Guy Fieri’s Son Ryder Got into His First Choice for College and Is Taking After His Dad: ‘Super Excited’ (Exclusive)

Congratulations, Ryder Fieri!

Guy Fieri's youngest son has committed to San Diego State University and will attend in the fall. Guy, 56, tells PEOPLE that Ryder, 18, "got into every school" he applied to, but "the one that he was most interested in was San Diego State."

The Food Network star spoke to PEOPLE about the milestone at a Waterloo Sparkling Water event on Thursday, May 2, where he celebrated their partnership and Waterloo's new summer flavors: All Day Rosé, Pi-Ño Colada and Mojito Mocktail. (The drinks are alcohol-free but have complex flavors strikingly similar to their cocktail inspirations.)

"Ryder's super excited," says Guy. "He had to do it on his own merit. He had to go down, he had to do the walk-throughs at the school."

Guy and his wife Lori went for a visit to the California campus, too. "We spent the two hours going for the tour. That was a bit awkward with people coming up to me during the tour," laughs the Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives host. "Lori's like, 'We're on a family tour!' It was hysterical."

They've already discussed Ryder's living situation while enrolled in his first semester. "I asked him, 'You want a dorm room by yourself? You want it without roommates?'" Guy recalls, "He goes, 'No, I want roommates.' He wants the whole experience."

Guy's alma mater is University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where his older son Hunter, 27, also graduated. Though Ryder isn't headed to UNLV, he is still following in his dad's footsteps.

After initially considering a sports marketing major, "he's going into the hospitality program," says Guy proudly. 

"The cool thing for me is at that school, they really do encourage the study abroad for a semester," he adds. "And they have a really good system about how that works for the students, so that's one of the things I've always wanted Ryder to do. Hunter never got a chance to do it."

Guy developed an appreciation for food during his own high school exchange program in France when he was 16. His late sister Morgan was also an exchange student.

San Diego State is just the first stop of Ryder's college education — if his dad has his way. Guy previously revealed that he does not plan on giving his sons his money without them getting two degrees. "He also knows that he has to give me post-graduate," Guy told PEOPLE in February.

But right now, Guy can't contain his pride for Ryder. "I think it's going to be a great school," he says. "I'm excited."