Public · University

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California · Large city

96.4%
Admit rate
$12,278
Avg net price
50%
Graduation rate
$68,077
Median earnings

San Francisco State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in San Francisco, California (large city setting), enrolling 18,639 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).

PublicLarge · 18,639 undergradsLarge cityAccessible · 96% admitNCAA Division II without footballNear 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
Graduate
To the ocean
2 miles
Nearest airport
9 miles to San Francisco (SFO) · major hub

How San Francisco State University compares

Selectivity96.4%

More selective than 10% · #95 most selective of 107 in California

Graduation rate50%

Higher than 41% · #89 of 122 in California

First-year retention83%

Higher than 69%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$68,077

Higher than 81% · #55 of 130 in California

Average net price$12,278

Cheaper than 84% · #20 cheapest of 118 in California

Median debt at graduation$15,371

Lower than 89%

Student–faculty ratio19 : 1

Lower than 14%

Undergraduate enrollment18,639

Larger than 94%

Percentiles compare San Francisco State University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in California.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

21,758students
  • Undergraduate18,63986%
  • Graduate3,11914%

Undergraduates by gender

18,639undergrads
  • Women10,88558%
  • Men7,75442%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White15%
  • Black6.5%
  • Hispanic40%
  • Asian23%
  • Other or multiracial15%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
18,639
Graduate enrollment
3,119
Student–faculty ratio
19 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
42%
First-generation students
48%
Students over 25
18%
Median family income
$27,896
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$118,791
Endowment
$175,553,573

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 2,985 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From California96%
  • Other U.S. states1.7%
  • International2.6%

Most first-years stay in state — San Francisco State University draws overwhelmingly from California.

3% 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.

Admissions

Admission rate
96.4%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$7,950
Out-of-state tuition
$20,550
Room & board
$22,266
Books & supplies
$1,100
Total cost of attendance
$26,488
Average net price
$12,278

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 (within 6 years)
50%
Graduated on time (4 years)
28%
First-year retention
83%
Transferred to another college
6%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$52,650
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$68,077
Median debt at graduation
$15,371
Students with federal loans
23%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
59%

About 22% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
28%
Low-income (Pell)
55%
First-generation
55%

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
Yes
Dorm capacity
4,596
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
25%
Housing charge (year)
$11,277
Meal plan (year)
$5,148
Application fee
$70
Athletics
NCAA Division II without football
Varsity athletes
287 (154 men · 133 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 (8)

Soccer63
Track and Field (Outdoor)51
Baseball41
Wrestling32
Basketball29
Cross Country27
Softball24
Volleyball20

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.1 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
47
Property offenses (2022–2024)
94

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (22,563 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.

47reported offenses a year
16 violent a year31 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
18
Burglary
13
Rape
7.3
Fondling
4.3
Robbery
1.7
Aggravated assault
1.3
Statutory rape
1.0
Arson
1.0

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
$9,341
$30–48k
$9,867
$48–75k
$11,825
$75–110k
$14,556
$110k+
$22,523

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.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$55,026

$11,825/year × about 4.7 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

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.

49%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$5,859
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 49% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $5,859. 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 3,186 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)
$68,077
Typical debt at graduation
$15,371
Debt vs. one year's pay
23%
Out-earn a HS grad
66%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.3 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Strong value

Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.

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
$65,245
Men
$72,109

Men out-earn women by $6,864 (11%) 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 (1.6 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 San Francisco State University

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

Colleges near San Francisco State University

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.