Cost & financial aid brief
San Francisco State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does SF State cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 54% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Net prices by income band show a pattern of lower costs at lower incomes.
Families earning under $30,000 average $9,341, while those in the $30,001–$48,000 band pay $9,867. The $48,001–$75,000 band averages $11,825, rising to $14,556 for the $75,001–$110,000 band.
The highest band, over $110,000, averages $22,523. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $13,182.
The published cost of attendance at San Francisco State University is $26,488 (an average across living arrangements). Azimuth ranks the university #118 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $9,341 for families earning under $30,000, $9,867 for those earning $30,001 to $48,000, $11,825 for those earning $48,001 to $75,000, $14,556 for those earning $75,001 to $110,000, and $22,523 for families earning over $110,000. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $13,182.
Aid covers about 54% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, bringing the average net price across all bands to $12,278. That figure is $3,356 below the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Borrowers who finish carry a median of $15,371 in federal student loans, which is $4,705 below the peer median of $20,076. About 60.4% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.
Parents who borrow through Parent PLUS hold a separate median of $19,732. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $175 a month.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Undergraduates at San Francisco State University borrow federal loans at a rate of 60.4%, and among those who complete a degree the median federal debt is $15,371. That median runs below the $20,076 figure for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $4,705.
A separate population, parent borrowers, carries a median Parent PLUS loan of $19,732.
Graduates of San Francisco State University earn about $17,264 more than expects for similar students, a result that lands in the 94th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The median earnings four years after completion reach $67,804, which sits in the 72nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Earnings scenarios from the university's program mix point to a typical earnings level of $67,804, with a downside case of $53,482 and an upside case of $92,130. Borrowers finish with a median federal debt of $15,371, which is below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). The estimated monthly payment if repaid over ten years is $175.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $19,732. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $175.
Repayment figures are in the Financial GPS card below. Borrowing populations and model assumptions.
Parent loans: what can the family afford?
How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families
- Median Parent PLUS debt
- $19,732
- Estimated parent payment
- $251/mo
| Household income | Share of income above basic expenses | Risk level |
|---|---|---|
| $35,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $50,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $75,000 | 14.8% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 6.6% | Caution |
| $150,000 | 3.2% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 2.1% | Safe |
The 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS balance, as a share of household income above basic expenses ($54,640 a year: 200% of the 2026 federal poverty guideline for a household of three). No room is High pressure. Open the parent tool for your own numbers. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $15,371
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $19,732
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $175/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $251/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $426/mo
Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.
Student payment as a share of available income
At median graduate earnings of $67,804, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
4.8% of income above the allowance · Excellent
- Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
- Good 8–under 12%
- Concerning 12–20%
- High risk Over 20%
How this estimate works
These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $23,940, uses the published framework’s 2026 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.
Payment assumptions
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.
Net price and borrowing. The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. College Scorecard data and documentation.
A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.