The history of San Diego State University began in the late 19th century with the establishment of a normal school in San Diego, California. Founded on March 13, 1897, the school opened on November 1, 1898, with a class of 135 students. By 1921, the school had become San Diego State Teachers College, allowing it to grant certificates and degrees. Due to the increased student enrollment, the college was relocated to its current location at the east side of Mission Valley, with classes beginning in February 1931. The government works programs during the Great Depression assisted in construction of numerous buildings on the new campus.
World War I and II both affected student enrollment, and led many students and faculty members to serve in the armed forces. By the end of the 1950s, the student population was at 10,000, and the renamed San Diego State College was now the fourth largest California state institution. In the 1960s and 1970s the campus saw increased enrollment, the accreditation of its professional schools, multiple incidents of student activism, and on January 1, 1974, a new name: San Diego State University (SDSU). By 1987, the university's population peaked at nearly 36,000 students and attained the status of the largest university in California and tenth in the nation.
Recently, the university has worked to improve its academic rankings, and faced adversities including a school shooting and a large drug bust. As the university continues to grant numerous degrees in various fields, it has developed several construction plans for replacement of some of its older buildings and infrastructure.
and 23 Related for: History of San Diego State University information
SanDiegoStateUniversity (SDSU) is a public research university in SanDiego, California. Founded in 1897 as SanDiego Normal School, it is the third-oldest...
oral) historyof the SanDiego, California, region began in the present stateof California, when Europeans first began inhabiting the SanDiego Bay region...
all SanDiegoStateUniversity sports, see SanDiegoState Aztecs The SanDiegoState Aztecs football team is the football program that represents San Diego...
franchise historyof the SanDiego Padres of Major League Baseball. Prior to joining Major League Baseball as one of four expansion teams in 1969, the San Diego...
The SanDiego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in SanDiego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating...
SanDiego FC is an American professional soccer club based in SanDiego, California, scheduled to enter Major League Soccer (MLS) as an expansion team...
The SanDiego Natural History Museum is a museum located in Balboa Park in SanDiego, California. It was founded in 1874 as the SanDiego Society of Natural...
SanDiegoStateUniversity Transit Center is a station on SanDiego Trolley's Green Line. The station is underground (the only such station in the system)...
athletics. The SanDiego Padres play in Major League Baseball (MLB). SanDiego FC begins play in Major League Soccer (MLS) in 2025. SanDiegoState Aztecs teams...
California StateUniversity, San Marcos (CSUSM or Cal StateSan Marcos) is a public university in San Marcos, California. It was founded in 1989 as the...
San José StateUniversity (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university...