumstances were accepted only from July 1 to August 31, 2026.
When is the SDSU transfer application due?
For fall 2027, applicants can start the Cal State Apply application on August 1, 2026, and can submit it starting October 1, 2026. The priority filing deadline is November 30, 2026. CSU says many campuses and majors still accept applications after the priority period.