Match #1
California State University-San Bernardino
San Bernardino, CA
Profile closeness89/100
Admit rate94%
- 15,023 students
- Public
- City: Midsize
- Graduation rate 53%, close to 50%
- Enrollment 15,023 students, close to 18,639
The colleges most similar to San Francisco State University are California State University-San Bernardino, California State University-Fresno, and California State University-San Marcos. San Francisco State University admits 96% of applicants and has an average net price of $9,803 a year; 6 of its 10 alternatives cost less and 0 admit a larger share of applicants, in the CollegesRef 2026–27 edition.
Profile closeness (0–100) compares graduation rate, size, admit rate, net price, Carnegie class, and control with San Francisco State University. The order also uses CollegesRef matching tiers, so a later match can score higher. Admit-rate bars use a 0–100% scale.
Top 10 alternatives to San Francisco State University
Row-wise results ranked by similarity. No curated AI list exists for this school.
Match #2
California State University-Fresno
Fresno, CA
Profile closeness88/100
Admit rate95%
- 21,605 students
- Public
- City: Large
- Graduation rate 58%, close to 50%
- Enrollment 21,605 students, close to 18,639
Match #3
California State University-San Marcos
San Marcos, CA
Profile closeness87/100
Admit rate95%
- 14,877 students
- Public
- Suburb: Large
- Graduation rate 55%, close to 50%
- Enrollment 14,877 students, close to 18,639
Match #4
California State University-Sacramento
Sacramento, CA
Profile closeness85/100
Admit rate94%
- 28,350 students
- Public
- City: Large
- Graduation rate 54%, close to 50%
- Acceptance rate 94%, close to 96%
Match #5
California State University-Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
Profile closeness82/100
Admit rate91%
- 19,562 students
- Public
- City: Large
- Graduation rate 55%, close to 50%
- Enrollment 19,562 students, close to 18,639
Match #6
California State University-Northridge CSUN
Northridge, CA
Profile closeness79/100
Admit rate93%
- 32,691 students
- Public
- City: Large
- Graduation rate 57%, close to 50%
- Acceptance rate 93%, close to 96%
Match #7
California State University-Chico
Chico, CA
Profile closeness78/100
Admit rate93%
- 13,631 students
- Public
- City: Midsize
- Enrollment 13,631 students, close to 18,639
- Acceptance rate 93%, close to 96%
Match #8
Sonoma State University
Rohnert Park, CA
Profile closeness74/100
Admit rate93%
- 5,166 students
- Public
- Suburb: Large
- Graduation rate 55%, close to 50%
- Acceptance rate 93%, close to 96%
Match #9
California State University-Fullerton
Fullerton, CA
Profile closeness72/100
Admit rate91%
- 38,546 students
- Public
- Suburb: Large
- Acceptance rate 91%, close to 96%
- Same Carnegie classification
Match #10
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona
Pomona, CA
Profile closeness72/100
Admit rate75%
- 25,042 students
- Public
- Suburb: Large
- Enrollment 25,042 students, close to 18,639
- Average net price $9,404, close to $9,803
Questions about San Francisco State University alternatives
What colleges are similar to San Francisco State University?
The closest matches to San Francisco State University are California State University-San Bernardino, California State University-Fresno, California State University-San Marcos, California State University-Sacramento, and California State University-Los Angeles. CollegesRef ranks them on admissions, cost, graduation rate, size, and campus profile using IPEDS and College Scorecard data.
Is San Francisco State University hard to get into?
San Francisco State University admitted 96% of its 27,777 applicants in the CollegesRef 2026–27 edition, so it is not very selective: it admits most applicants. 0 of its 10 closest alternatives admit a larger share of applicants.
Which San Francisco State University alternatives cost less?
6 of the 10 closest alternatives have a lower average net price than San Francisco State University ($9,803 a year), including California State University-Los Angeles ($2,385), California State University-San Bernardino ($3,946), and California State University-Fullerton ($5,115). Net price is what first-time, full-time students paid after grants; your own price depends on family income.
