Colleges in San Francisco
The City and County of San Francisco in California is the second-most densely populated city in the entire US and also functions as the cultural, commercial, and financial center for the northern half of the state. Within San Francisco’s less than 50 square miles of space, there are more than 20 colleges and universities that call the Golden Gate City home.
The oldest in the city is the Jesuit-run University of San Francisco. Other private institutions include Alliant International University, Devry University, Saybrook University, Golden Gate University, Hult International Business School, Heald College, and Minerva Schools at KGI. The Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, a part of the University of the Pacific, offers the only 3-year accredited program in the nation that leads to a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree.
Founded in 1935, the City College of San Francisco is the only community college in the city, as well as one of the largest community colleges in the country. The only other public institution besides CCSF that’s geared towards undergraduates in the city is the San Francisco State University, a member of the 23-campus California State University system.
The majority of the institutions in The City of Brotherly Love are private, with a handful devoted to the fine arts. The largest art and design institute in the nation, the Academy of Art University, as well as the oldest art school west of the Mississippi, the San Francisco Art Institute, can both be found in Bay City. The California College of the Arts, the San Francisco School of Digital Filmmaking, and the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising are also at home in SF’s neighborhoods, as well as the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, which is also the only independent music school on the entire West Coast.
San Francisco is home to a number of graduate schools, including the University of California in San Francisco, which is dedicated entirely to health science. UCSF is also home to the UCSF School of Medicine, the oldest school of its kind in the Western US. The 415 also hosts the UC Hastings College of Law, Presidio Graduate School, California Institute of Integral Studies, and the San Francisco Law School.
The San Francisco Municipal Railway, the Muni, is a common way to get around the city, while bicycling and walking have grown more popular, especially with San Fran being labeled the second-most walkable city.
