Nearby colleges
Colleges near San Francisco, CA
48 colleges and universities sit within 25 miles of San Francisco, California — 13 in San Francisco itself and the rest across the surrounding area. The table below is ordered by measured distance and includes cost, admissions, and graduation data.
Colleges near San Francisco by the numbers
- Lowest published in-state tuition
- College of Alameda ($1,258)
- Median in-state tuition (22 reporting)
- $10,162
- Median net price after aid (20 reporting)
- $13,751
- Highest graduation rate
- University of California, Berkeley (93%)
- Most selective
- Minerva University (3% acceptance)
- Largest by enrollment
- University of California, Berkeley (45,882 students)
Colleges within 25 miles of San Francisco
Nearest first. Showing 40 of 48. Distance is straight-line from the centre of the San Francisco campus cluster, not driving time.
| College | Distance | Location | In-state tuition | Avg. net price | Acceptance rate | Graduation rate | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco Conservatory of Music | <1 mi | San Francisco, CA | $56,150 | $42,607 | 55% | 74% | University |
| California Institute of Integral Studies | <1 mi | San Francisco, CA | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | University |
| University of California College of the Law-San Francisco | <1 mi | San Francisco, CA | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | University |
| Minerva University | 1 mi | San Francisco, CA | $23,630 | Not reported | 3% | 89% | University |
| California College of the Arts | 1 mi | San Francisco, CA | $60,226 | $53,909 | 91% | 61% | University |
| University of San Francisco | 2 mi | San Francisco, CA | $60,492 | $41,431 | 62% | 70% | University |
| Presidio Graduate School | 2 mi | San Francisco, CA | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | University |
| Academy of Art University | 2 mi | San Francisco, CA | $30,736 | $40,613 | Open admission | 34% | University |
| Golden Gate University | 2 mi | San Francisco, CA | $31,243 | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | University |
| San Francisco Film School | 2 mi | San Francisco, CA | Not reported | $32,354 | Open admission | 67% | Community college |
| University of California-San Francisco | 2 mi | San Francisco, CA | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | University |
| City College of San Francisco | 3 mi | San Francisco, CA | $1,696 | $6,906 | Open admission | 40% | Community college |
| San Francisco State University | 5 mi | San Francisco, CA | $7,950 | $12,278 | 96% | 50% | University |
| College of Alameda | 8 mi | Alameda, CA | $1,258 | $8,496 | Open admission | 33% | Community college |
| Reach University | 8 mi | Oakland, CA | $12,374 | $13,305 | Open admission | Not reported | University |
| Starr King School for the Ministry | 9 mi | Oakland, CA | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | University |
| Academy of Chinese Culture and Health Sciences | 9 mi | Oakland, CA | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | University |
| Laney College | 9 mi | Oakland, CA | $1,258 | $17,110 | Open admission | 31% | Community college |
| Samuel Merritt University | 9 mi | Oakland, CA | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | University |
| Skyline College | 10 mi | San Bruno, CA | $1,272 | $1,738 | Open admission | 44% | University |
| Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine College-Berkeley | 11 mi | Berkeley, CA | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | University |
| University of California, Berkeley | 11 mi | Berkeley, CA | $16,347 | $13,481 | 11% | 93% | University |
| Berkeley City College | 11 mi | Berkeley, CA | $1,258 | $9,096 | Open admission | 36% | Community college |
| Institute of Buddhist Studies | 11 mi | Berkeley, CA | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | University |
| California Jazz Conservatory | 11 mi | Berkeley, CA | $23,700 | Not reported | Open admission | 50% | University |
| Berkeley School of Theology | 11 mi | Berkeley, CA | $2,856 | Not reported | 89% | Not reported | University |
| Pacific School of Religion | 11 mi | Berkeley, CA | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | University |
| Graduate Theological Union | 11 mi | Berkeley, CA | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | University |
| Church Divinity School of the Pacific | 11 mi | Berkeley, CA | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | University |
| The Wright Institute | 11 mi | Berkeley, CA | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | University |
| Dominican School of Philosophy & Theology | 12 mi | Berkeley, CA | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | University |
