San Francisco State University acceptance rate and your odds of getting in
With an acceptance rate near 96%, San Francisco State University is an accessible public university in California. Because it admits most qualified applicants, admission turns on the strength of your whole profile rather than any one number.
Use this page to see what San Francisco State University weighs, where it ranks among California schools, and how a profile like yours is likely to land. Admitted students post a 75th-percentile SAT around 1180, a useful checkpoint for where your scores sit, though it is a reference range and not a cutoff.
What do students study at San Francisco State University?
Bachelor's degrees awarded by field in 2023 (IPEDS completions). Each field has its own page with the school's numbers, the model's major adjustment, and peers offering it.
Will I get into San Francisco State University?
Direct answers to what applicants ask about getting into San Francisco State University, plus a free way to calculate your own odds.
What are my chances of getting into San Francisco State University?
San Francisco State University admits most qualified applicants (around 96%), but that overall rate is not your personal chance. Your real odds depend on how your GPA, course rigor, test scores, and activities compare to its admitted students. Run your profile through the free CollegeCalcAI calculator to get a personalized acceptance percentage for San Francisco State University in about three minutes, with no account needed to start.
Is San Francisco State University hard to get into?
San Francisco State University is accessible: it admits most qualified applicants, with about a 96% acceptance rate. Meeting the academic basics gives most qualified applicants a realistic shot.
What GPA do you need to get into San Francisco State University?
There is no hard GPA cutoff at San Francisco State University, but admitted students span a wide GPA range, with many in the 2.8 to 3.5 band. San Francisco State University reads your GPA alongside the rigor of your courses, so a challenging schedule matters as much as the number itself.
What SAT score do you need for San Francisco State University?
San Francisco State University does not publish a required score, but the admitted-student 75th-percentile SAT is around 1180. A score at or above that range strengthens your application, while a lower score puts more weight on your rigor, activities, and essays. CollegeCalcAI shows how your exact score shifts your odds at San Francisco State University.
Your chances at San Francisco State University by GPA and SAT
Estimated chance of admission at San Francisco State University for plain profiles, from the same model as the calculator. Unweighted GPA, 3 AP courses, Regular Decision, no legacy, athletic or first-generation hook. The last column is test-optional (no score sent).
What are my chances at San Francisco State University with a 3.1 GPA and a 1120 SAT?
About 98% (Safety), by CollegeCalcAI's deterministic model, for an applicant with a 3.1 unweighted GPA and a 1120 SAT, the middle of San Francisco State University's admitted range, applying Regular Decision without a hook. A 3.4 GPA with a 1180 SAT comes out near 98%. Courses, activities, essays and the application round move the number; the free calculator includes them.
Estimates, not guarantees. Get yours with your real courses and activities. Assistants and developers can fetch this table from the free API: /api/v1/colleges/san-francisco-state-university.
How to get into San Francisco State University
Built from San Francisco State University's admitted class and what it reports weighing. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled figures, not published cutoffs.
Here is how to get into San Francisco State University, built from what its admitted class actually looks like and what the school says it weighs.
CollegeCalcAI's modeled typical admit at San Francisco State University carries about a 2.94 core GPA and a 1130 SAT, in the most rigorous schedule available. Meeting it puts you in the admitted range for most applicants.
San Francisco State University rates rigor of secondary school record and academic GPA highest in its own Common Data Set. Put your depth there: and a transcript whose rigor rises through junior year.
Most public universities read early applicants first without a binding commitment. Apply by San Francisco State University's early or priority deadline (confirm dates at www.sfsu.edu), and if you are out of state, know that residency changes both the bar and the price.
How many students apply to San Francisco State University, and how many get in?
For the fall 2023 entering class, San Francisco State University received 29,878 applications and admitted 28,727, an acceptance rate of 96.1%. 2,985 enrolled. Only about 10% of admitted students enrolled, so the school admits several students for every seat it expects to fill, which is why its acceptance rate reads higher than its selectivity feels. San Francisco State University enrolls about 18,639 undergraduates in total, 54% of them women, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 19 to 1.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 admissions and enrollment.
What SAT and ACT scores do you need for San Francisco State University?
San Francisco State University reports that it neither requires nor recommends test scores, so admission turns on your transcript, rigor, and the rest of the file.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10.
What San Francisco State University looks for
What San Francisco State University weighs most heavily in its admissions review, informed by its reported Common Data Set.
