Diversity Fact Sheet

“San Diego State should stand up and take a bow. The university is doing a great job of recruiting, retaining and graduating Hispanics. It is clearly a vital part of the education pipeline.” — Adalyn Hixson, editor, The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education

San Diego State University is dedicated to ensuring equal access to higher education for students of all backgrounds. SDSU’s diversity-related achievements and programs include:

Rankings

SDSU is No. 8 in the nation and No. 4 in California for bachelor’s degrees awarded to Hispanics — Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education, May 2007
SDSU is No. 11 in the nation for bachelor’s degrees conferred to ethnic minorities — Diverse Issues in Higher Education, June 2007
SDSU ranks No. 30 in the nation for master’s degrees awarded to Hispanics, according to the May 2007 issue of Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education, which listed the top 100 colleges and universities for Hispanics.
SDSU ranks No. 24 in the nation for graduate school Hispanic enrollment — Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education, April 2007
SDSU ranks No. 22 in the nation for ethnic diversity — US News & World Report, August 2006
SDSU’s College of Engineering ranks No. 4 in the nation among top graduate engineering programs for Hispanics — Hispanic Business, September 2005
SDSU’s MBA program is ranked among the top 25 in the nation for Hispanics — Hispanic Trends, September 2005

SDSU Enrollment in Fall 2006, by Ethnicity

[1] Concurrent enrollment at SDSU Main Campus and IVC Campus was 20 students. Students enrolled at both campuses are included in each campus subtotal and only once in the university total.
Undergraduate			Graduate		Total
SDSU ENROLLOMENT IN FALL 2006 by Ethnicity
SDSU Main Campus
American Indian	184	0.7‰	28	0.5‰	212	0.7‰
African American	1,074	4.1‰	157	2.8‰	1,231	3.9‰
Mexican American	4,122	15.7‰	578	10.3‰	4,700	14.8‰
Other Hispanic	1,150	4.4‰	178	3.2‰	1,328	4.2‰
Asian	1,198	4.6‰	286	5.1‰	1,484	4.7‰
SE Asian	818	3.1‰	74	1.3‰	892	2.8‰
Pacific Islander	201	0.8‰	20	0.4‰	221	0.7‰
Filipino	1,980	7.6‰	123	2.2‰	2,103	6.6‰
White	12,054	46.0‰	2,586	46.2‰	14,640	46.0‰
Other/Not Stated	2,781	10.6‰	891	15.9‰	3,672	11.5‰
International	648	2.5‰	671	12.0‰	1,319	4.1‰
Campus Total [1]	26,210	100.0‰	5,592	100.0‰	31,802	100.0‰
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Imperial Valley Campus (IVC)
Undergraduate			Graduate		Total
American Indian	0	0.0‰	3	1.2‰	3	0.3‰
African American	5	0.8‰	1	0.4‰	6	0.7‰
Mexican American	488	74.5‰	177	69.1‰	665	73.0‰
Other Hispanic	78	11.9‰	14	5.5‰	92	10.1‰
Asian	2	0.3‰	1	0.4‰	3	0.3‰
Pacific Islander	0	0.0‰	2	0.8‰	2	0.2‰
Filipino	3	0.5‰	1	0.4‰	4	0.4‰
White	37	5.6‰	35	13.7‰	72	7.9‰
Other/Not Stated	32	4.9‰	17	6.6‰	49	5.4‰
International	10	1.5‰	5	2.0‰	15	1.6‰
Campus Total [1]	655	100.0‰	256	100.0‰	911	100.0‰
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SDSU Main Campus and IVC Campus
Undergraduate			Graduate		Total
American Indian	184	0.7‰	31	0.5‰	215	0.7‰
African American	1,079	4.0‰	158	2.7‰	1,237	3.8‰
Mexican American	4,598	17.1‰	753	12.9‰	5,351	16.4‰
Other Hispanic	1,227	4.6‰	191	3.3‰	1,418	4.3‰
Asian	1,200	4.5‰	287	4.9‰	1,487	4.5‰
SE Asian	818	3.0‰	74	1.3‰	892	2.7‰
Pacific Islander	201	0.7‰	22	0.4‰	223	0.7‰
White	12,091	45.0‰	2,620	44.8‰	14,711	45.0‰
Other/Not Stated	2,812	10.5‰	908	15.5‰	3,720	11.4‰
International	657	2.4‰	675	11.6‰	1,332	4.1‰
SDSU Main Campus and IVC Campus [1]	26,850	100.0‰	5,843	100.0‰	32,693	100.0‰
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SDSU Faculty Diversity: Tenured/Tenure Track Faculty Appointments

For the academic year 2006/2007, 34 percent of tenured/tenure-track faculty new hires were minorities and 44 percent were female.

Count		Percentage
SDSU FACULTY DIVERSITY Tenured / Tenure-track Faculty Appointments
Ethnicity
African-American	4	5.06‰
Asian/Pacific Islander	11	13.92‰
Hispanic	3	3.8‰
Other	9	11.4‰
Minorities — Total	27	34.18‰
White	52	65.82‰
Total	79	100.00‰
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Gender
Count		Percentage
Female	35	44.30‰
Male	44	55.70‰
Total	79	100.00‰
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Campus Programs

Dozens of student groups, scholarships and departmental programs support students from diverse backgrounds and help them succeed at SDSU. The university’s course offerings also reflect the diversity of its student body, faculty and staff.

In 1970, SDSU created the first academic department in California dedicated to the study of Mexican culture in America — Chicano/Chicana Studies. The department offers courses such as “U.S.-Mexico Border Folklore,” “the Mexican American Role in the American Political System,” and “Mexican Images In Film.”
SDSU’s Educational Opportunity Program, also started in 1970, is designed to assist economically or otherwise challenged students and has since played a key role in diversifying the SDSU student body, helping up to 3,500 students a year.
SDSU’s Africana Studies Department was founded in 1972. It offers a broad, interdisciplinary program covering a variety of subjects pertaining to Africa and the African diaspora. The Asian Studies program’s resources include the Japan Studies Institute, the China Studies Institute and the Asian/Pacific American Archives.
SDSU plays a key role in California’s Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) program, which helps educationally disadvantaged students enter and excel in technical professions.
The McNair Scholars program identifies students from low-income backgrounds with potential to become university professors, provides them with mentors and supplies them with a $2,800 stipend to conduct research.
Students at SDSU have organized more than 25 clubs to support diversity on campus, including the Hispanic Association, the Laotian Student Association, the Afrikan Student Union and the Chinese Students and Scholars Association.

Community Programs

Serving San Diego County’s diverse community is a principal mission of San Diego State University. Numerous programs at the university help students from area schools thrive academically and prepare for higher education.

SDSU and the Sweetwater Union High School District have partnered to create the Compact for Success program, a pioneering effort in educational civil rights that’s designed to help the district’s highly diverse student body better prepare for higher education. The program guarantees a place at SDSU for every student from the district’s classes of 2006, 2007, and 2008 who meet certain academic standards.
The City Heights K-16 Education Pilot involves more than 100 faculty members from 40 departments in supporting families and educating children in one of San Diego’s most diverse neighborhoods. SDSU has also opened a Literacy Center in City Heights and played a leading role in the Digital Bridge project to improve computer literacy in the neighborhood.
Students with dreams of a medical career benefit from SDSU’s Health Careers Opportunities Program, which provides tutoring, mentoring and emotional support to students who aspire to attend medical school.

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