Most students at San Diego State wake up in the morning just in time to race to class. But a small group of students get dressed and pack a lunch hours earlier, before crossing the U.S.-Mexico border to make it to class on time. To attend school in San Diego from Mexico, some transborder students wake up as early as 4 a.m., waiting at the border for car inspections and passport checks before finally arriving on campus. There is no official tracking of transborder college students, but nearly 21% of high school freshmen and sophomores in San Diego are transborder students, according to a 2017 study conducted by the Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies based at UC San Diego. In California, under Assembly Bill 91, students living within 45 miles of California’s border region may qualify to attend community college in San Diego while paying California resident tuition. Once attending community college in California, transferring to a four-year institution becomes a reality for transborder students. EdSource recently interviewed former transborder students to find out why they do it and whether the effort is worth the stress, time and cost. Jose Acevedo Journalism B.A. 2025, San Diego StateJose Acevedo commuted from Tijuana to San Diego during his senior year of high school until his last day at San Diego State. Acevedo was born in San Diego but grew up in Tijuana. He heard about others in his community who went to school across the border. His older sister wanted to study in…
