San Francisco State University is a public institution offering graduate degrees based in San Francisco, California. It enrolls 18,639 students (a very large student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Below you'll find verified data on admissions, cost, student outcomes, programs offered, and what graduates typically earn, all pulled from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard and IPEDS.
AccreditorWestern Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission
Academic CalendarSemester
How It Measures Up
US College Data scores each college on four pillars (outcomes, value, affordability, and selectivity) on a 0–100 scale, ranked within its peer group (4-Year Selective). Scores are calculated from verified College Scorecard and IPEDS data, not opinion or paid placement. Where data is missing, that pillar isn't scored.
Strong
75/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes54
Value93
Affordability79
Selectivity7
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
With an acceptance rate of 96.4%, San Francisco State University is broadly accessible to qualified applicants.
Acceptance Rate
96.4%
Open
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Test PolicyTest OptionalApplicants choose whether to submit SAT or ACT scores.
5-Year Admission Trend
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether San Francisco State University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Becoming less selective ↑
28.8 pts
since 2019
Cost & Financial Aid
The real cost of attending San Francisco State University isn't the sticker price. It's the net price,which is what most students actually pay after grants and scholarships. According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, the average net price is $12,278 per year. That's below the typical net price for public colleges nationally.
Average Net Price
$12,278
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
42%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
23%
Borrowing to attend
Full Cost Breakdown
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees (in-state)
$7,950
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$20,550
Room & Board (on-campus)
$22,266
Room & Board (off-campus)
$22,230
Books & Supplies
$1,100
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$4,734
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$5,886
Total Cost of Attendance
$26,488
Application fee: $70 (one-time, due at submission)
Net Price by Family Income
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Under $30,000
$9,341
$30,001 – $48,000
$9,867
$48,001 – $75,000
$11,825
$75,001 – $110,000
$14,556
Over $110,000
$22,523
Debt at Graduation
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
$3,50010%percentile
$6,00025%percentile
$15,371Medianpercentile
$23,50075%percentile
$31,00090%percentile
Median Debt by Student Type
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $13,000
↓ $2,371
No Pell $12,500
↓ $2,871
Dependent students $12,000
↓ $3,371
Independent students $15,250
↓ $121
Female students $12,921
↓ $2,450
Male students $12,753
↓ $2,618
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $9,852, less than completers ($15,371), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
64% of full-time students who enrolled at San Francisco State University graduate within six years, and 83% return for their second year, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
6-Year Graduation Rate
64%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
83%
Returning for their second year
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
According to College Scorecard 2023-24 data, students who entered San Francisco State University earn a median of $68,077 ten years after first enrolling. That's above the national median for U.S. colleges.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$68,077
Earning > $25K
81%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Earnings by Demographic
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
By Gender
Female graduates
$51,900
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$59,300
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
By Family Income at Entry
Family income (lowest third)
$54,000
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (middle third)
$55,300
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (highest third)
$55,600
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
The gender gap:
Male graduates earn $7,400, about 12% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.
Loan Repayment Progression
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑
10.9 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Strong. 78% of graduates are actively reducing their debt seven years out.
Who Studies Here
San Francisco State University is home to 18,639 students, a sprawling student community. Some distinctive traits: 48% are first-generation college students.
Total Enrolled
18,639
Part-Time
18%
First-Generation
48%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
Hispanic 40.1%7,471
Asian 23.4%4,367
White 15.0%2,796
Other 7.0%1,305
Black 6.5%1,217
International 3.7%692
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at San Francisco State University. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Setting
Large CitySan Francisco, California
Housing
Partly residential4,596 beds available
Adult Learners
18%of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAAathletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semesterscheduling structure
Designation
Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI)
What You Can Study
San Francisco State University offers
an extensive catalog of programs:
118 distinct programs across
24 majors.
Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings.
Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
The student-to-faculty ratio at San Francisco State University is 16:1, close to the national average.
Student : Faculty
16:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$11,261
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$162M
Solid financial position
Avg Faculty Salary
$106,497
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
797 instructional faculty across 5 ranks.
