Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsPublicHSI

San Jose State University

San Jose, California·Public, 4-year or above·Far West·sjsu.edu
6-yr Graduation
69%
+15.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Total enrollment
37,661
peer median 16,237
Avg net price
$13,741
+$1.6k vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
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AboutAdmissionsOutcomesProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsAthleticsCampus safetyFacultyPeersIR OfficeCommon Data SetDocumentsAlumni

About

San José State University is a public research university in San Jose, California, United States. Established in 1857 as the state's first normal school, it is the oldest public university in the western United States and is the founding campus 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.

IPEDS
Applied
37,132
37,132 candidates competed
Admitted
31,419
84.6% acceptance rate
Enrolled
4,604
14.7% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

IPEDS
Overall completion
69%+15.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
4-year graduation
37%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
69%
Full-time retention
87%

Pell equity

0.0pp gap
Pell recipients
64%
Non-Pell
64%

Pell and non-Pell students graduate at nearly identical rates — a notably small equity gap.

Program outcomes

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

FVT/GE

Of 181 Title IV programs, 0 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 181 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
181
Passing
0
0.0% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

181programs
  • Passing0 · 0.0%
  • No Data181 · 100.0%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
0
No data
181

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.

Accreditation status & history

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

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

WASC Senior College and University Commission

Accredited since 1949Next review Jun 2028

Programmatic accreditations · 21

Action history · 25

  1. Aug 2025Initial Accreditation
    American Occupational Therapy Association, Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education · Occupational Therapy (OTD) - Programs leading to a Doctoral Degree
  2. Mar 2025Grant Substantive Change: Other
    WASC Senior College and University Commission
  3. Feb 2025Initial Accreditation
    American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology · Clinical doctoral program in Audiology
  4. Sep 2024Loss of Accreditation or Preaccreditation: Other
    Commission on English Language Program Accreditation · English Language
  5. Jan 2024Approved for Distance Education
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Dietetics (DIETI) - Dietetic Internship

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

College Scorecard

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$9,743
$30–48k$9,863
$48–75k$12,948
$75–110k$17,047
$110k+$23,401

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

Avg net price
$13,741
+$1,567vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs median $12,174
Federal loans
20.8%
In-state tuition
$7,992
Out-of-state
$19,872

Federal aid volume & trends

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

Federal Student Aid

In AY 2024–25, 11,676 students received $65.6M in Pell grants, alongside $100.3M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
11,676
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$65.6M
$65,606,508 total
Direct Loans
$100.3M
12,352 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

11k
’20
11k
’21
10k
’22
10k
’23
12k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$17.9M
4,221 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$17.3M
3,990 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$33.3M
2,185 loan awards
Parent PLUS$19.4M
1,067 loan awards
Grad PLUS$12.4M
889 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.

Cohort Default Rate

Of 4,889 borrowers who entered repayment, 48 (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
4,889
Defaulted
48
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
3.5%
2017
3.7%
2018
2.9%
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 San Jose State

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs135
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

7,355 total completions
01Business
1,78224.2%
02Engineering
1,50520.5%
03Library Science
74210.1%
04Health Professions
5537.5%
05Education
5287.2%
06Visual/Performing Arts
5006.8%
07Psychology
4706.4%
08Computer Sciences
4396.0%
09Social Sciences
4355.9%
10Multi/Interdisciplinary
4015.5%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

IPEDS
Fall total
37,661
12-mo unduplicated
40,205
Undergraduate
29,579
Graduate
10,626

Gender split

Men
48%19,349
Women
52%20,856

Race / ethnicity composition

Asian
39.1%
Hispanic
31.9%
White
12.6%
Two or more
5.4%
Non-resident
3.7%
Black
3.5%
Unknown
3.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

EADA
Athletes
480
264 M · 216 W
Women athletes
45.0%
Athletic aid
$8.9M
Total student aid
Budget
$30.6M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$4.6M
$4.3M
Recruiting expense
$412K
$280K
Head-coach salaries
$296K
$184K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 13

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
71 M · 83 W
$2.1M
Football
109 M · —
$8.9M
Soccer
30 M · 30 W
$2.1M
Water Polo
24 M · 19 W
$970K
Baseball
40 M · —
$1.9M
Basketball
16 M · 17 W
$5.2M

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

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

Clery Act
Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
2.74
98 offenses · 35,751 students

