Visit SF State - Fast Facts
Academic Calendar
SF State offers two 16-week semesters, late August through December and late January through May, as well as a summer semester, June through August.
Accreditation
SF State is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges as well as many other individual agencies and organizations that accredit specific degrees and programs.
Affiliation
One of 23 campuses of The California State University (CSU), the nations' largest system of higher education granting bachelor's and master's degrees. CSU enrollment overall totals more than 409,000 students.
Athletic Teams
Women: basketball, cross country, soccer, softball, track and field, volleyball.
Men: baseball, basketball, cross country, soccer, wrestling.
Colleges
- College of Liberal and Creative Arts
- College of Business
- Graduate College of Education
- College of Ethnic Studies
- College of Extended Learning
- College of Health and Social Sciences
- College Science and Engineering
Colors
Purple and gold
Continuing Education/Extension
Degree/Credential/Certificate programs
SF State offers: bachelor's degrees in 77 academic areas with an additional 48 areas of concentration, master's degrees in 63 academic areas with an additional 41 areas of concentration, a doctorate in educational leadership, along with 16 credential programs and 41 undergraduate and graduate certificate programs. Programs offered jointly with University of California campuses include a Ph.D. in education with a concentration in special education with UC Berkeley, and a clinical doctorate, Doctor of Physical Therapy (D.P.T.) with UC San Francisco.
Degrees Conferred
SF State awarded 7,060 degrees in 2014-15.
Enrollment
SF State has 30,256 students (fall 2015).
Events
SF State presents hundreds of on-campus activities and events each year, open to the public, free or at low cost. They include seminars, workshops, lectures, conferences, art exhibits, debates, forums, concerts, plays, films, and other performances.
Tuition Fees
SF State's tuition fees are among the lowest in the nation for comparable state-supported institutions.
Financial Aid
About 60 percent of all SF State students supplement their own resources with some form of financial aid.
History
1899: Founded as San Francisco State Normal School, a two-year teacher-training college and the first normal school in the nation to require a high school diploma for admission
1901: First graduating class (36 women)
1923: First bachelor of arts degree awarded
1921: SF Normal School became the SF State Teachers College
1935: Renamed San Francisco State College
1972: Received University status
1974: Renamed San Francisco State University
1999: Celebrated 100th birthday
Housing
SF State provides on campus housing to over 2,300 students in a variety of living options, from traditional residence halls to apartment units. The University Park apartments, located adjacent to campus, offer 180 units of apartment and townhome living.
Location
SF State's main campus is located at 1600 Holloway Avenue (at the corner of 19th Avenue), San Francisco, CA 94132. The approximately 141-acre campus is located in a residential area of the city. You can get there easily by public transportation.
SF State's downtown campus is located at 835 Market St. in the Westfield Centre. This campus houses the College of Business MBA degree program, the Masters in Public Administration, the College of Extended Learning and other SF State classes.
SF State satellite centers
- Downtown Campus
- Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies
- Sierra Nevada Field Campus
- Moss Landing Marine Laboratories
Mascot
The 'Gator (alligator)
Motto
Experientia Docet (Experience Teaches)
Mission
- To create and maintain an environment for learning that promotes respect for and appreciation of scholarship, freedom, human diversity, and the cultural mosaic of San Francisco and the Bay Area.
- To promote excellence in instruction and intellectual accomplishment.
- To provide broadly accessible higher education for residents of the region and state, as well as the nation and world.
Partnerships
SF State is affiliated with many centers, institutes, and other special programs and projects which link the University to the Bay Area community and beyond.
- America Reads
- Alliance for Minority Participation
- California Campus Compact
- Center for the Integration and Improvement of Journalism
- Center for Research & Education on Gender & Sexuality (CREGS)
- Center for Science and Math Education
- Cesar E. Chavez Institute for Public Policy
- Community Involvement Center
- Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU)
- Labor Archives and Research Center
- Marian Wright Edelman Institute for the Study of Children, Youth, and Families
- Student Activities and Events
- Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
- Pacific Leadership Institute
- Public Research Institute
- Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies
- Science Educational Partnership and Assessment Lab
- Step to College
- Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges
- Whirlwind Wheelchair International
President
Les Wong
Top 10 undergraduate majors
- Business Administration
- Biology
- Kinesiology
- Engineering
- English
- Communication Studies
- Psychology
- Criminal Justice Studies
- Sociology
- Cinema
How to Reach Us
By mail: Write to the specific office you wish to reach, followed by:
San Francisco State University
1600 Holloway Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94132
For general questions: Consult the SF State Help Web site.