The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
Rank
Faculty Count
Share
Avg Salary
Full Professors
327
41%
$125,486
Associate Professors
184
23%
$109,215
Assistant Professors
147
18%
$95,610
Lecturers
138
17%
$69,319
No Rank
1
0%
$127,593
Pros & Cons of San Francisco State University
A quick at-a-glance summary of how San Francisco State University tends to stack up for prospective students,weighing its data, size, setting, and cost profile together.
PROS
Below-average net price
Accessible admissions for most applicants
Reasonable class sizes
Above-average post-graduation earnings
Wide reach of need-based federal aid
First-gen-friendly student body
CONS
No clear weaknesses in the data.
Best for:
Based on the data, San Francisco State University is a fit for
students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier; students prioritizing post-graduation earnings.
Frequently Asked Questions about San Francisco State University
Quick answers to the questions most students and parents ask. Every answer below is calculated from verified government data about San Francisco State University.
Is San Francisco State University hard to get into?
San Francisco State University has open or near-open admissions. Most qualified applicants are accepted. Acceptance rate: 96.4%.
What is the acceptance rate at San Francisco State University?
San Francisco State University has an acceptance rate of 96.4%, according to College Scorecard 2023-24 admissions data.
How much does San Francisco State University cost?
The average net price after aid at San Francisco State University is $12,278 per year, this is what students typically pay after grants and scholarships are applied. Net price data: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is San Francisco State University worth it?
Strong return on investment. Graduates earn a median of $68,077 ten years after entering, against an average net price of $12,278 per year. That's roughly 5.5x earnings-to-cost. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is San Francisco State University known for?
San Francisco State University is best known for its programs in Business Administration, Psychology, Biology. These are the most popular fields by completed degrees, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
What do San Francisco State University graduates earn?
Median earnings 10 years after entering San Francisco State University are $68,077, based on College Scorecard 2023-24 federal earnings data for Title IV recipients.
Is San Francisco State University accredited?
Yes. San Francisco State University is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission.
How many students attend San Francisco State University?
San Francisco State University enrolls 18,639 students, per IPEDS 2023-24 fall enrollment data.
What is the graduation rate at San Francisco State University?
San Francisco State University graduates 64% of full-time students within six years, per IPEDS 2023-24 completion data.
Is San Francisco State University a public or private college?
San Francisco State University is a Public institution.
Where is San Francisco State University located?
San Francisco State University is located in San Francisco, California.
What programs does San Francisco State University offer?
San Francisco State University offers 118 distinct programs. The most popular include Business Administration, Psychology, Biology.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at San Francisco State University?
The student-to-faculty ratio at San Francisco State University is 16:1, per IPEDS 2023-24 data.
Related Colleges in California
Other colleges in California share the same applicant pool, regional economy, and academic landscape. Comparing nearby options puts admissions, costs, and outcomes in context, useful when weighing your fit against local alternatives.
Free, data-backed guides to help you decide, built on the same federal data as this profile.
H
How to Build Your College List Pillar
The full process of narrowing from 3,839 US colleges to a shortlist of ~10. Cost, location, size, selectivity, and fit factors that actually predict whether you'll thrive.
What actually makes a college work for first-generation students, the support and aid signals that predict success, and how to find the schools that deliver them using federal data.
How to find the colleges that deliver the strongest return on a STEM degree by weighing earnings outcomes against net cost, rather than chasing the most selective name.
Original data analyses built on the same federal data as this profile. Rankings, outliers, and patterns, no opinions.
American Colleges by the Numbers
One federal dataset, 3,839 colleges. The median school costs $16,371 a year, admits 78% of applicants, and enrolls 1,259 students. The shape of US higher ed.
Higher education data
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Do Selective Schools Actually Graduate More Students?
Across 1,645 four-year colleges, graduation rates climb steadily with selectivity, from 54% at open-admission schools to 93% at the most exclusive. The gap is real.
Graduation rate
Acceptance rate
Selectivity
Completion
College outcomes
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Earnings
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Rankings That Feature San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University appears in these rankings, built from the same federal data and the UCD Score.
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