3-year trend

2.462 yrs ago2.691 yr ago2.74Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
287
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
96
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
5
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Burglary
21
Aggravated assault
18
Motor vehicle theft
17
Rape
16
Fondling
11
Arson
10
Robbery
4
Statutory rape
1

By location

98total
  • On campus91
  • Non-campus6
  • Public property1

Includes 17 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

24
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
22
Stalking
46 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

  • Ethnicity1
  • National origin1
  • Sexual orientation1

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons442
Drugs16442
Liquor610

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Data quality: 10 reports were later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

IPEDS
Student-to-faculty
25.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
862

San Jose State vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions San Jose State selected for federal comparison reporting.

IPEDS
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 Jose State University
69%—37,661$13,741Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Appalachian State University
75%90.1%21,570$16,487Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
86%31.3%23,069$15,624Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona
68%75.2%27,636$11,580Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
California State University-Chico
63%92.7%15,257$14,838Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
California State University-Dominguez Hills
43%93.3%15,182$3,659Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
California State University-Los Angeles
53%91.3%23,163$4,113Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
California State University-Northridge
57%93.4%38,313$7,599Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
California State University-Sacramento
56%94.0%31,943$10,512Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
California State University-San Marcos
55%95.1%16,237$10,550Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
CUNY Bernard M Baruch College
72%47.5%20,081$2,978Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
CUNY Brooklyn College
54%58.4%14,390$2,943Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
CUNY Hunter College
57%53.8%22,538$2,446Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice
56%57.1%13,763$3,046Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
CUNY Lehman College
51%56.6%13,324$3,482Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
CUNY Queens College
53%64.3%15,965$3,830Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Eastern Washington University
43%90.7%10,492$13,091Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Metropolitan State University of Denver
31%98.8%18,453$14,294Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Minnesota State University-Mankato
53%88.4%15,271$18,609Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Pennsylvania Western University
52%94.3%10,834$19,352Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Southeastern Louisiana University
45%99.3%14,426$12,174Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Towson University
69%82.0%19,401$16,791Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Troy University
49%96.0%13,658$13,869Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
University of Houston-Downtown
33%90.0%13,730$14,623Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
University of Maryland Global Campus
20%—63,012$14,514Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
University of North Georgia
50%67.9%19,291$10,785Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Western Washington University
65%93.2%14,710$18,680Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Peer group median54%90.1%16,237$12,174

Institutions like San Jose State

Explore the federal data for institutions in San Jose State's comparison group.

IPEDS

San Jose State Institutional Research office

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

Office
Institutional Research and Strategic Analytics
Reports to Academic Affairs
Email
institutional-research [at] sjsu.edu
Phone
408-924-3175
Address
One Washington Square, San José, CA 95192

Dedicated to providing accurate, reliable, and timely information and research to support university decision making, and compliance with state, federal, district, and college requirements.

Visit IR office page
Team
10 members
  • Marco Antonio Cruz
    Senior Director
  • Cristian Acevedo
    Senior Research Associate/Student Success Analyst III
  • Evan Jacobs
    Institutional Research Analyst/Programmer I
  • Masoumeh Khalilzadeh
    Research Associate/Student Success Analyst I
  • Yen Ly
    Institutional Research Analyst/Programmer II
  • Nestor Maria
    Research Associate/Student Success Analyst I
  • Martin Nguyen
    Institutional Research Analyst/Programmer
  • Amy Tan
    Institutional Research Analyst
  • Chao Vang
    Senior Research Associate/Programmer Analyst III
  • Barbara Windmiller
    Analyst/Project Coordinator

Common Data Set

San Jose State's own annual Common Data Set: the most detailed self-reported reference for selectivity, cost, outcomes, and the student body.

Acceptance rate
80.4%
Accessible
Yield
16.6%
of admitted students enroll
Total enrollment
40,037
29,890 UG · 10,147 grad
6-yr graduation rate
69%
First-year retention
89%
Student–faculty ratio
27 to 1
01

Selectivity & Admissions

Admissions funnel

C1
Applied
37,124
Admitted
29,845
Enrolled
4,943

37,124 applied → 29,845 admitted (80.4%) → 4,943 enrolled.

Selectivity

C1
Acceptance rate
80.4%

Accessible — 80.4% acceptance rate.

Admit rate by gender

C1
male78.6%
female82.2%
unknown82.7%

Admit rate varies by gender.

