As reported by Keith Darce of the Union-Tribune, of the 3,534 first-year students expected to start in the fall, 1,484 will come from high schools south of state Route 56 in San Diego County and those in Imperial County, SDSU officials said yesterday.
An additional 1,740 applicants from the service area would have been accepted under the old admissions system, which allowed such applicants to qualify with lower test scores and grade point averages.
The policy change, announced in September, is part of a larger effort to reduce fall enrollment by 2,750 students in the wake of major state budget cuts. SDSU administrators have said they want to emphasize academic quality and maximize admissions flexibility while still maintaining a healthy geographic mix.
Overall, the university’s student population will fall to 28,986 this year, its lowest level since 1995 and down from 31,579 in fall 2009.
The new class has an average high school GPA of 3.78 and an average SAT score of 1148. That compares with a 3.62 GPA and a 1110 SAT score for last fall’s freshman class.