| Merritt College | 14 mi | Oakland, CA | $1,258 | $14,021 | Open admission | 26% | Community college |
| College of Marin | 14 mi | Kentfield, CA | $1,558 | $12,351 | Open admission | 39% | Community college |
| Contra Costa College | 14 mi | San Pablo, CA | $1,312 | $6,522 | Open admission | 28% | Community college |
| Dominican University of California | 15 mi | San Rafael, CA | $52,161 | $35,333 | 83% | 78% | University |
| College of San Mateo | 17 mi | San Mateo, CA | $1,332 | $1,504 | Open admission | 61% | Community college |
| Carrington College-San Leandro Campus | 17 mi | San Leandro, CA | Not reported | $39,675 | Open admission | 59% | Community college |
| Saint Mary's College of California | 18 mi | Moraga, CA | $57,803 | $30,378 | 87% | 70% | University |
| Life Chiropractic College West | 19 mi | Hayward, CA | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | University |
| Notre Dame de Namur University | 19 mi | Belmont, CA | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | 7% | University |
“Open admission” means the college reports an open-admission policy to the federal IPEDS survey (2024-25), or reported admitting every applicant. Programs such as nursing can still have their own entry requirements, so confirm with the college.
What the San Francisco area looks like
- Within 25 miles of San Francisco CampusPin finds 48 colleges, and the table below lists the 40 nearest. 13 of them are in San Francisco itself; the rest are in surrounding communities. Distances are measured from the centre of the San Francisco campus cluster.
- College of Alameda has the lowest published in-state tuition among the 40 nearby colleges listed, at $1,258. Commuting from home is one of the largest levers on total cost, since housing is often the single biggest line after tuition.
- 10 of the 40 colleges shown are community colleges, which typically offer the lowest published tuition in a metro and transfer pathways into nearby four-year campuses.
How this list was built
This page runs a real geographic query: every college whose campus coordinates fall within 25 miles of San Francisco is included, ordered by distance. No college appears here unless it is genuinely that close.
The San Francisco anchor point is the average position of the campuses CampusPin holds for the city, so it reflects where colleges actually are rather than a civic centre-point. Distances are straight-line and are a guide to proximity, not a commute estimate.
Frequently asked questions
- How many colleges are near San Francisco, CA?
- CampusPin finds 48 colleges and universities within 25 miles of San Francisco, California. That includes 13 located in San Francisco itself plus campuses in the surrounding area that are realistically commutable. The table on this page lists the 40 nearest of them.
- What is the closest college to San Francisco?
- Of the colleges on this page, San Francisco Conservatory of Music in San Francisco is the nearest to the San Francisco campus cluster at about under a mile. The table is ordered by distance, so the top rows are always the closest.
- Can I commute to college from San Francisco?
- Every college on this page is within 25 miles of San Francisco, which is a plausible commute for many students, though actual travel time depends on traffic and transit rather than straight-line distance. Check each college's profile for its exact location, and confirm commuter services and parking with the campus directly.
Other California metros
Keep going on CampusPin
Narrow this list with the full filter set, or put any two colleges side by side.
Data sources & methodology
Locations, cost, and outcome figures for colleges near San Francisco come from federal datasets and each institution's own reporting.
Sources used across this page
Not every source informs every figure. Each data point draws on the source appropriate to it see the relevant section and the data dictionary for field-level provenance.
IPEDS / NCES College Navigator
Federal enrollment, admissions, tuition, retention, and program data. Released annually with a 1–2 year lag.
U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard
Net price by income band, post-graduation earnings, and federal aid context.
Institutional websites
Each school's official admissions, registrar, and financial-aid pages are the authoritative source for current details.
Where a value is unavailable it is shown as unavailable, never as 0, free, or a negative judgment. Always confirm final details with the institution before applying.
Suggested citation
CampusPin. Colleges Near San Francisco, CA. Retrieved from https://campuspin.com/colleges-near/san-francisco-ca