New Students and Parents
On behalf of Student Account Services, welcome to the Aztec family! The following financial information will help new/prospective students and their families have a smooth transition to SDSU.
Announcements
First Year Experience Fee (FYE)
A newly introduced one-time fee for Orientation
The First Year Experience Fee includes Pre-Orientation, Orientation and First-Year Experience activities. The fee is $250 and will be billed August 5 to your Online Student Account with a due date of August 20. This fee is billed to all students who attend the New Student Orientation.
Learn more about the First Year Experience Fee.
New Students: Fee Payment Date
July 1st is the fee payment date for new students
All new students shall pay their Basic Tuition & Fees by July 1st. Non-Resident Tuition, an additional fee for students that are not residents of California, is due by the first day of instruction.
Estimating Costs
The most substantial costs associated with attending SDSU are Tuition & Fees and on-campus Housing & Meal Plan fees. The Office of Admissions publishes Estimated Costs of Attendance each year which provides holistic cost estimates. You can also estimate the financial aid you may receive by using Financial Aid's Net Price Calculator.
Tuition Requirements
At SDSU there are three separate Tuition charges, but not all of them may apply to you. An overview is provided below. For detailed information please refer to the Tuition & Fees page.
Basic Tuition & Fees are required of all students attending SDSU.
The cost of Basic Tuition is dependent on your status (full vs part time) and program (undergraduate vs graduate). Please refer to the Basic Tuition table on our Tuition & Fees page to determine costs for your program.
Basic Tuition must be addressed before you can register for classes each semester. If you do not qualify for a Financial Aid Fee Postponement you must either:
- Pay in full
- Enroll in an Installment Plan for Basic Tuition
For new students, Basic Tuition & Fees are due on July 1st.
Non-Resident Tuition & Fees are required for students who are not residents of California (international and out-of-state).
Non-Resident Tuition is charged at a rate of $396 per unit of coursework enrolled. For example, if you enroll in 15 units you would owe $5,940 in Non-Resident fees.
Non-Resident Tuition & Fees are due the day before classes begin each semester. You may:
- Pay in full
- Enroll in an Installment Plan
Professional Program Fees are only applicable to graduate students (MBA level) enrolled in the College of Business.
These fees are charged at a rate of $270 per unit of coursework enrolled. For example, if you enroll in 15 units you would owe $4,050 in Professional Program Fees.
Professional Program Fees are due the day before classes begin each semester. Installment Plans are not offered for these fees.
On-Campus Housing
All incoming first-time freshmen from outside SDSU’s local admissions area* are required to live on campus their freshman and sophomore years. For information about pricing please refer to the Housing Rates webpage.
*Students are in the local admissions area if they will graduate from a high school in San Diego County located south of state route 56 and extending eastward or from a high school in Imperial County.
Managing Educational Expenses
Paying for higher education can be a financial burden on both the student and family which creates stress for all involved. However, there are various resources available to help prospective students alleviate the financial burden.
To help you manage the cost of your educational expenses we offer Installment Plans (payment plans). Installment Plans are available Fall and Spring semesters for:
- Basic Tuition & Fees
- Non-Resident Tuition & Fees
There are no Installment Plans for summer/winter session, nor for Professional Program Fees.
To learn more please visit our Installment Plan page.
Students of all class levels should complete FAFSA at https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa to be considered for all types of state and federal aid.
You are also encouraged to use SDSU's Scholarship Search Tool to find scholarships (scholarship funds do not have to be repaid).
For questions regarding Financial Aid at SDSU, contact the Financial Aid Office.
SDSU has many resources to facilitate student employment. You can gain valuable job experience and earn extra money at the same time!
Aztec Career Connection is a hub connecting students, alumni, and employers in San Diego and beyond. Log in to Aztec Career Connection to search for jobs and internships, upload a resume, and more.
Meet Your Online Student Account
Your attention should be on your education, so we strive to make billing and payments as easy as possible via the Online Student Account. This is your student finance hub: you can view and pay bills, submit Tuition payments, view transaction activity, sign up for eRefund (direct deposit), create parent accounts, and much more.
Log in to your Online Student Account using you SDSUid, which is the @sdsu.edu email address that is provided to all students. This email is also used to access a variety of other online services including AidLink (Financial Aid) and WebPortal (registration and more). If you have not claimed your SDSUid, visit it.sdsu.edu/sdsuid for information and instructions.
