San Francisco State University (SFSU) vs Cal State Fullerton

Nestled in the heart of the Bay Area, San Francisco State University (SFSU) and California State University-Fullerton (CSUF) stand as two prominent institutions of higher learning in California. While both universities share the distinction of being part of the prestigious California State University system, they offer distinct experiences to their student bodies. SFSU boasts a diverse student population and a vibrant urban campus, while CSUF offers a more suburban setting and a strong focus on STEM fields. With different acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates, these universities cater to unique student profiles. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	California State University-Fullerton	San Francisco State University
Overview
Location	Fullerton, California	San Francisco, California
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	87.0%	85.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	59.4%	92.9%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	45,140	27,777
Total number of admissions given out	26,827	25,809
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,219	3,149
Yield rate	15.7%	12.2%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $30,282 Out of state: $42,162	In state: $30,675 Out of state: $42,555
Average net price	$4,939	$13,641
Tuition	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $12,918 Meal plan: $4,374	Room/dormitory: $10,134 Meal plan: $4,392
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	74.0% Average amount $9,215	72.0% Average amount $9,586
Students receiving federal student loan	17.0% Average amount $4,700	19.0% Average amount $4,829
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $11,380	1.0% Average amount $13,379

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	35,600 Men 41.2% Women 58.8%	23,424 Men 44.5% Women 55.5%
Graduate students	5,138 Men 36.8% Women 63.2%	3,475 Men 34.7% Women 65.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	0.9%	1.6%
International students	4.9%	7.0%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,045	4,332
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Texas Hawaii Illinois Arizona	California Washington Oregon Texas Colorado

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Education Engineering Business	Health Professions Education Visual & Performing Arts Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Business
Students to faculty ratio	25:1	20:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	71.5%	53.7%
Dropout rate	21.3%	35.5%
Transferred out	1.8%	7.4%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $145,938 Year 2: $157,680 Year 3: $165,916 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $138,162 Year 2: $114,595 Year 3: $130,592 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $113,642 Year 2: $110,241 Year 3: $114,173 Computer Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $88,293 Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $97,266 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $86,611 Year 2: $86,042 Year 3: $94,651 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $78,934 Year 2: $80,779 Year 3: $90,936 Computer Science (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,382 Year 2: $78,971 Year 3: $89,837 Taxation (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $75,840 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $81,048 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $71,980 Year 2: $76,325 Year 3: $79,512 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,145 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $78,803	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $113,349 Year 2: $112,270 Year 3: $136,160 Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions (Post-Baccalaureate Certificates) Year 1: $111,466 Year 2: $119,061 Year 3: $134,876 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $99,655 Year 2: $111,769 Year 3: $118,952 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $88,331 Year 2: $84,653 Year 3: $92,910 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,088 Year 2: $68,499 Year 3: $89,726 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $77,510 Year 2: $80,124 Year 3: $88,723 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $71,988 Year 2: $72,605 Year 3: $85,412 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,876 Year 2: $68,219 Year 3: $82,073 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,604 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $80,061 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $70,296 Year 3: $78,899

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