SAT range (middle 50%)

C9
25th
1010
Median
1160
75th
1270

Middle 50% SAT 1010–1270 (median 1160).

ACT range (middle 50%)

C9
25th
17
Median
23
75th
27

Middle 50% ACT 17–27 (median 23).

High-school class rank

C10

Share of enrolled first-years by HS class-rank band.

What matters in admission

C7
Very Important2
rigor of secondary school recordacademic gpa
Considered5
class rankextracurricular activitiesfirst generationgeographical residencestate residency
Not Considered11
standardized test scoresapplication essayrecommendationsinterviewtalent/abilitycharacter/personal qualitiesalumni/ae relationreligious affiliation/commitmentvolunteer workwork experiencelevel of applicant’s interest

Relative importance of each admission factor.

02

Affordability & Value

Where grant aid comes from

H1
State42.9%
Federal32.1%
Student loans from all sources12.5%
Parent Loans3.4%
Athletic Awards3.3%
Institutional2.4%
Tuition Waivers1.8%
Federal Work-Study1.5%
External0.0%

2% of need-based grant dollars come from the institution itself.

Graduate debt

H4/H5
Grads with debt
27%
Avg debt
$18,371

27% of graduates borrowed; those who did owed $18,371 on average.

03

Outcomes & Equity

Graduation & retention

B
6-yr grad rate
69%
Retention
89%

6-year graduation rate 69%; first-year retention 89%.

Equity: Pell graduation gap

B4
All students69%
Pell recipients66%

Pell-grant recipients graduate 3 pts below the overall rate (66% vs 69%).

04

Academic Experience

Class-size distribution

I3
2-9 students172
10-19 students466
20-29 students1,240
30-39 students790
40-49 students748
50-99 students381
100+ students117

16% of classes have under 20 students; 13% have 50+.

Faculty profile

I
Student–faculty ratio
27 to 1
Faculty with terminal degree
59%
Women faculty
54%

Key faculty indicators.

Degrees by discipline

J
Business/marketing25.5%
Engineering13.2%
Psychology8.1%
Visual and performing arts7.9%
Social sciences5.5%
Health professions and related programs5.4%
Communication/journalism5%
Computer and information sciences4.2%

STEM-dominant: ~24% of bachelor's degrees are in computing, engineering, math & sciences.

05

Student Body & Diversity

Undergraduate race/ethnicity

B2
Asian, non-Hispanic37.7%
Hispanic/Latino32.3%
White, non-Hispanic11.8%
Two or more races, non-Hispanic5.6%
Nonresidents5.3%
Black or African American, non-Hispanic3.5%
Race and/or ethnicity unknown3.3%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic0.5%
American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic0.1%

Undergraduate enrollment by race/ethnicity.

International students

B2
International UG
1,589
Share
5%

5% of undergraduates are international (nonresident).

Undergrad vs graduate

B1
Undergraduate
29,89075%
Graduate
10,14725%

29,890 undergraduates and 10,147 graduate students.

06

Transfer Path

Transfer admissions

D1
Applied
9,242
Admitted
7,662
Enrolled
3,738

9,242 transfer applicants → 7,662 admitted (82.9%) → 3,738 enrolled

Source publications

Reports & documents (6)

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

Notable alumni of San Jose State (20)

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

  • Mary Blair
    Art
  • Lindsey Buckingham
    Music
  • Stevie Nicks
    Music
  • Doug Clifford
    Music
  • Stu Cook
    Music
  • Ben Nighthorse Campbell
    Politics
  • Omid Kordestani
    Business
  • Mike Honda
    Politics
  • Amy Tan
    Literature
  • Patty Sheehan
    Sports
  • Jeff Garcia
    Sports
  • Ed Oates
    Business
Showing 1–12 of 20
1 / 2

Frequently asked questions about San Jose State University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about San Jose State.

What is the graduation rate at San Jose State University?

San Jose State University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 69% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend San Jose State University?

San Jose State University reports a total enrollment of 37,661 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at San Jose State University?

The average net price at San Jose State University is $13,741 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at San Jose State University?

San Jose State University's yield rate is 14.7%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is San Jose State University located?

San Jose State University is located in San Jose, California 95192-0186.

Who runs Institutional Research at San Jose State University?

San Jose State University's IR work is done by the Institutional Research and Strategic Analytics, which reports to Academic Affairs.

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