Public · Community college

City College of San Francisco

San Francisco, California · Large city

8%
Transfer rate
$6,906
Avg net price
40%
Grad / completion
$45,805
Median earnings

City College of San Francisco is a public certificate-granting institution in San Francisco, California (large city setting), enrolling 17,348 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicLarge · 17,348 undergradsLarge cityCCCAANear the coast

About San Francisco, California

San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the fourth-most populous city in California and the 17th-most populous in the United States. The earliest archeological evidence of human habitation in the area dates to 3000 BCE. The Ohlone name for San Francisco was Ahwaste, meaning "place at the bay". Although the Financial District, Union Square, and Fisherman's Wharf are well known around the world, San Francisco is also characterized by its numerous culturally rich streetscapes featuring mixed-use neighborhoods anchored around central commercial corridors to which residents and visitors alike can walk. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Associate
To the ocean
3 miles
Nearest airport
8 miles to San Francisco (SFO) · major hub

How City College of San Francisco compares

Graduation rate40%

Higher than 26% · #299 of 382 in California

First-year retention70%

Higher than 43%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$45,805

Higher than 85% · #65 of 326 in California

Average net price$6,906

Cheaper than 83% · #65 cheapest of 377 in California

Median debt at graduation$8,218

Lower than 72%

Student–faculty ratio24 : 1

Lower than 16%

Undergraduate enrollment17,348

Larger than 99%

Percentiles compare City College of San Francisco with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in California.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

17,348undergrads
  • Women9,13053%
  • Men8,21847%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White24%
  • Black7.2%
  • Hispanic27%
  • Asian30%
  • Other or multiracial13%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
17,348
Student–faculty ratio
24 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
17%
First-generation students
55%
Students over 25
59%
Median family income
$13,954
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$113,355

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 2,560 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From California95%
  • International4.4%

Most first-years stay in state — City College of San Francisco draws overwhelmingly from California.

4% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Cost

In-state tuition
$1,696
Out-of-state tuition
$14,656
Room & board
Books & supplies
$1,294
Total cost of attendance
$16,870
Average net price
$6,906

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated
40%
First-year retention
70%
Transferred to another college
8%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$34,896
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$45,805
Median debt at graduation
$8,218
Students with federal loans
1%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
31%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
40%
First-generation
6%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
No
Application fee
Free
Athletics
CCCAA
Varsity athletes
242 (136 men · 106 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (9)

Football67
Soccer54
Basketball29
Baseball25
Swimming17
Water Polo17
Volleyball12
Tennis11
Badminton10

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.7 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
10
Property offenses (2022–2024)
32

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 6 campuses (19,267 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

14reported offenses a year
3.3 violent a year11 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
7.7
Aggravated assault
2.7
Motor vehicle theft
2.0
Arson
1.0
Robbery
0.7

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$6,121
$30–48k
$5,756
$48–75k
$8,139
$75–110k
$12,508
$110k+
$13,974

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

37%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$1,287
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 37% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,287. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 1,097 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$45,805
Typical debt at graduation
$8,218
Debt vs. one year's pay
18%
Out-earn a HS grad
48%

Typical debt would take roughly 1.8 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$44,110
Men
$48,278

Men out-earn women by $4,168 (9%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
66°F
Winter low
46°F
Annual rain
20.6″

Average temperature

HighLow
40°60°80°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.14.2JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, San Francisco Oceanside, CA US station (3 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to City College of San Francisco

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare City College of San Francisco side by side →

Colleges near City College of San Francisco

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.