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Cost & financial aid brief

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# San Francisco State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

[Overview](/school/san-francisco-state-university/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/san-francisco-state-university/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/san-francisco-state-university/admissions/)[Majors](/school/san-francisco-state-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/san-francisco-state-university/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does SF State cost after financial aid?

San Francisco State University lists a published cost of attendance of $26,488 (an average across living arrangements). In-state tuition and fees are $7,950, and room and board runs $22,266.

Out-of-state students pay $20,550 in tuition and fees. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients is $12,278, which is $3,356 below the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Financial aid reduces the published cost by $14,210 on average. Azimuth ranks the university #118 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. That places the affordability pillar in the 92nd percentile.

Azimuth places the affordability pillar of San Francisco State University in the 92nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid recipients pay an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) of $12,278, which is below the median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $3,356.

For borrowers who complete, median federal student debt is $15,371, below the peer median of $20,076 by $4,705. Across income bands, average net prices run from $9,341 for families earning under $30,000 to $22,523 for families earning over $110,000.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s by family-income band show a progressive structure. For families earning under $30,000 the average net price is $9,341; for $30,001–$48,000 it is $9,867; for $48,001–$75,000 it is $11,825; for $75,001–$110,000 it is $14,556; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $22,523.

Pell Grant recipients make up 42.2% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $13,182.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$9,341

**$30–48K**
$9,867

**$48–75K**
$11,825

**$75–110K**
$14,556

**$110K+**
$22,523

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$12,278**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

Aid covers about 54% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. [Net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) loan of $19,732.

Graduates of San Francisco State University earn about $17,264 more than the model 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $19,732. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $175.

[Repayment figures](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$19,732

**Estimated parent payment**
$251/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| 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](/financial-gps/?tool=parent&school=san-francisco-state-university#parent-tool). [Read the assumptions and limits](#cost-data-notes).

## 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

1.  Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
2.  Good 8–under 12%
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  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.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

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.

[Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=san-francisco-state-university#student-tool)

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), 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](/about/).

**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](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

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.