San Francisco State University is a public institution in San Francisco, CA with an acceptance rate of 96% and 20,756 students. The average net price after financial aid is $12,882 per year.
About San Francisco State University
A public 4-year urban university in San Francisco, CA.
San Francisco State University is a college in San Francisco, CA. It enrolls roughly 20,756 students. The most recent acceptance rate is 96%.
Your chances at this school
What admitted students look like here. Sign in to see how your own profile compares.
Accessible admissions with broad enrollment.
What strengthens an application here
- A GPA near 2.48 or higherThis is the average across admitted students.
- Depth in one or two activitiesSustained commitment, a leadership role, or a result in a few activities says more than a long list of memberships.
Your chances estimate is based on your academic profile and activities — it is a guide, not a guarantee of admission. Decisions weigh essays, recommendations, and fit factors that aren't in the data.
Admissions
What it actually takes to get into San Francisco State University. Test scores, GPA, application requirements, and deadlines.
Admitted student profile
Range shown is the middle 50%.
This school doesn't require test scores, so these ranges reflect only students who chose to submit — applicants who submit tend to have higher scores. The real admitted range likely runs lower. Don't rule yourself out on scores alone.
Application requirements
- Test-optional
Deadlines (2026-27)
- Regular Decision
- Nov 30, 2026
Source: the college's own admissions site, 2026-27 cycle — this college is not on the Common App (verified Sep 2026). Always confirm on the college's own site.
Cost & financial aid
Published costs can be misleading. Here's what families actually pay at San Francisco State University after grants and scholarships.
Net price by family income
Average amount paid out of pocket — tuition, fees, and room & board minus all grant aid.
Net price represents the average cost after grants and scholarships for students receiving federal financial aid.
Academics & majors
Where students at San Francisco State University concentrate, and how the classroom experience scales.
Student body
Who attends San Francisco State University. Enrollment, diversity, and where students come from.
Race & ethnicity
- White17%
- Asian27%
- Hispanic45%
- Black7%
- International4%
Gender
- Female54%
- Male46%
Outcomes after graduation
What San Francisco State University graduates do next — and what they earn.
Is it worth it?
Earnings, debt, and price side by side — context for the cost-vs-payoff question, not a ranking.
- Median earnings
- $68.1k
- Typical debt
- $12.9k
- Avg. net price
- $12.9k/yr
- These numbers reflect who enrolls, not the value the school adds. A college's earnings can look high simply because it admits wealthier, higher-scoring students — not because of what happens there.
- Earnings vary far more by major and career path than by school. A school-wide median blends engineers and artists into one number that may match no real student.
- Federal earnings and debt figures cover only students who received federal aid, so they leave out full-pay students and can skew the picture.
- Net price is an average across aided students and debt is the median for borrowers only — many students borrow nothing. Your actual cost depends on your own aid package.
What this means
$68k is near the national bachelor's-graduate median at the 10-year mark, and a 50% graduation rate is below the national average.
Similar schools
If San Francisco State University is on your list, students often also consider these.
Related searches
- San Francisco State University acceptance rate
- San Francisco State University SAT scores
- San Francisco State University tuition cost
- San Francisco State University deadlines
- How to get into San Francisco State University
- Best schools in California