R2 ResearchPublicHSI

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California·Public, 4-year or above·Far West
Acceptance
96.4%
+9.2pp vs R2 Research
6-yr Graduation
50%
-12.0pp vs R2 Research
Enrollment
22,563
peer median 23,375
Avg net price
$12,882
-$3.1k vs R2 Research
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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 funnel

How selective is this institution, and how many admitted students choose to enroll?

Applied
28,221
28,221 candidates competed
Admitted
27,215
96.4% acceptance rate
Enrolled
2,340
8.6% yield

Outcomes & equity

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
50%-12.0pp vs R2 Research
4-year graduation
28%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
50%
Full-time retention
83%

Pell equity

2.0pp gap
Pell recipients
48%
Non-Pell
50%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 2.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

What families actually pay

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$9,307
$30–48k$10,251
$48–75k$12,916
$75–110k$16,944
$110k+$22,813

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$12,882
-$3,079vs R2 Research median $15,962
Pell recipients
17.7%
Federal loans
25.4%

Academic programs

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs129
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

5,073 total
01Business
1,11422.0%
02Visual/Performing Arts
58111.5%
03Health Professions
55010.8%
04Psychology
4919.7%
05Education
4528.9%
06Biological Sciences
4388.6%
07Social Sciences
4328.5%
08Computer Sciences
4108.1%
09Communication
3717.3%
10Engineering
2344.6%

Enrollment & demographics

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

Fall total
22,563
12-mo unduplicated
27,106
Undergraduate
23,534
Graduate
22,494

Gender split

Men
44%11,937
Women
56%15,169

Race / ethnicity composition

Hispanic
39.9%
Asian
23.9%
White
15.4%
Black
6.5%
Two or more
5.9%
Unknown
4.2%
Non-resident
3.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.2%

Faculty

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
19.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
756

San Francisco State vs IPEDS peer group

The peer institutions San Francisco State 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
SubjectSan Francisco State University
50%96.4%22,563$12,882R2 Research
Arizona State University Digital Immersion
0%66.7%72,994R2 Research
Ball State University
62%85.5%21,089$15,898R2 Research
Boise State University
59%87.2%27,198$19,182R2 Research
California State University-Fresno
57%95.3%24,427$6,480R2 Research
California State University-Fullerton
70%90.5%43,662$5,646R2 Research
California State University-Long Beach
69%46.3%42,003$8,931R2 Research
California State University-San Bernardino
55%93.7%18,492$5,918R2 Research
East Carolina University
63%89.2%26,940$16,514R2 Research
Florida Atlantic University
63%66.1%31,607$8,001R2 Research
Georgia Southern University
55%87.9%27,423$16,531R2 Research
Illinois State University
65%88.2%21,546$18,996R2 Research
James Madison University
80%71.5%22,740$21,816R2 Research
Kennesaw State University
52%69.2%47,764$16,972R2 Research
Miami University-Oxford
80%75.4%18,838$27,662R2 Research
Middle Tennessee State University
54%69.1%20,488$12,599R2 Research
Montclair State University
65%87.9%23,375$14,159R2 Research
Northern Arizona University
61%89.6%28,467$14,922R2 Research
Portland State University
53%90.9%19,951$12,932R2 Research
Rowan University
67%77.7%21,026$22,185R2 Research
Sam Houston State University
55%90.3%21,039$16,025R2 Research
San Diego State University
76%36.2%41,137$16,174R2 Research
Texas State University
55%89.3%40,674$16,438R2 Research
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
51%94.2%33,881$6,500R2 Research
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
69%79.6%31,091$14,745R2 Research
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
56%88.5%18,012$10,170R2 Research
University of North Carolina Wilmington
71%64.2%18,848$19,472R2 Research
University of Rhode Island
72%72.2%17,210$19,899R2 Research
West Chester University of Pennsylvania
71%78.4%17,171$22,673R2 Research
Peer group median62%87.2%23,375$15,962

Institutional Research office

The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

Office
Office of Institutional Research
Reports to Academic Affairs
Email
institutionalresearch [at] sfsu.edu
Address
Administration Building, Suite 460 1600 Holloway Ave. San Francisco, CA 94132

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
Team
4 members
  • Sutee Sujitparapitaya
    Associate Provost
  • Daniel Lopez
    Data and Visualization Analyst
  • Giovanni Ferrante
    Senior Institutional Research Analyst
  • Jemma Kwon
    Senior Institutional Research Analyst

Documents & reports (3)

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

IR job openings (1)

Institutional Research and analytics roles currently posted at this institution.

Notable alumni (23)

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

  • Alvin Ailey
    Fine art
  • Chris Larsen
    Business
  • Annette Bening
    Media
  • Jayshree Ullal
    Business
  • Margaret Avery
    Media
  • Tory Belleci
    Media
  • Dana Carvey
    Media
  • Peter Coyote
    Media
  • Ben Fong-Torres
    Journalism
  • Jose Antonio Vargas
    Journalism
  • Wilma Mankiller
    Politics and government
  • Willie Brown
    Politics and government
Showing 112 of 23
1 / 2

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