San Francisco State University

San Francisco State University Overview

San Francisco State University is a public, state school in an urban setting in San Francisco, California. SF State was founded in 1899 and now enrolls around 27,075 students a year, including 24,025 undergrads. SF State provides on-campus housing for students. Most students live in off campus housing.

There are many ways for students to get involved at SF State! Love music or performing? Sing in a chorus or perform with one of SF State's theater groups.

Interested in journalism or communications? SF State students can write for the campus newspaper, host a radio show or be a producer for the student-run television channel.

Excited for Greek life? SF State has fraternities and sororities.

Planning to play sports? SF State has many options for athletes. See them all and learn more about life at SF State on the Student Life page.

Learn more about life at SF State on the Student Life page.

Mark your calendar! The deadline to apply regular decision to SF State for Fall 2022 is November 30. Regular decision applicants for Fall 2022 should find out if they got admitted by December 20.

Is SF State a Good School?

Different people have different ideas about what makes a "good" school. Admissions criteria, acceptance rate and average GPA are good indicators of how competitive an institution is, but they don't say much about the quality of the education or the student experience. However, there are a few good ways to get a better sense how satisfied students are and how well a school supports its student body.

Let's take a closer look at all of these areas to get a clearer sense of what SF State offers and if it could be a good fit for you.

SF State Acceptance Rate 2021

It is moderately difficult to get into SF State. Around 84% of applicants get into SF State each year. Last year, 31,430 students applied to SF State and 26,431 were admitted.

Retention and Graduation Rates at SF State

Retention is the number of students that stay enrolled at a school over time. This is a way to get a sense of how satisfied students are with their school experience, and if they have the support necessary to succeed in college.

Out of all the first-year, full-time undergrads who start at SF State, around 81% return for the next year. Around 55% of students who started at SF State earn their Bachelor's degrees within six years. The average six-year graduation rate for U.S. colleges and universities is 61% for public schools, and 67% for private, non-profit schools.

Job Outlook SF State Graduates

Job placement rates after graduation and average starting salaries can all give important clues about the value of a degree from a specific school.

Check with SF State directly, for information on any information on starting salaries for recent grads.

Tuition and Financial Aid at SF State

Cost is another important factor when choose a college. Some colleges may have high tuition, but do a better job at meeting students' financial need. SF State meets 61.7% of the demonstrated financial need for undergraduates. First-year students that attend SF State full-time are awarded $15,025 a year in financial aid, on average.

The average student debt for graduates in the class of 2021 was around $6,167 per student, not including those with no debt. For context, compare this number with the average national debt, which is around $36,000 per borrower.

The 2022-2023 FAFSA Opened on October 1st, 2021

Some aid is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, so fill out the FAFSA early. Visit the FAFSA website to apply for student aid. Remember, the first F in FAFSA stands for FREE! No one should ever pay to fill out the FREE Application for Federal Student Aid, (FAFSA), so be very wary of anyone asking you for money.

Learn more about Tuition and Financial Aid at SF State. Based on this information, how does SF State sound? Remember, the best school for one person may not be the right school for someone else! So ask yourself: Is SF State a good school for you?

If San Francisco State University seems like a school you want to apply to, click the heart button to save it to your college list.

Still Doing Your Research?

To learn more about SF State, choose from the options below:

Admissions

Student Life

Academics

Tuition & Aid

SF State Community Forums

Then use the college admissions predictor to take a data science look at your chances of getting accepted at some of the most selective schools in the U.S.

Where is SF State?

SF State is located in the urban setting of San Francisco, California.

If you want to see SF State for yourself, plan a visit. The best way to reach campus is to take Highway 280 to San Francisco, or book a flight to the nearest airport, San Francisco International.

You can also take a virtual campus tour to get a sense of what SF State and San Francisco are like without leaving home.

Considering Colleges in California?

See a full list of colleges in California and save your favorites to your college list.