Academic Index Last updated: June 23, 2026

12 Best Universities in San Francisco

Exploring the academic landscape of San Francisco, our index provides a definitive ranking of the top 12 higher education institutions. The algorithmic evaluation processed 312.3K scholarly outputs and 17.01M peer-reviewed citations, mapping the region's total research impact. The ranking also highlights the real-world influence of these universities, represented by 29.9K notable alumni globally.

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1

University of California – San Francisco

#32 in United States #35 in North America

13% Acceptance

2,942 Enrollment

1100 Avg SAT

1864 Founded

2

San Francisco State University

#184 in United States #208 in North America

96% Acceptance

5,891 Enrollment

1290 Avg SAT

1899 Founded

3

University of San Francisco

#234 in United States #264 in North America

62% Acceptance

12,326 Enrollment

1290 Avg SAT

1855 Founded

4

Golden Gate University – San Francisco

#563 in United States #618 in North America

83% Acceptance

28,313 Enrollment

1340 Avg SAT

1901 Founded

5

California Institute of Integral Studies

#728 in United States #795 in North America

90% Acceptance

1,057 Enrollment

1265 Avg SAT

1968 Founded

6

California College of the Arts

#902 in United States #973 in North America

91% Acceptance

19,212 Enrollment

1470 Avg SAT

1907 Founded

7

Academy of Art University

#1172 in United States #1247 in North America

100% Acceptance

3,644 Enrollment

1929 Founded

$36,761 Net Price

8

San Francisco Art Institute

#1296 in United States #1374 in North America

66% Acceptance

1871 Founded

$42,757 Net Price

9

San Francisco Conservatory of Music

#1461 in United States #1547 in North America

55% Acceptance

227 Enrollment

1917 Founded

$43,746 Net Price

10

American Conservatory Theater

#1701 in United States #1789 in North America

65% Acceptance

$28,411 Net Price

11

University of California – Hastings College of Law

#1835 in United States #1925 in North America

38% Acceptance

1878 Founded

12

Presidio Graduate School

#2077 in United States #2172 in North America

50% Acceptance