San Diego State University vs University of California, Davis: Acceptance Rate, SAT & Net Price

San Diego State University is the more selective of the two, admitting 36.0% of applicants versus 44.6% at University of California, Davis. For a family earning $48,001–$75,000, the average net price is about $12,697 per year at San Diego State University versus $11,951 at University of California, Davis.

San Diego State University vs University of California, Davis: admissions and cost statistics from the most recent Common Data Set, IPEDS, and College Scorecard
MetricSan Diego State UniversityUniversity of California, Davis
Overall acceptance rate36.0%44.6%
Avg unweighted GPA3.73.7
Yield rate20.0%18.0%
Class size6,9116,804
Net price, $48,001–$75,000 income$12,697$11,951
Net price, over $110,000 income$23,821$31,272

Admissions and cost data as of July 3, 2026 (CDS 2024–25 cycle), from the most recent Common Data Set, IPEDS, and College Scorecard. Rows appear only where both colleges report the statistic.

Frequently asked questions

Is San Diego State University harder to get into than University of California, Davis?

Yes. San Diego State University admits 36.0% of applicants, compared with 44.6% at University of California, Davis, making it the harder school to get into, based on the most recent Common Data Set.

Which is cheaper for a middle-income family, San Diego State University or University of California, Davis?

For a family earning $48,001–$75,000, the average net price is about $12,697 per year at San Diego State University and $11,951 at University of California, Davis, so University of California, Davis is the lower-cost option at that income level (source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard/IPEDS data).

More comparisons

University at Albany (SUNY) vs San Diego State UniversityCUNY City College vs San Diego State UniversitySan Diego State University vs University of South FloridaUniversity of California, Davis vs University of California, Santa Cruz

Stats compare the schools — the simulation compares you against each school's applicant pool.

Estimate your chances at San Diego State University and University of California, Davis