About
San Francisco State University is a public research university in San Francisco, California, United States. It was established in 1899 as the San Francisco State Normal School and is part of the California State University system.
Admissions & acceptance rate
First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Non-Pell students graduate at a 2.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 200 Title IV programs, 77 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 123 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing77 · 38.5%
- No Data123 · 61.5%
- Failing0 · 0.0%
Severity spectrum
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.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
WASC Senior College and University Commission
Programmatic accreditations · 13
Action history · 18
- Feb 2025Renewal of AccreditationAmerican Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology · Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) - Graduate degree programs
- Jan 2024Approved for Distance EducationAcademy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Dietetics (DIETI) - Dietetic Internship
- Jan 2024Approved for Distance EducationAcademy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Didactic Program in Dietetics
- Dec 2023Loss of Accreditation or Preaccreditation: Voluntary WithdrawalCouncil on Education for Public Health · Public Health Programs (PHPBG) - Baccalaureate and Graduate level programs offered outside a school of public health
- Oct 2023Renewal of AccreditationCommission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 9,825 students received $59.6M in Pell grants, alongside $58.5M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
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.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 4,896 borrowers who entered repayment, 93 (1.8%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* 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.
Academic programs at San Francisco State
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Athletics & Title IX gender equity
How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.
Men vs women · spending splits
Sport-by-sport · 9
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
- On campus32
- Public property28
Includes 6 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
No hate crimes reported.
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
- Village at Centennial Square1 fireOtherDamage $0-$99
- Towers at Centennial Square2 firesElectricalDamage $0-$99
- Towers at Centennial Square2 firesElectricalDamage $0-$99
- University Park North1 fireCookingDamage $0-$99
- Manzanita Square2 firesDamage $0-$99
- Manzanita Square2 firesDamage $50,000-$99,999
Data quality: 1 report was later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
San Francisco State vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions San Francisco State selected for federal comparison reporting.
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 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectSan Francisco State University | 50% | — | 22,563 | $12,882 | R2 Research |
Arizona State University Digital Immersion | 0% | 66.7% | 72,994 | — | R2 Research |
Ball State University | 62% | 85.5% | 21,089 | $15,898 | R2 Research |
Boise State University | 59% | 87.2% | 27,198 | $19,182 | R2 Research |
California State University-Fresno | 57% | 95.3% | 24,427 | $6,480 | R2 Research |
California State University-Fullerton | 70% | 90.5% | 43,662 | $5,646 | R2 Research |
California State University-Long Beach | 69% | 46.3% | 42,003 | $8,931 | R2 Research |
California State University-San Bernardino | 55% | 93.7% | 18,492 | $5,918 | R2 Research |
East Carolina University | 63% | 89.2% | 26,940 | $16,514 | R2 Research |
Florida Atlantic University | 63% | 66.1% | 31,607 | $8,001 | R2 Research |
Georgia Southern University | 55% | 87.9% | 27,423 | $16,531 | R2 Research |
Illinois State University | 65% | 88.2% | 21,546 | $18,996 | R2 Research |
James Madison University | 80% | 71.5% | 22,740 | $21,816 | R2 Research |
Kennesaw State University | 52% | 69.2% | 47,764 | $16,972 | R2 Research |
Miami University-Oxford | 80% | 75.4% | 18,838 | $27,662 | R2 Research |
Middle Tennessee State University | 54% | 69.1% | 20,488 | $12,599 | R2 Research |
Montclair State University | 65% | 87.9% | 23,375 | $14,159 | R2 Research |
Northern Arizona University | 61% | 89.6% | 28,467 | $14,922 | R2 Research |
Portland State University | 53% | 90.9% | 19,951 | $12,932 | R2 Research |
Rowan University | 67% | 77.7% | 21,026 | $22,185 | R2 Research |
Sam Houston State University | 55% | 90.3% | 21,039 | $16,025 | R2 Research |
San Diego State University | 76% | 36.2% | 41,137 | $16,174 | R2 Research |
Texas State University | 55% | 89.3% | 40,674 | $16,438 | R2 Research |
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley | 51% | 94.2% | 33,881 | $6,500 | R2 Research |
University of North Carolina at Charlotte | 69% | 79.6% | 31,091 | $14,745 | R2 Research |
University of North Carolina at Greensboro | 56% | 88.5% | 18,012 | $10,170 | R2 Research |
University of North Carolina Wilmington | 71% | 64.2% | 18,848 | $19,472 | R2 Research |
University of Rhode Island | 72% | 72.2% | 17,210 | $19,899 | R2 Research |
West Chester University of Pennsylvania | 71% | 78.4% | 17,171 | $22,673 | R2 Research |
| Peer group median | 62% | 86.4% | 23,375 | $15,962 |
San Francisco State Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
Institutional Research (IR) provides information in support of internal and external reporting, decision-making, strategic planning, program review, and faculty activities. It is the official reporting source of student information to San Francisco State University and CSU, and supports student success efforts.
Visit IR office page- Sutee SujitparapitayaAssociate Provost
- Daniel LopezData and Visualization Analyst
- Giovanni FerranteSenior Institutional Research Analyst
- Jemma KwonSenior Institutional Research Analyst
Reports & documents (3)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- DashboardDashboardir.sfsu.edu
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- Strategic planSan Francisco State University Strategic PlanSan Francisco State University has developed a strategic plan focused on fostering educational equity, improving employee experience, and enhancing university unity over 2024-2026. Guided by inputs from campus-wide stakeholders, the plan embodies strategic priorities and measurable metrics to drive impactful programs. Under President Lynn Mahoney's leadership, coordinating committees will ensure the plan's inclusive implementation, steering SF State toward significant positive changes in education and community engagement.president.sfsu.edu
Notable alumni of San Francisco State (23)
A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.
- Alvin AileyFine art
- Chris LarsenBusiness
- Annette BeningMedia
- Jayshree UllalBusiness
- Margaret AveryMedia
- Tory BelleciMedia
- Dana CarveyMedia
- Peter CoyoteMedia
- Ben Fong-TorresJournalism
- Jose Antonio VargasJournalism
- Wilma MankillerPolitics and government
- Willie BrownPolitics and government
Frequently asked questions about San Francisco State University
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about San Francisco State.
What is the graduation rate at San Francisco State University?
How many students attend San Francisco State University?
What is the average net price at San Francisco State University?
What is the yield rate at San Francisco State University?
Where is San Francisco State University located?
Who runs Institutional Research at San Francisco State University?
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