ScoreCalc

San José State is often thought of as the easy-admit option in Silicon Valley: it admitted 79% of first-year applicants for fall 2025. But that average hides a growing split. SJSU ranks every applicant within their major, and several of its engineering majors and finance have become much more selective, while computer science has become easier.

SJSU majors that changed most, 2021 vs 2025

Major	Applicants 2021	Applicants 2025	Admit rate 2021	Admit rate 2025
Mechanical Engineering	800	1,581	80%	55%
Electrical Engineering	463	777	90%	61%
Computer Engineering	778	739	83%	62%
Finance	659	1,035	92%	60%
Civil Engineering	532	805	88%	73%
Forensic Science	674	1,181	94%	71%
Computer Science	2,855	1,866	47%	51%

Mechanical engineering is the clearest case: applicants doubled from 800 to 1,581, and the admit rate fell from 80% to 55%. Computer science applicants fell from 4,337 in 2023 to 1,866 in 2025, part of a statewide drop in CS interest, and its admit rate rose to 51%.

The scores SJSU actually required for fall 2026

SJSU is unusual because it publishes the lowest score it admitted in each major. The score is 800 × your a-g GPA, plus 200 for Santa Clara County high school graduates and 40 each for a fee waiver, first-generation status or military service; engineering majors add 400 × your math GPA.

• Computer Engineering: 4860 (about a 4.05 GPA and math GPA for a non-local applicant)
• Mechanical Engineering: 4920, up from 4620 for fall 2024
• Computer Science: 3240, down from 3440 the year before (about a 4.05 GPA for a non-local applicant)
• Finance: 3080, up from 2800 for fall 2024
• Most other majors: 2000, meaning every CSU-eligible applicant (2.5 GPA) was admitted

Why it matters

SJSU reported record enrollment of about 40,000 students in fall 2025, and it has long been a major source of hires for Silicon Valley tech companies. For applicants, the practical lesson is that SJSU is two different schools: open admission for most majors, and a selective engineering school where graduating from a Santa Clara County high school is worth the equivalent of 0.25 GPA points.

See every major and the full cutoff history on our SJSU admit rates page and transfer page.

Sources: California State University, Applications and Admissions Dashboard by Discipline; SJSU impaction criteria and results; KTVU, SJSU record enrollment (August 2025). Admit rates are first-time freshmen for fall terms; CSU counts every application submitted, including ones later withdrawn or incomplete. ScoreCalc is independent and not affiliated with the University of California or the California State University. Admit rates describe past applicants, not any individual student’s chances.