by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is the data on what it actually costs to attend San Francisco State University, from the published cost of attendance and projected degree cost through to net price, median student debt at graduation, default outcomes, and how aid varies by family income.
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Published attendance costs at San Francisco State University came in between $25,258.00 and up to $37,858.00 depending on your residency status.
In-state residents qualified for the lower cost, with out-of-state students paying more: near $25,258.00 in-state against $37,858.00 for non-residents.
Here the cost is broken out three ways: no aid, average aid, and the aid a low-income student typically receives.
| Tuition and fees | $7,950.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $17,308.00 |
| Total cost | $25,258.00 |
| That is 31% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $25,258.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$14,210.00 |
| Net price | $11,048.00 |
| That is 43% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $25,258.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$17,147.00 |
| Net price | $8,111.00 |
| That is 58% below the national average net price. |
| Tuition and fees | $20,550.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $17,308.00 |
| Total cost | $37,858.00 |
| That is 97% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $37,858.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$14,210.00 |
| Net price | $23,648.00 |
| That is 23% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $37,858.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$17,147.00 |
| Net price | $20,711.00 |
| That is 8% above the national average net price. | |
| For the full breakdown, see tuition and fees plus living costs. |
Cost of attendance here has been rising at a recent average of 2.4% annually, so the projections below total more than one year of attendance. The tables below project the cost forward across a full degree, side by side for a low-income student with aid, a typical student with average aid, and a student paying full sticker price with no aid. The repayment figures use a ten-year loan at 6.8%.
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 2.4% | 2.4% | 2.4% |
| Freshman year | $8,303.00 | $11,309.00 | $25,855.00 |
| Senior year | $8,905.00 | $12,129.00 | $27,730.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $34,406.00 | $46,864.00 | $107,141.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $13,107.00 | $17,853.00 | $40,817.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $396.00 | $539.00 | $1,233.00 |
| Total amount paid | $47,513.00 | $64,717.00 | $147,957.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 2.4% | 2.4% | 2.4% |
| Freshman year | $8,303.00 | $11,309.00 | $25,855.00 |
| Senior year | $8,499.00 | $11,576.00 | $26,465.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $16,801.00 | $22,885.00 | $52,320.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $6,401.00 | $8,718.00 | $19,932.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $193.00 | $263.00 | $602.00 |
| Total amount paid | $23,202.00 | $31,603.00 | $72,252.00 |
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 2.4% | 2.4% | 2.4% |
| Freshman year | $21,200.00 | $24,207.00 | $38,752.00 |
| Senior year | $22,738.00 | $25,963.00 | $41,564.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $87,853.00 | $100,311.00 | $160,588.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $33,469.00 | $38,215.00 | $61,178.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $1,011.00 | $1,154.00 | $1,848.00 |
| Total amount paid | $121,322.00 | $138,526.00 | $221,766.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 2.4% | 2.4% | 2.4% |
| Freshman year | $21,200.00 | $24,207.00 | $38,752.00 |
| Senior year | $21,701.00 | $24,778.00 | $39,668.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $42,901.00 | $48,985.00 | $78,420.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $16,344.00 | $18,661.00 | $29,875.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $494.00 | $564.00 | $902.00 |
| Total amount paid | $59,245.00 | $67,646.00 | $108,295.00 |
Read more in the net price section below.
Net price is what students actually pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the published sticker price. For most students, this is the more useful number than published tuition because it reflects the real out-of-pocket cost.
| Average net price (on-campus) | $12,278.00 |
| Average net price (off-campus) | $12,882.00 |
Net price is far from uniform: lower-income families typically pay much less after aid. The table below shows the average net price by family-income bracket:
| Family income | Average net price |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $9,307.00 |
| $30,000 to $48,000 | $10,251.00 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $12,916.00 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $16,944.00 |
| Over $110,000 | $22,813.00 |
Get a tailored estimate from the San Francisco State University Net Price Calculator, or contact the financial aid office.
Want to know how that aid is awarded? See the financial aid breakdown.
The median amount borrowed by graduates of San Francisco State University comes to $12,923.00, placing the school in the Low ($10-20k) debt-burden bucket.
The percentile breakdown reveals the full debt landscape:
| Percentile | Debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| 10th | $3,500.00 |
| 25th | $6,000.00 |
| Median (50th) | $12,923.00 |
| 75th | $23,500.00 |
| 90th | $31,000.00 |
The gap between 10th and 90th percentile borrowers gives a sense of how uneven debt outcomes are.
Explore borrowing, repayment, and default in detail on the student loan debt page.
Debt outcomes vary substantially with family income. Below the data splits borrowers across three income groups:
| Family income | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| Low income | $13,145.00 |
| Middle income | $12,500.00 |
| High income | $13,000.00 |
Borrowers from lower-income families leave school with $145.00 more debt than their high-income peers.
Debt at graduation often differs for first-generation students.
| Student group | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $12,500.00 |
| Continuing-generation students | $13,311.00 |
Pell Grants are the largest source of federal need-based aid for undergrads. Comparing Pell recipients vs non-recipients shows how debt is distributed by need.
The Pell-versus-non-Pell median debt difference at San Francisco State University comes to $500.00. This school carries a federal Pell-debt-inequity flag.
The federal default-rate tier for San Francisco State University is Low (<5%).
| Window | Cohort default rate |
|---|---|
| 2-year | 6.7% |
To give some context for these rates, Stafford loans disbursed at San Francisco State University total $1,467,114,968.00 over 72,130 borrowers.
Veterans and active-duty servicemembers can tap dedicated federal aid programs such as the Post-9/11 GI Bill and DoD Tuition Assistance.
| GI Bill recipients | 849 |
| Avg GI Bill amount | $4,498.00 |
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 5 |
| Avg DoD Tuition Assistance | $2,174.00 |
Explore GI Bill and military aid in detail on the veteran aid breakdown.
The data above is a foundation; round it out by asking yourself about San Francisco State University, think through the questions below:
Each page below covers one part of paying for college in more detail:
Data sources. Figures on this page draw from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), and MediaFactual editorial review. Net-price calculator and financial-aid office links are taken from the institution’s own published data.