Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsPublicHSI

San Jose State University

San Jose, California·Public, 4-year or above·Far West·sjsu.edu
Acceptance
84.6%
-5.4pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
6-yr Graduation
69%
+15.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Total enrollment
37,661
peer median 16,237
Avg net price
$13,760
+$2.2k 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

8.6pp gap
Pell recipients
64%979 of 1520
Non-Pell (all)
73%1585 of 2184
Subsidized loan, no Pell
64%247 of 387
No Federal Aid
74%1338 of 1797

Non-Pell students graduate at a 8.6-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.

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$9,730
$30–48k$10,114
$48–75k$12,099
$75–110k$15,102
$110k+$22,862

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

Avg net price
$13,760
+$2,229vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs median $11,531
Federal loans
19.5%
In-state tuition
$8,410
Out-of-state
$21,010

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, 11,828 students received $66.6M in Pell grants, alongside $101.7M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
11,828
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$66.6M
$66,632,350 total
Direct Loans
$101.7M
12,485 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$18.1M
4,261 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$17.5M
4,020 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$33.7M
2,204 loan awards
Parent PLUS$19.6M
1,075 loan awards
Grad PLUS$12.9M
925 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 programs139
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

7,654 total completions
01Business
1,88724.7%
02Engineering
1,38718.1%
03Library Science
81210.6%
04Education
5917.7%
05Psychology
5547.2%
06Visual/Performing Arts
5447.1%
07Health Professions
5327.0%
08Computer Sciences
4886.4%
09Multi/Interdisciplinary
4726.2%
10Social Sciences
3875.1%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

IPEDS
Fall total
37,661
12-mo unduplicated
42,319
Undergraduate
30,873
Graduate
11,446

Gender split

Men
48%20,336
Women
52%21,983

Race / ethnicity composition

Asian
38.8%
Hispanic
32.5%
White
12.3%
Two or more
5.4%
Non-resident
3.6%
Black
3.5%
Unknown
3.3%
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
484
272 M · 212 W
Women athletes
43.8%
Athletic aid
$9.2M
Total student aid
Budget
$42.9M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$5.2M
$4.0M
Recruiting expense
$359K
$150K
Head-coach salaries
$213K
$148K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 13

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
81 M · 78 W
$1.7M
Football
103 M · —
$11.9M
Soccer
32 M · 31 W
$2.2M
Baseball
48 M · —
$1.3M
Water Polo
26 M · 21 W
$979K
Basketball
16 M · 15 W
$4.9M

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
2.08
75 offenses · 36,062 students

3-year trend

2.692 yrs ago2.741 yr ago2.08Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
273
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
113
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
7
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Burglary
32
Motor vehicle theft
16
Aggravated assault
11
Rape
5
Arson
4
Fondling
4
Robbery
3

By location

75total
  • On campus61
  • Non-campus10
  • Public property4

Includes 10 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

19
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
8
Stalking
27 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

  • Race2

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons291
Drugs10643
Liquor014

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Data quality: 7 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%84.6%37,661$13,760Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Appalachian State University
75%90.1%21,570$16,836Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
86%31.3%23,069$16,665Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona
68%75.2%27,636$11,531Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
California State University-Chico
63%92.7%15,257$14,480Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
California State University-Dominguez Hills
43%93.3%15,182$8,615Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
California State University-Los Angeles
53%91.3%23,163$3,967Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
California State University-Northridge
57%93.4%38,313$7,021Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
California State University-Sacramento
56%94.0%31,943$9,338Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
California State University-San Marcos
55%95.1%16,237$10,229Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
CUNY Bernard M Baruch College
72%47.5%20,081$3,033Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
CUNY Brooklyn College
54%58.4%14,390$3,103Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
CUNY Hunter College
57%53.8%22,538$2,984Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice
56%57.1%13,763$3,203Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
CUNY Lehman College
51%56.6%13,324$3,148Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
CUNY Queens College
53%64.3%15,965$4,195Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Eastern Washington University
43%90.7%10,492$13,886Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Metropolitan State University of Denver
31%98.8%18,453$15,327Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Minnesota State University-Mankato
53%88.4%15,271$19,139Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Pennsylvania Western University
52%94.3%10,834$18,256Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Southeastern Louisiana University
45%99.3%14,426$13,154Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Towson University
69%82.0%19,401$17,413Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Troy University
49%96.0%13,658$16,527Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
University of Houston-Downtown
33%90.0%13,730$10,542Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
University of Maryland Global Campus
20%Open admission63,012$22,063Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
University of North Georgia
50%67.9%19,291$9,823Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Western Washington University
65%93.2%14,710$21,193Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Peer group median54%90.0%16,237$11,531

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 acceptance rate at San Jose State University?

San Jose State University's acceptance rate is 84.6% (31,419 admitted from 37,132 applicants), based on the latest IPEDS.

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 $13,760 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.

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.
National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education
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.
U.S. Department of Education
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.
U.S. Department of Education
DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
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.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Last reviewed July 2026All data sources & release dates →

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