San Jose State University — College Profile

About

Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, San Jose State University is renowned as a primary talent pipeline for the region's tech giants, routinely sending more graduates to companies like Apple, Cisco, and Google than almost any other school. Its strongest academic offerings reside in the highly ranked Charles W. Davidson College of Engineering and the Lucas College and Graduate School of Business, both of which emphasize hands-on, industry-aligned learning. The student experience is defined by a diverse, energetic, and deeply career-driven urban culture that takes full advantage of its downtown San Jose setting. Distinctively, as the founding campus of the California State University system and the oldest public university on the West Coast, SJSU uniquely pairs a rich historical legacy with unmatched professional access to global innovation.

Wikipedia:San José State University is a public research university in San Jose, California, United States. Established in 1857 as the state's first normal school, it is the oldest public university in the western United States and is the founding campus of the California State University system.

Location

San Jose, CA, 95192-0186 · City campus

✈

Nearest airport from college

SJC · San Jose

3 mi away

Open in Google Maps View official campus map

Cost & aid

Cost of attendance

These figures are federal data and may be out of date.

In-stateOut-of-state

Tuition & fees$8,410$21,010

Housing & food (on campus)$20,971$20,971

Books & supplies$1,062$1,062

Cost of attendance$37,735$39,193 est.

Average net price$13,760Not published

Out-of-state prices

Tuition & fees$21,010

In-state: $8,410

Housing & food (on campus)$20,971

Books & supplies$1,062

Cost of attendance$39,193 est.

In-state: $37,735

Average net priceNot published

In-state: $13,760

est. = the in-state cost of attendance with out-of-state tuition swapped in; no out-of-state figure is published.

Source: U.S. College Scorecard · published total: www.sjsu.edu

How it’s made up · in-state, 2026-27

San Jose State University’s own figures for 2026-2027, newer than the 2024-25 federal figures above, so the amounts differ.

Tuition$9,553

Fees$245

Housing$15,543

Food$7,369

Books & supplies$1,004

Personal expenses$2,900

Transportation$1,121

Total published by the school$37,735

Source: www.sjsu.edu · checked Sep 28, 2026

Net price by family income · in-state students, 2023-24

$0–30k

$9,730

$30–48k

$10,114

$48–75k

$12,099

$75–110k

$15,102

$110k+

$22,862

Source: U.S. College Scorecard

Merit aid · 2024-25

Awarded without financial need. Students with financial need can get merit awards too; they're counted as need-based aid.

Average award$3,146

First-years who got one68

Source: San Jose State University's Common Data Set — the school's own yearly report of its admissions and aid figures.

Outcomes

Completion

Within 6 yrs

67%

Entered 2017–18

Within 4 yrs

37%

Back for yr 2

87%

Transferred

8 yrs after starting · first-time, full-time students

72% graduated · 19% transferred · 1% still enrolled · 7% left or unknown

Earnings · measured 2020 & 2021

6 yrs after entry$62,448

10 yrs after entry$78,988

Debt

Median at graduation$15,000

Monthly payment$159

Middle 50% owe$5.5k–$23k

90th percentile$31,000

Green marks a figure above the typical Master's (larger programs): 54% graduate within 6 yrs, $55,177 earned 10 yrs after entry.

Admissions

Getting in · applied for fall 2024

Admit rate

85%

Test policy

Not required

Per College Scorecard

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Essay prompts

How much essays count at San Jose State University: Not considered (one of four levels: very important · important · considered · not considered)

Source: San Jose State University's Common Data Set for 2024-25 — the school's own yearly report of its admissions and aid figures.

If San Jose State University asks for supplemental essays, the prompts are in the school's application.

Student Body

Gender

Men 52%Women 48%

Who enrolls

Faculty ratio

25 : 1

Pell grant

35%

First-gen

49%

Family income

$29,408

Independent

27%

Veterans

Age at entry

22.0

Part-time

18%

Race & ethnicity

White

12%

Hispanic

33%

Black

Asian

39%

Two or more

Non-resident

Unknown

Varsity sports

NCAA Division I-FBS · EADA 2024-25

Baseball
Men's
Basketball
Men's · Women's
Beach Volleyball
Women's
Football
Men's
Golf
Men's · Women's
Gymnastics
Women's
Soccer
Men's · Women's
Softball
Women's
Swimming and Diving (combined)
Women's
Tennis
Women's
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
Men's · Women's
Volleyball
Women's
Water Polo
Men's · Women's

Programs & Earnings

Bachelor's degrees by annual completions · 4yr national median earnings

Median earnings, all programs · measured 2020 & 2021

After 6 yrs

$62,448

After 10 yrs

$78,988

Business Administration, Management and Operations1657

Psychology, General486

Communication and Media Studies276

Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness260

Computer Engineering251

Computer Science244

Design and Applied Arts222

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing217

Public Health209

Fine and Studio Arts207

Criminal Justice and Corrections203

Biology, General185

Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods184

Sociology177

Mechanical Engineering158

Civil Engineering127

Type your major above to highlight and detail relevant programs.

Institutional

Resources

Endowment

$208M

Full-time faculty

44%

Faculty salary

$12,896/mo

Teaching spend

$9,020

per student

Federal loans

20%

Classification

Carnegie type

Master's (larger programs)

Research activity

Research college or university

$88M research spending · 15 research doctorates a year

Undergraduate profile