San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA · Public · 18,639 undergrads (large, city) · website ↗
- 40% Hispanic undergrads
- Test scores not considered
- $70 application fee
What you'll actually pay
Average net price per year — tuition, fees, room & board minus grant and scholarship aid — for in-state students by household income.
| Household income | Avg net price / year |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $9,341 |
| $30,000 – $48,000 | $9,867 |
| $48,000 – $75,000 | $11,825 |
| $75,000 – $110,000 | $14,556 |
| Over $110,000 | $22,523 |
| All incomes (average) | $12,278 |
Sticker tuition and fees: $7,950 in-state, $20,550 out-of-state — before aid, from the same earlier College Scorecard release as the net prices above.
These are averages. For an estimate for your family, use San Francisco State University's own net price calculator — every college that takes federal student aid must publish one.
Net price calculator ↗Other costs of attendance, 2025–26
The college's own estimate for a full-time undergraduate for the year, before aid, from the October 2026 College Scorecard. It is a newer year than the tuition and net prices above, so don't add the two together.
| Housing and meals, on campus | $23,890 |
| Housing and meals, off campus (not with family) | $22,590 |
| Books and supplies | $1,100 |
| Other expenses, on campus | $4,104 |
| Other expenses, off campus | $5,994 |
Grants and loans for first-year students, 2022–23
What the college reported for its full-time, first-time students (3,186 of them) in 2022–23; 79% got some kind of aid, loans included. Each average is over the students who received that kind of aid, not over everyone. It is an older year than the 2025–26 costs above.
| Type of aid | Students awarded | Average amount |
|---|---|---|
| Any grant or scholarshipFederal, state, local and the college's own | 74% | $11,498 |
| Federal Pell GrantNeed-based, from the federal government | 48% | $5,813 |
| The college's own grants and scholarshipsNeed- or merit-based, funded by the college | 49% | $5,859 |
| Federal student loansBorrowed by the student; repaid with interest. No Parent PLUS or private loans | 29% | $4,980 |
IPEDS, U.S. Department of Education, Student Financial Aid 2022–23 (SFA2223, provisional release); full-time, first-time degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates; public domain.
Admissions & outcomes
- Acceptance rate
- 96%
- Average SAT
- —
- Median ACT
- —
- Students with Pell grants
- 42%
- Graduation rate (6yr)
- 50%
- Freshman retention
- 83%
- Median earnings @ 10yr
- $68,077
- Median debt at graduation
- $15,371
- International undergrads
- 924 (4.5%)
For comparison, the median across all 1,596 four-year colleges on this site: graduation rate 56%, earnings ten years after entering $54,869, debt at graduation $23,250.
Admission policy, test scores and teaching
- SAT/ACT policy
- Not considered
- Application fee
- $70
- Students per faculty member
- 19 to 1
- Faculty who are full-time
- 53%
- Open admission
- No
Not considered, even if submitted (fall 2024)
undergraduate, 2023–24
undergraduates, fall 2024
fall 2024
fall 2024
What the college considers in admission decisions, fall 2023
How the college said it used each item when deciding on first-time, degree- or certificate-seeking applicants for fall 2023. For SAT and ACT scores, see the fall 2024 policy above.
| High school GPA | Required |
| High school class rank | Not considered |
| High school record | Required |
| Completion of a college-preparatory program | Required |
| Recommendations | Not considered |
| Formal demonstration of competencies (e.g. portfolio) | Not considered |
| English proficiency test (for applicable students) | Required |
| Other test (Wonderlic, WISC-III, etc.) | Not considered |
| Work experience | Considered if submitted |
| Personal statement or essay | Not considered |
| Legacy status | Not considered |
- First-time applicants
- 29,878
- Admitted
- 28,727
- Enrolled
- 2,985
fall 2023
fall 2023
fall 2023, full and part time
Counts of first-time, degree- or certificate-seeking students, including early decision and early action. The acceptance rate higher up this page comes from a different College Scorecard release, so it may not match these counts.
IPEDS, U.S. Department of Education, Admissions 2023–24 (ADM2023, provisional release), fall 2023; open admission from IPEDS Institutional Characteristics 2023–24 (revised); public domain.
Most popular fields of study
Share of bachelor's degrees awarded.
