I haven't been to San Diego in quite awhile. (And I'll this time only be a couple of days...) I'd love to stay in a cute hotel - not on the beach. I'll be working closer to San Diego State, so perhaps something not close but not as far as the beach would be great. Thank you!

What sort of budget?

Mission Valley (and not just Hotel Circle) would be close to shopping, restaurants, east to the college, and west to Old Town.

Mission Valley is the most central and most direct to SDSU. There are literally hundreds of motels to chose from. The Town and Country is one of the larger ones and has a good course as well.

The Doubletree in Mission Valley is nice, right next to several restaurants and easy access by Trolley ( station is right across the road) to Fashion Valley and Mission Valley shops and more restaurants. The Trolley will also take you to SDSU.

Mission/Fashion Valley hotels are convenient, but I don't think any of them would be "cute."
Some hotels that might be considered cute would be: The US Grant Hotel, the Kimpton hotels, or the Sofia. You might try booking.com and click on vacation rentals. North Park, Hillcrest , Coronado are "cute areas. None are terribly far from SDSU.

I am not sure what a "cute" hotel would look like but I don't think it would include the US Grant Hotel, which is more stately and refined and luxurious than cute. Initially when the poster used the term cute, I thought of something more along the lines of the Hotel Indigo in the Gaslamp.

Your best bet is Hotel Circle in Mission Valley. There are inexpensive rooms, but they are old and some smell like cigarette smoke.

If you want something slightly better and a little pricier, I would consider the UTC area.

The SDSU area is not a safe place to roam by yourself, imo.