Percentile rankings vs 1,600+ peer institutions. Higher is better.
Career OutcomesAzimuth ranks Golden Gate University #473 for overall value on Azimuth's composite among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn median $115,758 four years after enrollment, placing Golden Gate University in the 99.7 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Golden Gate University #1250 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. Golden Gate University's composite standing reflects a business-focused institution in San Francisco where graduate earnings land well above the midpoint among nonprofit four-year institutions. The mobility ranking captures how consistently the university moves students — including those from lower-income backgrounds — toward durable career outcomes in one of the country's most competitive labor markets.
Azimuth ranks Golden Gate University #473 for overall value on Azimuth's composite among nonprofit four-year institutions. A private university in San Francisco, CA, Golden Gate University enrolls roughly 259 undergraduates, with 35.6% receiving Pell Grants and 52.7% identifying as first-generation college students. Where Golden Gate University performs strongest is return on investment. Azimuth ranks Golden Gate University #53 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn median four-year earnings of $115,758, a figure that reflects the institution's concentration in Business — a field with strong employer demand in the San Francisco Bay Area labor market. Business accounts for 100% of degree output, anchoring the institution's earnings profile in a high-demand professional discipline. Access and mobility sit lower in the composite. Golden Gate University sits in the 8.0 percentile for access and the 15.6 percentile for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions, reflecting the constraints of a smaller, professionally focused institution rather than a broad-enrollment university. For students whose academic and career goals align with Golden Gate University's Business-centered curriculum, the return profile is the primary draw — median four-year earnings of $115,758 compare favorably against the $57,042 median at comparable institutions in the Azimuth coverage set.
Golden Gate University's cost of attendance and net pricing reflect the institution's location in San Francisco and its private nonprofit structure. The university's affordability profile sits below the median for comparable private institutions, a pattern shaped by both the Bay Area's elevated cost of living and the institution's tuition positioning. Net prices by income band are medians within those bands; individual aid packages vary based on demonstrated financial need and institutional aid policies. Median federal student loan debt at graduation is $29,875, and families using Parent PLUS borrow a median of $14,685; private or institutional loans may add further borrowing that falls outside these federal-only figures — see the Parent PLUS risk framework for how household context shapes PLUS decisions. For the typical graduate at the institution's median four-year earnings of $115,758, median federal debt of $29,875 projects to a monthly payment of about $338 under standard ten-year repayment. In a downside earnings scenario anchored on lower-earning program clusters, projected four-year earnings of $91,369 would stretch that monthly payment further relative to income — a pattern worth exploring at the program level and through personalized scenarios. For personalized projections across earnings scenarios — including Parent PLUS planning and income-driven repayment options — use Azimuth's Financial GPS tool.
Golden Gate University is a strong fit for students focused on business, law, and professional fields who want an urban private institution in San Francisco with a career-oriented curriculum and direct access to the Bay Area's financial, legal, and technology sectors. Graduates earn median 4-year earnings of $115,758, placing Golden Gate University in the 99.7 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The program mix is heavily concentrated in Business, which accounts for 100% of degrees — students whose interests align with that concentration will find the strongest outcomes. 35.6% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants and 52.7% are first-generation students, reflecting a student body that includes meaningful representation from lower-income and first-generation backgrounds. Golden Gate University sits in the 98.7 percentile for low-income graduate earnings among nonprofit four-year institutions — a historical 10-year Scorecard measure not yet updated to the 4-year horizon — suggesting that access to the institution translates into durable earnings for students who need it most. Fit depends on two realistic filters: the program portfolio is oriented almost entirely toward professional and applied fields rather than broad liberal arts or STEM research, and students should weigh median debt of $29,875 against expected earnings in their chosen field before enrolling.
This school profile was generated using Azimuth's proprietary ROI framework, developed by founder Daniel Rogers. Our methodology transforms federal education data into actionable insights for families.