Earnings and debt by field of study
Median annual earnings of graduates who received federal student aid and were working, not studying: one year after completing (graduates of 2020–21 and 2021–22) and four years after (2017–18 and 2018–19), measured in 2022 and 2023 and shown in 2024 dollars. Median debt is federal Direct and Grad PLUS loans borrowed at this college by 2022–23 and 2023–24 graduates; it leaves out Parent PLUS and private loans. “National” is the median for the same field and credential across all US colleges.
Bachelor's degrees (54)
| Field of study | Degrees awarded 2023–24 | Earnings, 1 yr after | Earnings, 4 yrs after | Median federal debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 980 | $53,836 | $73,775national $68,257 | $16,624 |
| Psychology, General | 452 | $40,742 | $55,902national $50,706 | $13,250 |
| Computer Science | 369 | $70,632 | $105,166national $107,009 | $17,062 |
| Biology, General | 339 | $44,755 | $74,204national $57,214 | $15,000 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 211 | $48,274 | $63,731national $56,359 | $15,000 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 210 | $45,013 | $59,993national $47,382 | $12,500 |
| Design and Applied Arts | 193 | $43,685 | $59,678national $51,490 | $15,000 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | 185 | $32,668 | $47,149national $43,765 | $15,305 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 182 | $145,008 | $150,102national $88,910 | $13,331 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | 176 | $42,419 | $63,764national $55,378 | $15,000 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 144 | $42,540 | $59,056national $54,562 | $13,500 |
| Public Health | 130 | — | —national $58,808 | $15,350 |
| Sociology | 118 | $47,995 | $62,385national $52,657 | $15,000 |
| Political Science and Government | 114 | $45,925 | $61,915national $63,293 | $13,773 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication | 107 | $40,506 | $58,550national $50,497 | $18,750 |
| English Language and Literature, General | 95 | $37,226 | $56,297national $48,590 | $15,833 |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 87 | $31,796 | $42,868national $41,367 | $18,000 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 72 | $74,869 | $102,104national $92,135 | $18,500 |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | 65 | $43,013 | $59,990national $51,710 | $17,958 |
| Civil Engineering | 61 | $82,059 | $90,894national $86,517 | $21,250 |
| Apparel and Textiles | 59 | $35,725 | $53,575national $57,640 | $18,625 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 57 | $44,855 | $62,116national $55,012 | $13,964 |
| Nutrition Sciences | 57 | $36,231 | $61,895national $60,053 | $20,000 |
| Economics | 56 | $51,760 | $82,697national $82,686 | $18,750 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 49 | $43,229 | $58,617national $53,072 | $17,481 |
| History | 48 | $33,600 | $58,717national $50,680 | $15,500 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | 42 | $62,350 | $76,134national $65,466 | $15,000 |
| Computer Engineering | 37 | $74,592 | $94,129national $109,015 | $21,000 |
| Journalism | 36 | $40,270 | $57,260national $56,278 | $13,467 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | 36 | $40,228 | $59,032national $48,471 | $16,085 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 36 | $29,663 | $44,848national $39,775 | $16,842 |
| Mathematics | 35 | — | $71,323national $69,562 | $16,750 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 33 | $85,968 | $112,454national $100,647 | $19,178 |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General | 31 | $48,894 | $65,252national $61,296 | $18,625 |
| International Relations and National Security Studies | 30 | $41,658 | $65,775national $66,596 | $12,766 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | 29 | $35,631 | $70,532national $58,928 | $19,500 |
| Geography and Cartography | 27 | $43,637 | $63,590national $57,853 | — |
| Music | 25 | $36,891 | $38,639national $42,892 | $18,812 |
| Social Work | 21 | $44,889 | $68,524national $51,790 | $21,763 |
| Anthropology | 20 | $42,054 | $61,300national $46,676 | — |
| East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 16 | $38,298 | $61,603national $51,642 | — |
| Philosophy | 16 | $41,164 | $42,993national $54,455 | $16,152 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 15 | $54,778 | $62,623national $55,000 | — |
| Hospitality Administration/Management | 15 | $52,160 | $65,510national $56,726 | — |
| Chemistry | 13 | $58,948 | —national $65,120 | — |
| Urban Studies/Affairs | 12 | $62,498 | $70,207national $62,532 | — |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies | 10 | $40,746 | $55,212national $50,983 | — |
| Human Resources Management and Services | 6 | — | $75,207national $68,069 | — |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | 5 | — | $48,959national $49,984 | — |
