San Diego seniors hoping to attend San Diego State University in the fall had a harder time than ever before to gain admittance to the school. This year, the college accepted only a small percentage of local applicants, as only ten percent of applications from San Diego students were accepted.

According to Counselor Clayton Ballard, in the year of 2006, if a San Diego student had a minimum grade point average of 3.4 and average SAT scores, they would be automatically accepted to SDSU if they wished to attend. However, that is no longer the case, as SDSU can no longer promise spots to students with those stats. Since 2007, fewer local students have been accepted into SDSU each year, though the number of San Diegans applying to the school has not declined.

According to Ballard, the reason is because of the current economic state, which has placed a particularly heavy burden on many universities. SDSU is trying to take in as much money as possible, and since out-of-state and international tuition is higher than in-state tuition, out-of-state and international students usually have an advantage in the application process. According to SDSU’s website, out-of-state students have to pay an extra 11,160 dollars per year to attend SDSU (sdsu.edu).

According to Ballard, currently, to have a competitive chance of getting accepted, students needed a GPA of at least a 3.9, an above average SAT or ACT test score, and a few Honors or AP classes. On average, local students need a higher GPA and standardized test scores to beat out out-of-state or international students for a spot at SDSU.