San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA · Public

Official website

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Admission rate

San Francisco State University admitted 96.4% of applicants university-wide (27,215 of 28,221).

CohortAdmit rateAdmittedApplicants
University-wide96.4%27,21528,221
In-state68.2%15,00022,000
Out-of-state75.0%3,0004,000
International applicants80.0%2,0002,500
Men95.6%10,83711,330
Women97.0%16,37816,891

Of 27,215 admitted students, 2,340 enrolled (8.6% yield).

San Francisco State University Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C1–C2 · 2024Published cohort admit rates — context, not an applicant-specific probability.

Test scores and GPA of admitted students

GPA (mid-50%, 4.0 scale)
3.003.74

Testing policy: Test-blind (scores not considered)

San Francisco State University Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C9–C12 · 2024Published admit stats reflect the entire incoming class unless explicitly labeled international-only.

Cost and financial aid

Published cost of attendance: $48,162/yr.

Out-of-state tuition$20,550
Fees, housing, food, books & other$27,612
Sticker cost of attendance$48,162/yr

Average net price by family income (US, federal aid data)

Under $30k$9,341
$30k–48k$9,867
$48k–75k$11,825
$75k–110k$14,556
Over $110k$22,523

U.S. Dept. of Education · College Scorecard — average net price by family income (Title IV, from IPEDS) · 2023

US applicants

Need- and merit-based aid available.

International applicants

No need-based aid reported for internationals.

San Francisco State University Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections G–H · 2024

Application requirements

US applicants

  • Official transcript
  • Test scores (SAT/ACT) (optional)
  • Letters of recommendation (recommended)
  • Supplemental essays (recommended)
  • Application fee

International applicants

  • Official transcript
  • Test scores (SAT/ACT) (optional)
  • Letters of recommendation (recommended)
  • Supplemental essays (recommended)
  • English proficiency (IELTS/TOEFL)
  • GPA credential conversion
  • Predicted Class XII marksheet
  • Financial documentation (I-20)
  • Application fee

San Francisco State University Common Data Set · Application requirements

Essay prompts

San Francisco State University requires no supplemental essays.

Prompts from the Cal State Apply member feed · verified Jul 4, 2026

Graduate outcomes

Median earnings
$68,077
Median earnings · 10 years after entry
Graduation rate
50.4%
Within 150% of normal time
First-year retention
83%
Return for year two · CDS Section B
Median debt
$15,371
At graduation

San Francisco State University · U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2023 release) · 2023Earnings and debt figures are federal data for aid-receiving graduates — cohort outcomes, not a guarantee for any individual student.

Published rankings

  • U.S. News National: #208
  • WSJ: #69
  • Forbes: #186
  • Niche: #738
  • QS: #1401

Deadlines

Academics and campus

Largest degree fields: Business & marketing (19%), Visual & performing arts (11%), Psychology (9%).

Student–faculty ratio: 25:1 · 43% of class sections have under 20 students.

San Francisco State University Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections E, F, I · 2024Published institutional figures for the reporting year — descriptive of the current student body, not a prediction about your experience.

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