University of San Francisco

Find your future from here

The University of San Francisco—a private Jesuit university—reflects the energy, diversity, and opportunities of the city that surrounds it. Founded in 1855 as the first college in San Francisco, USF has long been a part of the city’s colorful history. Today, USF is ranked #4 in student diversity among national universities by U.S. News & World Report (2021). True to its Jesuit values, the USF campus serves as a space for complex questioning and a meeting place for perspectives from all walks of life. While USF is a Jesuit, Catholic university, our student body grew up in 22 different faith traditions, and about one-third of our students identify as Catholic.

USF enrolls 5,852 undergraduate and 4,216 graduate students in more than 100 degree programs, boasting a network of more than 118,000 alumni around the world. In any of the 44 majors, you’ll be encouraged to turn learning into positive action with a strong commitment to social justice. Small class sizes (average 24 students/class) taught by professors (not TAs) ensure that your education is intensely personal, intellectually demanding, and designed to help you change the world for the better. The six Core Curriculum areas build a common foundation for thinking critically with an eye toward a greater good.

USF’s hilltop campus in the geographic center of the city puts students in the middle of everything San Francisco has to offer. Students enjoy the city’s natural beauty, 36 unique neighborhoods, cultural attractions, sporting events with the Bay Area’s six professional teams, and unlimited access to research, internship, and employment opportunities at the Bay Area’s most successful companies. At USF, everything in San Francisco is only a walk or a bike, bus, or BART ride away.

Academics
Whatever your interests, you’ll find programs that will encourage you to step up, speak up, and challenge your assumptions.
• More than 100 undergraduate majors, minors, and interdisciplinary concentrations
• A core curriculum that will push you to explore new passions and communicate your beliefs on complex questions in the humanities, science, ethics, and the arts
• The Honors College, which includes accelerated classes and special lectures from scholars and artists in different fields
• 100+ study abroad options across 45 countries
• Dual-degree and credential programs for Business, Economics, Nursing, Psychology, teaching, and more 

Living Learning Communities
Our Living Learning Communities offer an opportunity for deeper connected learning. Together with your peers, you’ll be enrolled in a common set of courses and live together in shared housing:
• Marshall-Riley Living Learning Community: Explore the intellectual and political history of Black Americans and engage with the local Black community in the Bay Area.
• Martín-Baró Scholars: Examine social justice issues in San Francisco through classroom assignments and a service learning project.
• St. Ignatius Institute: Experience a blend of rigorous academics and spiritual expression and growth, open to students of any (or no) religious affiliation. 

Faculty
While our professors are accomplished scholars and researchers—96% hold the highest degree in their academic disciplines—they’re at USF because they put teaching first. You’ll find them next to your desk, not behind a microphone. They’re mentors as well as teachers. They’ll look for opportunities to put you to work helping them with research, and they’ll point you toward internships. 

Career Services
From day one, our Career Services Center will prepare you to secure your dream internships and connect you with employers and alumni in the San Francisco Bay Area. We take students on exclusive treks to local companies and bring top employers to campus to meet you. Best of all, our alumni working at those companies regularly come back to campus to tell you how to ace the interview, what to wear, and how to write the perfect follow-up email. 

Here’s a partial list of where our students intern and get hired: Apple, Berkshire Hathaway, Cisco, Deloitte, DWA Media, Gap Inc., the Golden State Warriors, Google, Federal Reserve Bank, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Kiva, Marriott, Nike, the Peace Corps, Pixar, the San Francisco Mayor’s Office, San Francisco Unified School District, Silicon Valley Bank, Stanford Hospital, Square, Teach for America, Tesla, Uber, and the University of California, San Francisco.

Student Life
At USF, you’ll always have things to do and communities to join.
• More than 100 clubs, including service, pre-professional, Greek, and culturally focused organizations
• 25+ club and intramural sports and 16 Division I teams
• Muscat Scholars Program: An intensive academic program supporting incoming first-generation first-year students in their transition to college life
• Magis Emerging Leaders Program: A year-long fellowship for first-year students to become socially responsible leaders
• Black Achievement Success and Engagement (BASE) initiative: Supports and empowers Black-identifying students in three ways: the Marshall-Riley Living Learning Community; the Black Scholars program, an honors program that comes with a four-year full-tuition scholarship; and the Black Resource Center, located in our main library on campus 

Housing: Starting fall 2021, incoming first-year students will be guaranteed two years of on-campus housing. USF has six on-campus residence halls, including a brand new residence hall opening fall 2021. USF also offers gender-inclusive housing and living-learning communities. If you’re interested in finding an apartment off campus, the Off Campus Living team can help you navigate the apartment search and prepare for a successful move.