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San Diego Mesa College

#1997 in US ranking San Diego, CA
Type:
Public
Programs:
4 years or more

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San Diego Mesa College award
San Diego Mesa College award

Cost

Cost / year
$35,822
Tuition & fees
$1,150
Avg. aid
$4,608
Receiving aid
79%

Outcomes

Graduation rate
35%
Median salary
$43,607
1 yr after graduation

What does San Diego Mesa College offer in terms of athletics?

San Diego Mesa College competes in California community college athletics as the Olympians, rather than in NCAA varsity sports. Its intercollegiate teams compete within the California Community College Athletic Association system and the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference.

The college has fielded teams in sports including basketball, baseball, cross-country, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, track and field, and volleyball. Team offerings and rosters can change; the current athletics schedule is the best way to check a specific sport. Prospective athletes should distinguish a varsity team from recreational exercise or a student club, and should discuss eligibility, practice commitments, and any transfer-athletics plans with the relevant coach and counselor.

What student groups and Associations are available at San Diego Mesa College?

Mesa students can participate in student government and academic, cultural, and interest-based organizations. The Associated Student Government represents student interests and helps support campus activities.

Examples of organizations associated with Mesa include Alpha Gamma Sigma, the Black Student Union, MEChA, and the Vietnamese Student Association. An organization's meeting schedule and active status may change by semester, so the current student-life directory and club events are more reliable than an older list of names. For a commuter student, a club can offer a regular point of contact outside class without requiring participation in residential campus life.

Who studies at San Diego Mesa College?

San Diego Mesa College enrolls a large, predominantly California-based student population. Reported enrollment is 19,212 students; the 2024-25 geographic data indicate that 97% of students were California residents.

The enrollment figures include 3,166 first-time degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates and 2,204 transfer-in students. The age profile extends well beyond recent high school graduates: students in their late twenties and older study alongside teenagers and students in their early twenties. That range is relevant to applicants looking for a college with both initial-entry and returning-student pathways.

Reported student counts also reflect varied racial and ethnic backgrounds, including 6,809 Hispanic or Latino students, 4,474 White students, 2,136 Asian students, and 1,112 Black or African American students in the cited enrollment reporting. These figures describe enrollment categories, not any individual student's experience or the character of every classroom.

How does student life look like at San Diego Mesa College?

Student life at Mesa is shaped by a large student body and a campus without residence halls. Students can connect through classes, student activities, cultural programming, arts, athletics, and shared campus spaces, but many will arrange participation around work and commuting schedules.

The college offers supports relevant to day-to-day study, including counseling, health services, and academic resources. Reported offerings also include theater, choral activities, a student newspaper, and student television. Availability can vary by term or production, so an applicant seeking a particular activity should check its current schedule rather than assume it runs continuously.

The reported student-to-faculty ratio is 23 to 1. That institution-wide figure is not a promise about the size of an individual lecture, laboratory, or online course. For students deciding how to balance college with other responsibilities, course meeting times and access to advising may be more immediately useful than a single campuswide ratio.

What libraries are available to students at San Diego Mesa College?

San Diego Mesa College's main library is in its Learning Resource Center. It supports coursework with research materials, study space, and help from library staff.

Students can use the library to find books and academic sources, navigate research databases, and get assistance with citations and search strategies. Online resources can be particularly useful to commuters working away from campus, although access to licensed materials may require a student login. Borrowing rules, study-space arrangements, and service hours can change during breaks or between terms; students should check the library's current instructions before planning a late study session or requesting a specific item.

San Diego Mesa College Student Life for 2027

Total enrollment

19212

Full Time Degree Seeking Freshmen

598

Total staff

261 full time, 432 part time

Veterans affair office

No

San Diego Mesa College Student Body

Undergraduate vs. graduate students

Undergraduate: 19,212

Full-time vs. part-time students

Full-time: 2,855
Part-time: 16,357

Full-time degree-seeking students by gender

Women: 287
Men: 311

Students by race/ethnicity

Hispanic or Latino: 6,809
Black or African American: 1,112
White: 4,474
American Indian or Alaska Native: 38
Asian: 2,136
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 75
Two or more races: 1,232
Unknown: 160

Freshly enrolled students' age

Under 25 years
Over 25 years

San Diego Mesa College Sports & Athletics

Varsity teams compete against other colleges, intramural teams within the school. Each column says whether men, women or both take part, and whether the sport offers athletic scholarships (Aid).

Sport

Varsity Intramural Aid

Badminton

–Both–

Baseball

Men––

Basketball

BothBoth–

Bowling

–Both–

Cross-country running

Both––

Fencing

–Both–

Football

MenMen–

Golf

–Both–

Gymnastics

–Both–

Racquetball

–Both–

Skiing (downhill)

–Men–

Soccer

BothBoth–

Softball

WomenBoth–

Swimming and diving

BothBoth–

Tennis

BothBoth–

Track and field

Both––

Volleyball

BothBoth–

Water polo

Both––

Weight lifting

–Both–

Data last updated on November 2, 2026

Data sources: IPEDS 2024-25, Peterson 2026, College Scorecard 10/2026, Clery 2024 (2023-24), OpenAlex 2026

Figures on this profile come from federal and third-party datasets in the editions listed above and are refreshed periodically, so they may differ from what the institution currently reports. Confirm costs, deadlines and requirements with the school before making decisions.