More people than ever are trying to go to San Diego State University.

Why it matters: The Cal State school received a record-breaking number of applications for the fall 2025 semester even as tuition keeps climbing.

By the numbers: More than 118,800 students have already applied to undergraduate and graduate programs across SDSU's campuses.

• More than 95,000 applicants are first-year students looking to attend the San Diego campus.

Zoom in: Freshmen applications have shot up over the last six years, growing about 40% between 2020 and 2024 at the San Diego campus.

• Freshmen enrollment grew by 36%, or more than 1,700 students.
• SDSU hit record enrollment at 39,373 students last fall at its local and Imperial Valley campuses.

The intrigue: The university is planning to build seven new dorm towers for nearly 4,500 students as demand for on-campus housing grows.

The latest: Applications are still open for SDSU Imperial Valley, SDSU Global Campus and most SDSU graduate programs.

Between the lines: This is the first year SDSU saw a significant boost in transfer applicants through the CSU Transfer Success Pathway program that launched in 2023, according to Stefan Hyman, associate vice president for enrollment management.

• The program offers dual admission for eligible first-time, first-year students enrolling in California community colleges who commit to transferring to a CSU campus within three years.
• SDSU also recently renewed two compact agreements with Hoover High School and the Sweetwater Union High School District, which guarantees admission to qualified students.

What they're saying: "SDSU has momentum," Hyman told Axios via email.

• He noted the university's recent rankings from U.S. News & World Report and Forbes, rising graduation rates, and the national exposure from Aztec sports like the men's basketball team's NCAA March Madness runs.

What to watch: SDSU plans to continue to grow its student body, but it's somewhat dependent on state funding, which supports the relatively affordable tuition for in-state students.

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Two San Diego chefs and a new cocktail bar were named semifinalists for the 2025 James Beard Awards announced Wednesday.

Why it matters: The coveted awards are among the highest honors in the hospitality industry, and San Diego's restaurant scene has yet to claim a winner.

Driving the news: Tara Monsod, executive chef at Animae and Le Coq, and Roberto Alcocer, executive chef at Valle, secured semifinalist spots in the Best Chef - California category.

• Roma Norte, a sleek, Mexico City-inspired cocktail bar downtown, is a semifinalist for Best New Bar.

Zoom in: Monsod brings Filipino flavors to the kitchens at Animae — an upscale wagyu steakhouse and Asian-fusion restaurant downtown — and Le Coq, La Jolla's new French steakhouse.

• Alcocer helped Valle, a Mexican fine-dining restaurant in Oceanside, earn a Michelin Star.

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You need to earn nearly a quarter of a million dollars a year to afford a typical San Diego home, according to a recent Redfin report.

Why it matters: It keeps getting harder to buy a house in San Diego County, even for people with high salaries.

By the numbers: It takes $242,560 to afford the mortgage on a median-priced home in the metro area, per Redfin's analysis.

• That's up from about $124,000 in 2020, and $95,000 in 2014.
• The median home sale price last year was $905,463 — a 7% increase from 2023.

The fine print: Redfin's data assumes a homebuyer spends no more than 30% of their income on monthly mortgage payments.

Reality check: The gap between San Diego's incomes and its housing prices is closing, but homeownership is still out of reach for many families.

State of play: California boasts the five least affordable major metros.

• Homebuyers with median incomes in Los Angeles would need to spend 77.6% on median-priced housing, followed by San Francisco (76.2%), Anaheim (75.9%), San Jose (73.9%) and San Diego (67.3%).
• Rust Belt metros are among the most affordable, including Pittsburgh (25.3%), Detroit (25.5%) and Cleveland (26.4%).

The big picture

📉 San Diego County's homeless population got smaller for two consecutive months to close out 2024, bucking the trend of the past three years. (Union-Tribune)

🏚️ One year after the devastating floods, less than half of the people displaced received money from the San Diego Housing Commission to find new housing or return to their homes. And many survivors still don't qualify for assistance. (KPBS)

⚽️ The Wave dropped its 2025 NWSL schedule and will face Angel City FC in its first game on March 16 then the Utah Royals at home on March 22. (San Diego Wave FC)

🪖 The Pentagon is sending 1,500 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border to carry out President Trump's immigration orders, and providing military aircraft for deportation flights of undocumented immigrants from the San Diego area. (Axios)

LGBTQ+ students across California have a new college scholarship opportunity through The San Diego Foundation.

Why it matters: The newly established National Rainbow College Fund provides financial aid for tuition and other campus expenses while keeping students' sexual orientation or gender identity private.

By the numbers: The fund will award up to $500,000 in scholarships to 200 students who will each receive $2,500.

Zoom in: Eligible students can apply through March 5.

The intrigue: The San Diego Foundation also provides $5 million through its community scholarship program for local students.