Public · University

San Jose State University

San Jose, California · Large city

84.6%
Admit rate
$13,760
Avg net price
69%
Graduation rate
$78,988
Median earnings

San Jose State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in San Jose, California (large city setting), enrolling 27,601 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).

PublicLarge · 27,601 undergradsLarge cityAccessible · 85% admitNCAA Division I-FBS · Mountain West ConferenceNear the coast

About San Jose, California

San Jose, officially the City of San José, is the most populous city in the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern California, and the 13th-most populous in the United States, with an estimated 989,814 residents as of 2025. San Jose, along with most of the Santa Clara Valley, has been home to the Tamien tribe of the Ohlone people since around 4,000 BC. The Tamien spoke Tamyen language of the Ohlone language family. Because the downtown area is in the flight path to nearby San Jose Mineta International Airport (also evidenced in the above panoramic), there is a height limit for buildings in the downtown area, which is underneath the final approach corridor to the airport. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
San Jose, CA
To the ocean
12 miles
Nearest airport
3 miles to Norman Y. Mineta San Jose (SJC) · major hub

How San Jose State University compares

Selectivity84.6%

More selective than 36% · #68 most selective of 107 in California

Graduation rate69%

Higher than 77% · #46 of 122 in California

First-year retention87%

Higher than 80%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$78,988

Higher than 91% · #33 of 130 in California

Average net price$13,760

Cheaper than 78% · #29 cheapest of 118 in California

Median debt at graduation$15,000

Lower than 90%

Student–faculty ratio25 : 1

Lower than 4%

Undergraduate enrollment27,601

Larger than 97%

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

San Jose State University campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

37,254students
  • Undergraduate27,60174%
  • Graduate9,65326%

Undergraduates by gender

27,601undergrads
  • Women14,40852%
  • Men13,19348%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White12%
  • Black3.5%
  • Hispanic33%
  • Asian39%
  • Other or multiracial13%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
27,601
Graduate enrollment
9,653
Student–faculty ratio
25 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
35%
First-generation students
49%
Students over 25
15%
Median family income
$29,408
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$116,064
Endowment
$207,715,718

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 4,520 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From California96%
  • Other U.S. states1.3%
  • International2.8%

Most first-years stay in state — San Jose 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
84.6%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite
Average GPA
3.53

Cost

In-state tuition
$8,410
Out-of-state tuition
$21,010
Room & board
$20,971
Books & supplies
$1,062
Total cost of attendance
$26,593
Average net price
$13,760

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)
69%
Graduated on time (4 years)
37%
First-year retention
87%
Transferred to another college
4%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$62,448
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$78,988
Median debt at graduation
$15,000
Students with federal loans
20%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
68%

About 32% 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
37%
Low-income (Pell)
12%
First-generation
12%

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
4,261
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
15%
Housing charge (year)
$10,236
Meal plan (year)
$6,450
Application fee
$70
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FBS
Football conference
Mountain West Conference
Varsity athletes
575 (317 men · 258 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 (13)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)159
Football103
Soccer63
Baseball48
Water Polo47
Basketball31
Swimming and Diving (combined)22
Softball21
Gymnastics19
Volleyball19
Golf18
Beach Volleyball17
Tennis8

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)
103
Property offenses (2022–2024)
132

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 5 campuses (37,661 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.

78reported offenses a year
34 violent a year44 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
27
Rape
14
Motor vehicle theft
13
Aggravated assault
9.3
Fondling
7.7
Arson
4.3
Robbery
3.0

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
$9,730
$30–48k
$10,114
$48–75k
$12,099
$75–110k
$15,102
$110k+
$22,862

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
$56,841

$12,099/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.

36%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$6,608
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 36% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $6,608. 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 3,877 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)
$78,988
Typical debt at graduation
$15,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
19%
Out-earn a HS grad
71%

Typical debt would take roughly 1.9 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
$74,123
Men
$85,505

Men out-earn women by $11,382 (15%) 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
83°F
Winter low
43°F
Annual rain
16.1″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°60°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.63.2JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, San Jose, CA US station (1.5 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 Jose State University

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

Colleges near San Jose 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.