Start here
in San Francisco
You're deciding whether to spend your first two years at City College of San Francisco before finishing a bachelor's elsewhere in California. That choice involves real numbers: transfer rates, earnings after graduation, and what it actually costs you out of pocket.
19,000+ undergrads, 25% transfer out by year 8, median $46k 10-yr earnings, $8,218 median debt.
A large San Francisco CC with a solid transfer-out track record
City College of San Francisco enrolls over 19,000 undergraduates and sends 25% of students to a four-year institution within eight years — a healthy result for a campus where 73% attend part-time. Median earnings land at $46k ten years out, and median debt is a modest $8,218. Child Care Provider/Assistant and Liberal Arts each produce hundreds of completions annually. Net price is $6,906, and the three-year loan default rate is 0%. For a cost-conscious California student with transfer intentions, CCSF offers real pathway infrastructure.
City College of San Francisco sits in San Francisco, California, and enrolls over 19,000 undergraduates — a large urban campus where 73% of students attend part-time. That part-time majority shapes everything: completion timelines are longer, and students here are often balancing work, family, and coursework simultaneously. The college's highest-volume program is Child Care Provider/Assistant with 844 completions, followed by Liberal Arts and Sciences at 748 — both fields with distinct transfer-prep dimensions. Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications produced 192 completions, Biological and Physical Sciences 160, and Business Administration 130. The eight-year transfer-out rate sits at 25%, a real signal of outward momentum. Median earnings ten years out are $46k, median debt is $8,218, and the three-year loan default rate is 0%. Net price is $6,906. For a student in the Bay Area weighing cost and transfer potential, the data makes a reasonable case.
What this CC teaches at scale
| Program | Completions |
|---|---|
| Child Care Provider/Assistant. | 844 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies. | 748 |
| Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications. | 192 |
| Biological and Physical Sciences. | 160 |
| Business Administration and Management, General. | 130 |
| Biology/Biological Sciences, General. | 121 |
| Community Health and Preventive Medicine. | 116 |
| Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other. | 114 |
| Ethnic Studies. | 102 |
| Architectural Technology/Technician. | 88 |
Source · IPEDS completions (all undergraduate credentials).
Where California transfers tend to go
Reflects state-aggregated IPEDS transfer-in volume — CC-specific destinations are not publicly available from IPEDS or the College Scorecard.
Frequently asked
- Is City College of San Francisco a good place to start a bachelor's degree?
- The data is reasonably encouraging. Twenty-five percent of CCSF students transfer to a four-year institution within eight years — a meaningful result on a campus where 73% attend part-time and many students carry significant outside obligations. Net price is $6,906, and median debt for borrowers is $8,218, which is low. Median earnings ten years after enrollment are $46k, and the three-year loan default rate is 0%. The combination of a functional transfer rate, low debt exposure, and clean default profile makes CCSF a defensible starting point for a bachelor's, provided you enter with a clear plan and take advantage of transfer advising resources while you're there.
- How does City College of San Francisco's transfer-out rate compare to typical community colleges?
- CCSF's eight-year transfer-out rate is 25%. National research places the average community college transfer rate in the 15–25% range, so CCSF sits at or above that benchmark. The 25% figure is measured over eight years, and given that 73% of students attend part-time — which extends timelines considerably — it reflects genuine transfer momentum rather than a flattering snapshot. An additional 1.6% were still enrolled at the eight-year mark, and 29% had completed a credential at CCSF itself. Together, these numbers suggest the college functions as an active feeder into the four-year system, not just an enrollment holding pattern.
- What programs does City College of San Francisco teach at meaningful scale?
- CCSF's highest-volume programs by completions are Child Care Provider/Assistant (844), Liberal Arts and Sciences (748), Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications (192), Biological and Physical Sciences (160), and Business Administration and Management (130). Biology/Biological Sciences produced 121 completions, Community Health and Preventive Medicine 116, and Ethnic Studies 102. The breadth across health, technology, liberal arts, and sciences matters: students aiming at STEM transfers, health-related fields, or general education pathways will find CCSF has developed course infrastructure and completion volume in those areas — not thin elective listings.
Methodology — Transfer signals reflect IPEDS Outcome Measures 8-year cohorts; earnings and debt come from the College Scorecard. Destinations are state-aggregated; we do not claim CC-specific transfer destinations without authoritative per-student tracking data.