The 2026 Princeton Review highlights SDSU’s academics and more

Even before the fall semester began last month at San Diego State University, the school was recognized as an excellent choice for the academically-minded.

The prestigious Princeton Review named SDSU in its 2026 edition of Best 391 Colleges last month, with the school gaining attention for its academic offerings, selective admission process, access to professors, quality of life on campus, and more. 

As if that was not enough, the school was also singled out in the Princeton Review’s Best West and Top 50 Green Colleges nationwide.

SDSU was number 42 in the country for green honors, being the only California State University campus to earn a Top 50 spot. 

Schools earning this recognition are singled out for how they practice onsite sustainability, the quality of life students have on campus, and more.

With approximately 2,400 four-year schools across the country, only a small percentage are named in The Princeton Review guidebook each year. 

Both college administrators and students nationwide are surveyed for the annual review.
While the schools honored in The Princeton Review are not assigned a 1-391 ranking, scores are provided in various categories, with the scale ranging from 60 to 99.

SDSU received a number of notable scores, including:

• Green initiatives (97)
• Fire safety (96)
• Professor accessibility (90)
• Financial assistance (89)
• Quality of life (89)
• Admissions selectivity (88)

“The Princeton Review is respected in higher education and its Best Colleges guide has been a valuable resource for students and families since it began circulation in 1992,” said San Diego State University spokesman Rafael Avitabile. 

“We are proud of the high scores SDSU earned based on student and staff surveys, and SDSU’s inclusion in The Princeton Review’s Best 391 Colleges, Top 50 Green Colleges and Best West lists are proof of ourstudent-centered approach.”

According to Avitabile, San Diego State University became part of the top 5% of universities in the U.S. to be designated as an R1 institution by the Carnegie Classifications of Institutions of Higher Education in February. That designation represents the highest level of research activity and doctoral production among nationwide universities. 

“Specifically, SDSU was designated an R1 because the university exceeded the classification criteria, which requires that R1s spend more than $50 million on research programming and infrastructure and that they also confer at least 70 degrees to doctoral research graduates annually,” Avitabile said.

“SDSU now sits in rare air: Of all R1 universities nationwide, only 9%, or 16 universities, also hold multiple minority-serving designations like SDSU,” Avitabile said, adding that SDSU is also a federally designated Hispanic-Serving Institution and an Asian-American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution.

“Only seven of these, including SDSU, also hold the Carnegie Community-Engaged designation, reserved for universities and colleges who have a measurable and signficiant economic impact on their regional communities and robust local partnerships, and only three universities nationwide also hold the Carnegie Opportunity College designation, reserved for institutions with high social mobility metrics, who provide higher access to students and whose graduates earn far higher wages than comparable peers.”

The other two are University of California-Merced and Nova Southeastern University, Avitable said.

With a greater emphasis on the environment and notably how younger people play a key role in protecting it, SDSU’s honor among the Top 50 Green Colleges is also something Avitabile singled out.

“SDSU offers a wide range of academic programs dedicated or related to sustainability and environmental health, as well as a sustainability major and minor,” 
Avitabile said.

“Within the Center for Regional Sustainability, the Sage Project provides students with the opportunity to engage in real-world, place-based, community-identified projects through their courses. CRS also connects students with volunteer, internship and employment opportunities on campus and in the community.

“More sustainability-focused volunteer opportunities are supported by the Division of Student Affairs and Campus Diversity, and there are internship opportunities with BrightSide Produce and employment opportunities with the Office of Energy and Sustainability. Students can also participate in campus initiatives like Green Love, Epsilon Eta, the University Senate Sustainability Committee, and Green Fest.”

According to Avitabile, OE&S works with partners in the Office of Housing Administration and Facilities Services to manage composting programs for residential communities and offices on campus, and with the Metropolitan Transit System to offer discounted transit passes for students enrolled in at least six units. 

The university has also completed an update on the Climate Action Plan, which will be rolled out to the campus this fall with goals focused on achieving carbon neutrality, reducing water usage and waste, and growing sustainability awareness and literacy within the campus community.