San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California · Website
$68,077
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$68,077
median earnings, 10 years after starting
San Francisco State University is a public 4-year college in San Francisco, California with 18,639 undergraduates and 3,119 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $12,278 a year (tuition and fees $7,950 in-state, $20,550 out-of-state). It admits 96% of applicants and 50% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $68,077 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $15,371 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$12,278
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$7,950
Out-of-state $20,550
Admission rate
96%
US median 78%
Completion rate
50%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$15,371
About $163 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$68,077
Rank 430 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $12,278
- Tuition in-state
- $7,950
- Tuition out-of-state
- $20,550
- Cost of attendance
- $26,488
- Students with a need-based grant
- 42%
- Students with federal loans
- 23%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $9,341
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $9,867
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $11,825
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $14,556
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $22,523
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $6,476 in 2015-16 to $7,950 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 96%
- Undergraduates
- 18,639
- Graduate students
- 3,119
- Part-time students
- 18%
- Women
- 54%
- Students per teacher
- 19
- Completion rate
- 50%
- Retention rate
- 83%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 220
- Endowment
- $175.6M
- Other
- Hispanic-serving
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 430 of 5,094 US colleges and 70 of 494 in California (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | CA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $12,278 | $20,161 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $7,950 | $8,086 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 96% | 76% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 50% | 64% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 83% | 80% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $15,371 | $11,537 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $52,650 | $36,048 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $68,077 | $41,472 | $50,314 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 64% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 73% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
220 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 1,023 | $15,000 | $48,184 | $73,775 | $68,257 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 479 | $15,000 | $34,803 | $55,902 | $50,706 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 369 | $15,000 | $36,259 | $74,204 | $57,214 |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 307 | $17,353 | $50,553 | $105,166 | $107,009 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 241 | $12,500 | $38,237 | $59,993 | $47,382 |
| Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 229 | $13,703 | $40,790 | $63,731 | $56,359 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 204 | $14,992 | $42,211 | $63,764 | $55,378 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 196 | $15,233 | $117,532 | $150,102 | $88,910 |
| Film/Video and Photographic ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 195 | $17,375 | $18,654 | $47,149 | $43,765 |
| Design and Applied ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 178 | $15,000 | $34,845 | $59,678 | $51,490 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 173 | $17,250 | $26,176 | $59,056 | $54,562 |
| SociologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 157 | $15,000 | $40,763 | $62,385 | $52,657 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital CommunicationBachelor's | Bachelor's | 129 | $17,500 | $28,753 | $58,550 | $50,497 |
| Education, GeneralMaster's | Master's | 123 | $26,500 | $65,425 | $75,757 | $65,824 |
| English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 117 | $16,743 | $32,339 | $56,297 | $48,590 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 102 | $17,610 | $24,606 | $42,868 | $41,367 |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 99 | $16,200 | $36,502 | $61,915 | $63,293 |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 83 | $17,303 | $31,001 | $59,990 | $51,710 |
| Public HealthBachelor's | Bachelor's | 83 | - | - | Withheld | - |
| Nutrition SciencesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 81 | $16,461 | $30,620 | $61,895 | $60,053 |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 74 | $18,250 | $47,367 | $65,252 | $61,296 |
| Mechanical EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 70 | $21,250 | $72,647 | $102,104 | $92,135 |
| HistoryBachelor's | Bachelor's | 64 | $15,000 | $28,718 | $58,717 | $50,680 |
| Apparel and TextilesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 62 | $17,625 | $30,082 | $53,575 | $57,640 |
| Special Education and TeachingMaster's | Master's | 60 | $24,072 | $69,592 | $76,580 | $64,397 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of San Francisco and California on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in California
- Homes: Homes for sale in California
Questions and answers
How much does San Francisco State University cost?
$12,278 a year is the average net price at San Francisco State University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $7,950 for in-state students and $20,550 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $26,488. Families earning under $30,000 pay $9,341 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at San Francisco State University?
96% of applicants are admitted to San Francisco State University. The median admission rate of colleges in California is 76%.
How much do San Francisco State University graduates earn?
$68,077 a year is the median pay of former San Francisco State University students who work, 10 years after they started ($52,650 after 6 years). That ranks 430 of 5,094 US colleges and 70 of 494 in California. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's) at $129,691.
How much student debt do San Francisco State University graduates have?
$15,371 is the median federal student loan debt of San Francisco State University graduates, about $163 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 23% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at San Francisco State University?
50% of first-time, full-time students at San Francisco State University finish within 6 years. 83% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 4-year colleges is 46%.
What are the most popular majors at San Francisco State University?
Business Administration, Management and Operations (1,023 bachelor's graduates), Psychology, General (479 bachelor's graduates), Biology, General (369 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 220 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.