San Francisco State University

What are the graduation rates for students at San Francisco State University?

In the reported IPEDS outcomes, 28% of the measured first-time, full-time undergraduate cohort completed a bachelor's degree within four years, and 50% did so within six years. The longer measure captures students who finish after the four-year mark; neither figure describes the eventual completion rate of every student who enrolls.

These federal cohort measures focus on students who begin as first-time, full-time students. They do not directly describe the experience of the university's substantial transfer population or of students who begin part time. Reported first-year retention was 83%, meaning most students in that measured group returned for their second year, but retention and graduation are different outcomes.

For an applicant, the practical question is whether a proposed course sequence is feasible on their own timeline. Major prerequisites, course availability, transferred credits, employment, and enrollment intensity can all affect that plan; the university-wide rate cannot predict an individual completion date.

What is the earning potential for graduates at San Francisco State University?

One-year-after-completion earnings figures vary considerably by San Francisco State field of study. College Scorecard figures supplied for this comparison include $99,655 for registered nursing, $65,759 for mechanical engineering, and $55,088 for computer science; psychology is listed at $29,678. These are field-level observations, not starting-salary offers or predictions for individual graduates.

The comparison matters because an institution-wide earnings number would conceal differences in occupation, licensing, further study, and local labor markets. The figures refer to a measured population with earnings data one year after completion, not necessarily everyone who earned a degree in the field. They should not be read as the mean salary of every graduate, and they do not account on their own for hours worked, job benefits, graduate-school enrollment, or education debt.

Applicants comparing majors can use these figures as one piece of evidence alongside program requirements, likely additional credentials, and the kinds of work they want to pursue. A one-year measure is particularly limited for fields in which professional licensure or graduate education commonly comes later.