In its review, San Francisco State University leans most on rigor of secondary school record and academic GPA. Solid grades in a challenging schedule do most of the work here, with the rest of the application providing context. These ratings come from San Francisco State University's reported Common Data Set, so the full chart below reflects what the school itself says it values, not a generic guess.
SAT score positioning at San Francisco State University
How common SAT scores sit relative to the admitted middle. This is context, not a probability. Your full profile determines the real estimate.
How much does San Francisco State University cost after financial aid?
The full sticker price at San Francisco State University (tuition, fees, housing, food, books) is about $26,488 a year. Tuition and fees are $7,950 for CA residents and $20,550 for out-of-state students, a $12,600 gap that makes residency the single biggest lever on cost. What families actually pay is different: the average net price after grants and scholarships is $12,278 a year, and it ranges from $9,341 for families earning under $30,000 to $22,523 for families earning over $110,000. 42% of undergraduates receive a federal Pell Grant.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Net price is what students receiving aid paid after grants, by family income.
What do San Francisco State University graduates earn, and how many graduate?
Median earnings for San Francisco State University students ten years after entry are $68,077 ($52,650 at the six-year mark). 50% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 83% return for a second year. Among graduates who borrowed, median federal debt at graduation is $15,371; 23% of undergraduates take federal loans.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Earnings cover students who received federal aid.
How San Francisco State University compares in California
San Francisco State University ranks #56 most selective of 61 schools in California in our database.
Among the 61 California schools we track, San Francisco State University ranks #56 most selective by acceptance rate. Schools like California Institute of Technology (3%) and Stanford University (4%) sit nearby, which makes California a useful frame for calibrating a balanced list. As a public university, residency matters: in-state applicants generally see meaningfully better odds than the headline rate suggests.
Similar to San Francisco State University
Schools with a similar selectivity profile, worth comparing as you build a balanced list.
Build around San Francisco State University with peers at a comparable selectivity, such as Austin Peay State University, Marshall University, and Troy University. Running the same profile against each one in the free calculator is the fastest way to see where you are a reach, a match, or a likely.
Frequently asked questions
What is San Francisco State University's acceptance rate?
San Francisco State University admitted 28,727 of 29,878 applicants for the fall 2023 entering class, an acceptance rate of 96.1% (U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS). 10% of admitted students enrolled.
Is San Francisco State University test-optional?
San Francisco State University reports that it neither requires nor recommends test scores.
How much does San Francisco State University cost after financial aid?
The average net price at San Francisco State University, what students receiving aid paid after grants and scholarships, is $12,278 a year against a sticker price of about $26,488. Families earning under $30,000 paid about $9,341 on average.
What do San Francisco State University graduates earn?
Median earnings ten years after entering San Francisco State University are $68,077 a year among students who received federal aid, and 50% of students graduate within six years (College Scorecard).
What does San Francisco State University value most in applicants?
Based on its admissions profile, San Francisco State University weighs rigor of secondary school record and academic GPA most heavily. The full factor breakdown is on this page.
Does San Francisco State University favor in-state applicants?
As a public university, San Francisco State University generally admits in-state applicants at a higher rate than out-of-state applicants, so your home state affects your odds. CollegeCalcAI applies an in-state residency boost when you select your state.
How can I improve my chances at San Francisco State University?
Focus on the highest-leverage parts of your application: course rigor and GPA trajectory first, then test scores, then a focused leadership or activity spike. CollegeCalcAI's Power-Ups quantify how much each change would move your odds at San Francisco State University specifically.
How does residency affect admission to San Francisco State University?
As a public university, San Francisco State University typically admits in-state students at a higher rate, and tuition differs sharply by residency. Select your home state in the calculator to fold the in-state effect into your estimate.
What are the admission requirements for San Francisco State University?
San Francisco State University reviews GPA, course rigor, test scores (where submitted), activities, and essays. With a more accessible acceptance rate, meeting the academic basics gives most qualified applicants a realistic shot.
Acceptance rate, application counts, admitted test ranges, cost, and outcomes reflect publicly reported federal data (U.S. Department of Education: IPEDS 2023 and the College Scorecard) and each school's Common Data Set; figures are rounded and lag the current cycle by one to two years, so confirm deadlines and policies on the school's own site. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled estimates. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are a planning tool computed by a fixed, transparent model, not a guarantee of any admission decision.