Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsPrivate (nonprofit)

Golden Gate University

San Francisco, California·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Far West·ggu.edu
Acceptance
No freshman entry
6-yr Graduation
No freshman cohort
Total enrollment
3,098
peer median 4,276
Avg net price
No freshman cohort
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About

Golden Gate University is a private university in San Francisco, California, United States. Founded in 1901, GGU specializes in educating professionals through its schools of law, business, taxation, technology, accounting, and undergraduate studies. The university offers 4 undergraduate degrees and 18 graduate degree programs.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 42 Title IV programs, 10 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 32 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
42
Passing
10
23.8% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

42programs
  • Passing10 · 23.8%
  • No Data32 · 76.2%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
10
No data
32

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

10
Finance and Financial Management Services
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+61.0%
$107,694 vs $66,899
Law
First Professional Degree · Legal Professions And Studies
+76.2%
$96,079 vs $54,534
Accounting and Related Services
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+79.8%
$120,311 vs $66,899
Human Resources Management and Services
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+85.0%
$123,772 vs $66,899
Clinical Counseling and Applied Psychology
Master's Degree · Psychology
+96.4%
$95,577 vs $48,653
Taxation
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+101.7%
$134,927 vs $66,899
Business Administration Management and Operations
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+102.0%
$135,150 vs $66,899
Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies
Master's Degree · Legal Professions And Studies
+140.9%
$131,366 vs $54,534

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

9
Law
First Professional Degree · Legal Professions And Studies
164%
$157,887 debt · $96,079 earn
Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies
Master's Degree · Legal Professions And Studies
49%
$63,876 debt · $131,366 earn
Accounting and Related Services
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
43%
$51,250 debt · $120,311 earn
Finance and Financial Management Services
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
42%
$45,095 debt · $107,694 earn
Public Administration
Master's Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
39%
$48,322 debt · $122,598 earn
Business Administration Management and Operations
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
35%
$47,734 debt · $135,150 earn
Business Administration Management and Operations
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
32%
$29,500 debt · $91,369 earn
Taxation
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
30%
$40,798 debt · $134,927 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

WASC Senior College and University Commission

Accredited since 1959Next review Jun 2031

Programmatic accreditations · 1

Action history · 10

  1. Sep 2025Grant Substantive Change: Program
    WASC Senior College and University Commission
  2. Jun 2025Heightened Monitoring or Focused Review
    WASC Senior College and University Commission
  3. Jun 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    WASC Senior College and University Commission
  4. Mar 2024Heightened Monitoring or Focused Review
    WASC Senior College and University Commission
  5. Feb 2023Probation or Equivalent or More Severe Status: Monitoring
    American Bar Association, Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar · Law (LAW) - Professional schools

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by income not reported.
Federal loans
18.0%
In-state tuition
$31,243
Out-of-state
$31,243

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 125 students received $663K in Pell grants, alongside $13.3M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
125
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$663K
$662,599 total
Direct Loans
$13.3M
776 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

0k
20
0k
21
0k
22
0k
23
0k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$345K
82 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$591K
85 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$10.2M
482 loan awards
Grad PLUS$2.2M
127 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 441 borrowers who entered repayment, 4 (0.9%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.9%
-1.4pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
441
Defaulted
4
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
4.2%
2017
3.9%
2018
1.9%
2019
0.9%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Golden Gate

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs34
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

1,761 total completions
01Business
1,18467.2%
02Psychology
23113.1%
03Legal Professions
1307.4%
04Computer Sciences
844.8%
05Mathematics
633.6%
06Multi/Interdisciplinary
412.3%
07Public Admin
181.0%
08Liberal Arts
100.6%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
3,098
12-mo unduplicated
6,436
Undergraduate
744
Graduate
5,692

Gender split

Men
55%3,536
Women
45%2,900

Race / ethnicity composition

White
28.7%
Unknown
22.6%
Black
16.9%
Hispanic
16.9%
Asian
8.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
2.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native
1.8%
Non-resident
1.8%

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.44
1 offenses · 2,262 students

3-year trend

0.412 yrs ago0.001 yr ago0.44Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
2
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
0
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Aggravated assault
1

By location

1total
  • On campus1

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
0
Stalking
0 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs00
Liquor00

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
7.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
29

Golden Gate vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Golden Gate selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectGolden Gate University
No freshman cohortNo freshman entry3,098No freshman cohortMasters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
66%54.7%4,710$23,544Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
87%45.1%5,333$37,930Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
80%65.5%3,636$41,219Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
70%75.7%3,351$30,109Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
71%66.8%3,138$15,193Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
43%Open admission5,689$22,715Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
36%92.8%4,770$18,436Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
55%97.8%4,815$17,707Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
70%73.6%3,997$24,185Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
75%71.2%4,394$40,654Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
54%90.7%8,045$15,404Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
35%85.9%4,921$29,657Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
22%94.3%5,274$22,327Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
49%84.4%4,276$20,629Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
56%86.9%3,958$29,188Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
51%56.9%4,247$25,180Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
50%88.4%4,303$31,027Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
52%73.5%3,514$44,089Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
72%89.0%4,767$30,988Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
74%87.4%4,033$17,248Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
60%74.4%3,149$22,257Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
77%83.7%4,757$38,729Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
86%50.9%4,666$48,523Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
61%78.6%4,003$24,792Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
69%72.0%3,899$19,035Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
62%71.6%3,775$19,372Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
80%81.2%4,724$32,568Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
56%92.0%3,627$19,108Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Peer group median62%78.6%4,276$24,489

Institutions like Golden Gate

Explore the federal data for institutions in Golden Gate's comparison group.

Reports & documents (1)

Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.

Notable alumni of Golden Gate (20)

A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.

  • Solomon Darwin
    Academia
  • Mary Hayashi
    Politics
  • Fiona Ma
    Politics
  • Betty Yee
    Politics
  • Susan Pamerleau
    Law and justice
  • Lawrence Joseph O'Neill
    Law and justice
  • Terence T. Henricks
    Military
  • Timothy Maude
    Military
  • Ralph Atkin
    Business
  • Sophia Bekele
    Business
  • Richard Belluzzo
    Business
  • Joan Blades
    Business
Showing 112 of 20
1 / 2

Frequently asked questions about Golden Gate University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Golden Gate.

What is the acceptance rate at Golden Gate University?

Golden Gate University does not have a reported acceptance rate. This institution does not admit first-time (freshman) undergraduates, so the federal admit rate does not apply.

What is the graduation rate at Golden Gate University?

Golden Gate University does not have a reported federal graduation rate. Federal graduation rates follow first-time, full-time undergraduates. This institution does not enroll that cohort.

How many students attend Golden Gate University?

Golden Gate University reports a total enrollment of 3,098 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Golden Gate University?

Golden Gate University does not have a reported average net price. Net price is a federal metric for first-time, full-time undergraduates receiving federal aid, and this institution does not enroll that cohort.

Where is Golden Gate University located?

Golden Gate University is located in San Francisco, California 94105-2968.

About the data on this page

Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

IPEDSFall 2025–26 release, published July 28, 2026
Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
Federal Pell Grant & loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Pell Grant and Direct Loan recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.

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