Billing & Payments At SDSU
As explained above, SDSU is a prepay campus and will not bill for Basic Tuition. If you do not qualify for a Financial Aid Fee Postponement you are responsible for paying Basic Tuition (or enrolling in the Installment Plan) each term before your registration date.
Fee Payment Deadline
The Fall 2021 fee payment deadline for new students is July 1, 2021. This is the date by which your Basic Tuition & Fees shall be paid.
Billing statements, called eBills, are sent to students via email every month. eBills are prepared around the 5th of the month, and are always due on the 20th of the same month. You may view your bills and make payments via your Online Student Account. View our Payment Options page to review accepted payment types. An exact billing calendar and an explanation of the eBill is available on our Billings page. You are strongly encouraged to check your Online Student Account often. You are responsible for paying all debts owed, regardless of whether or not you saw a notification.
The following charges are included on Student Statements (eBills):
- Unpaid tuition*
- Lab and course fees*
- Health Services Fees*
- Immediate Access Fee* (for applicable course materials)
- Tuition installment plan payments
- Housing & Meal Plan installments
- Student Involvement & Representation Fee (SIRF)
Items marked with an asterisk * may be called "University Charges" when you're looking at your eBill.
You may request billing to a third party sponsor/agency for Tuition and Fees. However, as a student enrolled at SDSU, you are ultimately responsible for paying all balances owed. This includes balances defaulted by your sponsor.
To set up third party billing, please have your agency submit a Financial Guarantee* with the following:
- Your name (the student)
- Your student red ID number
- The specific charges and term for which the agency will pay
- Agency billing information and address
- Name, signature, and contact information of the sponsor authorizing the billing arrangement
- Purchase order information (for government contracts)
*Letters supplied by an organization for admissions purposes are not acceptable for third party billing.
Please remit your Financial Guarantee to Student Account Services via the following:
- Fax: 619.594.4249
- Email: [email protected]
- In person: Student Services West, Room 2536
- Mail:
ATTN: Student Account Services, SSW 2536
San Diego State University
5500 Campanile Dr
San Diego, CA 92182-7425
Parents & Privacy (FERPA)
"What do you mean you can't discuss the account with me? I'm paying the bills!"
The Family Education Rights & Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) protects the privacy of student education records, including financial records. For a student's information to be disclosed to anyone, the student must authorize the individual.
If someone other than the student will be paying the bills, a Parent Account may be created which will allow the individual to make payments to SDSU on the student's behalf. This user would also receive eBill notifications via email.
- Log into WebPortal
- Click "Update Privacy Settings" from the menu
- Fill in the fields and click continue*
- Log into the Online Student Account
- Under Parent PINs section click on "Add New"
- Fill in the fields*
- Select the privacy settings
- Submit the form
*The first field, "Parent or Authorized User Account", is referring to a username for the account. This username must be unique; usernames such as "mom" or "dad" have already been claimed.
An email will be sent to the third party detailing instructions on how to log in. The temporary password must be changed within 48 hours of creating the account.
Note: simply creating this account does not satisfy FERPA Authorization. If you call us to talk about a student's information, you must have FERPA Authorization as well.
Student Financial Checklist
- Review your Financial Aid via AidLink
- Pay Basic Tuition before you register
- Pay Non-Resident Tuition before classes begin if you are not a California resident
- Purchase your SDSUcard (student ID card)
- Provide FERPA Authorization for your family
- Create a Parent Account for anyone who will pay your bills
- Enroll in eRefund
- Opt-in for electronic delivery of form 1098-T
- Read Money Matters (detailed student finance policies)
All functions are performed through your Online Student Account unless otherwise indicated.
Plan ahead for Future Terms
SDSU has an early registration timeline for continuing students. Because we are a prepaid campus, you will have to address Tuition & Fees again before your first semester at SDSU ends.
October
Basic Tuition is due for the Spring semester
November
Spring registration begins; each student has an assigned registration time on WebPortal
January
Spring semester begins and Non-Resident Tuition is due before the first day of class (students who are not California residents)
March
Basic Tuition is due for the Fall semester
April
Fall registration begins; each student has an assigned registration time on WebPortal
August
Fall semester begins and Non-Resident Tuition is due before the first day of class (students who are not California residents)
*These months are consistent for every academic year.