Home / Schools / California
The real 4-year cost of San Francisco State University in California
Over the 15 years from 2008 to 2023, published tuition and required fees at San Francisco State University went from $3,762 to $7,424, an average of 1.5% a year.
Read with care: this school's history shows a tuition freeze or guarantee, so a smooth projection may not hold.
2008–2027: history and projection
| Year | Published | Projected estimate | Estimate range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | $3,762 | – | – |
| 2009 | $4,740 | – | – |
| 2010 | $5,014 | – | – |
| 2011 | $6,276 | – | – |
| 2012 | $6,440 | – | – |
| 2013 | $6,450 | – | – |
| 2014 | $6,468 | – | – |
| 2015 | $6,476 | – | – |
| 2016 | $6,484 | – | – |
| 2017 | $7,254 | – | – |
| 2018 | $7,260 | – | – |
| 2019 | $7,266 | – | – |
| 2020 | $7,006 | – | – |
| 2021 | $7,304 | – | – |
| 2022 | $7,524 | – | – |
| 2023 | $7,424 | $7,424 | – |
| 2024 | – | $7,539 | $6,885–$8,192 |
| 2025 | – | $7,655 | $6,386–$9,039 |
| 2026 | – | $7,773 | $5,923–$9,974 |
| 2027 | – | $7,893 | $5,493–$11,005 |
If you pay full sticker
Projected tuition + fees, entering fall 2026.
| Year 1 | $7,773 |
| Year 2 | $7,893 |
| Year 3 | $8,015 |
| Year 4 | $8,138 |
| 4-year total | $31,819 |
Two aid scenarios
4-year out-of-pocket total.
- $10,000/yr flat scholarship
- $0
- Flat aid doesn't grow, so it covers less each year.
- 50%-of-tuition scholarship
- $19,514
- Percentage aid keeps pace with tuition.
On-campus housing & meals
Room & board (housing plus the standard meal plan), on top of tuition.
- Latest (2023)
- $17,955/ yr
- rising 3.6% / yr
- Projected 4-year add-on
- $84,302
Books & supplies typically add ~$1,200 a year (national median, not included).
Housing here has kept rising even while tuition was frozen; the creep moved to room & board.
Run your own numbers
Enter your actual scholarship offer to see your real 4-year total.
See my 4-year cost at San Francisco State University4-year schools with similar prices in California
Closest to San Francisco State University by published tuition and fees. Similar sticker prices can still compound very differently.
- California State University-Monterey Bay$7,437
- California State Polytechnic University-Pomona$7,439
- Southern States University$7,439
- California State University-Sacramento$7,602
- Bethesda University$7,220
- California State University Maritime Academy$7,672
- California State University-San Bernardino$7,675
- California State University-Bakersfield$7,696
Use this data
Published figures for San Francisco State University from federal IPEDS data through 2023, free to download or embed with attribution. The embed stays current as the data updates.