College Azimuth is a private research initiative and is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Education or Federal Student Aid. Data sourced from College Scorecard.
This content is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, investment, or professional advice. Consult a qualified advisor before making any financial decisions.
Comprehensive Analysis
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This is the Golden Gate University hub overview page. Related admissions, cost, outcomes, majors, and similar-school pages provide the detailed school data.
Data not available for this income tier.
Based on federal data for students receiving aid. Actual costs may vary.
Golden Gate University's cost of attendance and net pricing reflect the institution's location in San Francisco and its private nonprofit structure. The university's affordability profile sits below the median for comparable private institutions, a pattern shaped by both the Bay Area's elevated cost of living and the institution's tuition positioning.
Net prices by income band are medians within those bands; individual aid packages vary based on demonstrated financial need and institutional aid policies. Median federal student loan debt at graduation is $29,875, and families using Parent PLUS borrow a median of $14,685; private or institutional loans may add further borrowing that falls outside these federal-only figures — see the [Parent PLUS risk framework](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) for how household context shapes PLUS decisions.
For the typical graduate at the institution's median four-year earnings of $115,758, median federal debt of $29,875 projects to a monthly payment of about $338 under standard ten-year repayment. In a downside earnings scenario anchored on lower-earning program clusters, projected four-year earnings of $91,369 would stretch that monthly payment further relative to income — a pattern worth exploring at the program level and through personalized scenarios.
For personalized projections across earnings scenarios — including Parent PLUS planning and income-driven repayment options — use [Azimuth's Financial GPS tool](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).
Graduates earn median 4-year earnings of $115,758, placing Golden Gate University in the 99.7 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs above the $57,042 median at comparable institutions (same control and size band), a gap that reflects the university's deep concentration in business and professional fields and its location in one of the country's most active commercial labor markets.
Azimuth ranks Golden Gate University #53 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The program lineup at Golden Gate University is anchored heavily in Business, which accounts for 100% of degree output and drives the institution's overall earnings profile.
Business Administration stands out as the highest aggregate-return program, combining meaningful cohort scale with strong four-year pay — Azimuth ranks Business Administration #12 nationally for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $91,369 and a benchmark ratio of 1.3x the national CIP-4 median for the field. A second program cluster, Telecommunications Management, enrolls 18 graduates and contributes additional breadth to the institution's professional-degree footprint.
For students focused on business, finance, and related professional fields, Golden Gate University's program concentration in CA positions graduates to enter a high-demand regional labor market with credentials that carry measurable earnings weight relative to peers.
Business Administration, Management and Operations
125 graduates
Golden Gate University's program mix is anchored in Business — a concentration that shapes the institution's identity as a professionally oriented private university in one of the country's most competitive labor markets. Business accounts for 100% of graduates, reflecting a deliberate focus on applied, career-ready fields rather than a broad liberal-arts distribution.
Across 2 programs serving roughly 143 students annually, the curriculum is built around fields with direct pathways into San Francisco's finance, technology, and professional-services sectors. Business Administration stands out as the program combining the largest graduate cohort with strong earnings outcomes, making it the institution's primary driver of aggregate financial return.
Business Administration, the largest program by scale with 125 graduates, delivers median earnings of $91,369 four years after enrollment — Azimuth ranks it #12 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, per [how Azimuth evaluates programs](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/). Telecommunications Management rounds out the institution's enrollment base, reflecting the breadth of business-adjacent pathways available to students.
The highest-earning programs at Golden Gate University are concentrated in fields with direct labor-market demand in the Bay Area. Business Administration, with 125 graduates earning $91,369 four years after enrollment, represents the institution's strongest earnings outcome — Azimuth ranks it #12 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions.
These programs are high-mobility, direct-to-workforce pathways where four-year earnings closely reflect actual labor-market outcomes. The [supply and demand for college graduates](/analysis/supply-demand-map-college-degrees/) provides context for how Golden Gate University's dominant program families align with national and regional hiring trends.