| Dance | 5 | — | $44,627national $39,980 | — |
| Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General | 3 | — | $58,530national $48,460 | — |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | — | $69,099 | $86,425national $92,374 | — |
| Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences | — | $52,038 | $74,482national $66,697 | — |
| Marketing | — | — | $71,691national $69,303 | — |
Undergraduate certificates (1)
| Field of study | Degrees awarded 2023–24 | Earnings, 1 yr after | Earnings, 4 yrs after | Median federal debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legal Support Services | — | — | $92,546national $49,747 | — |
Master's degrees (20)
| Field of study | Degrees awarded 2023–24 | Earnings, 1 yr after | Earnings, 4 yrs after | Median federal debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 63 | $100,581 | $131,094national $103,485 | $41,300 |
| Education, General | 58 | $80,045 | $75,757national $65,824 | $22,200 |
| Biology, General | 57 | $67,972 | $128,052national $69,830 | — |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services | 50 | $77,155 | $91,778national $60,111 | $41,000 |
| Social Work | 48 | $87,992 | $94,452national $65,123 | $34,250 |
| Special Education and Teaching | 46 | $74,781 | $76,580national $64,397 | $33,065 |
| Public Administration | 39 | $89,556 | $108,093national $81,408 | $41,100 |
| Educational Administration and Supervision | 38 | $105,672 | $109,935national $71,685 | — |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | 34 | $36,516 | $62,221national $55,035 | $66,596 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | 34 | $84,897 | $95,402national $67,030 | $36,436 |
| English Language and Literature, General | 32 | $50,409 | $62,210national $55,512 | $41,000 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 26 | $154,646 | $152,207national $120,193 | $66,841 |
| Accounting and Related Services | 24 | $80,039 | —national $95,833 | — |
| Psychology, General | 23 | $50,309 | —national $64,711 | — |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | 22 | — | $75,709national $62,705 | — |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions | 12 | $64,525 | $72,271national $59,571 | — |
| Public Health | 12 | $73,971 | $79,053national $82,751 | — |
| Museology/Museum Studies | 11 | $61,321 | —national $53,692 | — |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology | 6 | — | $96,854national $65,184 | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | — | $76,221 | $77,699national $59,916 | — |
Doctoral degrees (2)
| Field of study | Degrees awarded 2023–24 | Earnings, 1 yr after | Earnings, 4 yrs after | Median federal debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Educational Administration and Supervision | 15 | $135,857 | $157,979national $100,573 | $61,500 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | 0 | $92,499 | $96,298national $82,893 | — |
Post-baccalaureate certificates (3)
| Field of study | Degrees awarded 2023–24 | Earnings, 1 yr after | Earnings, 4 yrs after | Median federal debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legal Support Services | — | $63,556 | —national $55,073 | — |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions | — | $136,839 | —national $66,018 | $12,500 |
| Health/Medical Preparatory Programs | — | $27,125 | —national $63,593 | $12,928 |
A dash means the Department of Education suppressed the figure because too few graduates were measured — not zero. 154 more programmes at this college have every figure suppressed and are not listed.
Contact and accreditation
- Address
- 1600 Holloway Ave, San Francisco, CA 94132
- Phone
- (415) 338-1111
- Institutional accreditor
- Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission
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Find my matches →Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts) and IPEDS Fall Enrolment for international student counts. College Scorecard, October 2026 release: net price calculator link, mission flags and religious affiliation (2025–26), enrolment shares, test policy, SAT/ACT ranges and student-to-faculty ratio (fall 2024), cost-of-attendance components (2025–26), and earnings and debt by field of study. IPEDS Institutional Characteristics 2023–24 for the application fee and the IPEDS 2024 directory for the phone number. IPEDS Admissions 2023–24 (ADM2023, provisional release) for admission requirements and first-time applicants, admits and enrolments (fall 2023). IPEDS Student Financial Aid 2022–23 (SFA2223, provisional release) for grants and loans to full-time, first-time students. All are U.S. Department of Education data in the public domain. Verify current costs and requirements with the school.
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