San Diego State University is the oldest and largest institute of higher education in the San Diego area and is among the largest in the twenty-three campus California State University system.  Its growth from a small teachers college to its present size and diversity has paralleled the growth and geographical expansion of the city of San Diego.  The present campus was built in the early 1930’s on a then isolated site envisioned by its second president Edward Hardy as a holistic leaning retreat.  The surrounding community grew both literally and ideally in response to the enrichment provided by the college.

Styled after the Spanish Revival architecture of Andalusia, Spain, the campus was envisioned as an artistic whole and was dedicated to the general enrichment of its students. The original cluster of six structures was built to appear as if it had evolved over an extended period of time, borrowing details from Christian, Moorish and agrarian Spanish architecture.  Expansion in the late 1930’s took place with WPA funding and followed the same motif as the early buildings.
State wide expansion of the State College system in the 1940’s and afterward added a collection of modernist structures design by the Office of the State Architect without consideration for the character of the original campus.  Since the 1980’s and continuing today a conscious effort is exerted within each construction project to blend new architectural statements with the original Spanish Revival style.  The results are a gradual reassertion of the campus as an artistic whole.  Attention is paid to the relationship of indoor and outdoor space and to campus life as a total community experience.

Today the urban campus fully occupies 280 acres and contains both a broad and intensive curriculum including 84 undergraduate majors, 75 master's programs, 15 joint doctoral degree programs and two independent doctoral degree programs.  The Carnegie Foundation has ranked SDSU “#1 Small Research University” for the past three years.  The enrollment for 2009 exceeded 32,000 (28,300 FTES) with 1,760 full-time and part-time faculty.  Functional space exceeds 3,000,000 SQF of indoor space, housing for over 4,500 and parking for 15,000 vehicles. Campus development to accommodate 35,000 FTES is defined in the 2007 Campus Master Plan.  This includes a renewed emphasis on campus living, community integration and responsible growth. 

The University of San Diego is a Roman Catholic institution committed to advancing academic excellence, expanding liberal and professional knowledge, creating a diverse and inclusive community, and preparing leaders dedicated to ethical conduct and compassionate service. Located on 180 acres overlooking the city of San Diego, Mission Bay and the Pacific Ocean, the campus is a community treasure, with Spanish Renaissance- inspired buildings and breathtakingly beautiful landscapes. Chartered in 1949, the university enrolls more than 7,800 students and is known for its commitment to teaching, the liberal arts, the formation of values and community service. USD offers more than 60 bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees. The university adds depth to education by inspiring students to grow spiritually, morally and socially.