Admissions & selectivity
San Jose State University Acceptance Rate & Admissions
What is the acceptance rate at SJSU?
SJSU’s reported acceptance rate is 84.6%.
- Acceptance rate · Fall 2024
- 84.6%
Source: College Scorecard · Fall 2024 admissions. Acceptance rates can change from year to year; this figure does not predict the current or next admission cycle.
Source: San Jose State University Common Data Set 2025-26, C1 · first-time, first-year students.
How to interpret the acceptance rate
San Jose State University admits 84.6% of applicants, a rate that sits above the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size). In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university received 37,124 first-year applications, admitted 29,845, and enrolled 4,941.
What SAT and ACT scores do enrolled SJSU students report?
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, San Jose State University reported that 9% of its entering class submitted SAT scores. The middle half of those SAT submitters scored from 1010 to 1270.
Among the 1% who submitted ACT scores, the middle half scored from 17 to 27. Far more of the entering class submitted SAT scores than ACT scores, so the SAT range describes more of the class.
Most entering students submitted neither test, so both ranges describe a minority of the class.
The ranges below describe enrolled students who submitted test scores at SJSU. Use them as academic context, then check the university’s current testing policy for your application cycle.
9% of entering students submitted SAT scores
- 25th percentile
- 1010
- Median
- 1160
- 75th percentile
- 1270
CDS 2025-26 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.
1% of entering students submitted ACT scores
- 25th percentile
- 17
- Median
- 23
- 75th percentile
- 27
CDS 2025-26 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.
Source: San Jose State University Common Data Set 2025-26, C9 · Enrolled first-time, first-year score submitters.
Who enrolls at SJSU?
- Pell Grant recipients
- 35.2%
- Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group
- 44.5%
- First-year retention
- 86.8%
Retention source: College Scorecard; full-time first-year retention.
About these student measures
The entering-student group includes part-time entrants as well as other attendance patterns.
San Jose State University is a public university that serves 27,601 undergraduates. Pell Grant recipients make up 35.2% of the undergraduate body, and an estimated 44.5% of students enter as transfers or part-time students.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 9,242 transfer applicants, 7,662 admitted, and 3,738 enrolled. The composition suggests a campus where transfer pathways and broad access coexist.
Pell-eligible applicants should confirm financial aid deadlines and submit the FAFSA early.
The first-year retention rate is 86.8%, above the peer median of 83.1%. The six-year graduation rate for the first-time full-time cohort is 69.2%, also above the peer median of 65.0%.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported a retention rate of 89% for the first-time, full-time fall 2024 entering class. The six-year completion rate for Pell recipients is 38.4%, which sits below the overall graduation rate.
Enrolled students can expect solid first-year persistence, and those who stay past the first year should plan on proactive advising to stay on track through graduation.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Admission rates describe past applicants, not an individual’s chance of admission; confirm requirements and deadlines with the institution.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.