Public · San Jose, CA
San Jose State University
Get to know the college, from admissions and cost to life on campus.
Overview
San Jose State is the oldest public university on the West Coast, founded in 1857, and its identity now runs almost entirely through what surrounds it: downtown San Jose, in the heart of Silicon Valley. It's been named the top feeder school for Apple's workforce, and its 10 colleges send graduates straight into the tech companies a short walk or drive from campus rather than across the country.
About San Jose State University
- Type
- Public University
- Setting
- Urban
- Undergraduates
- 27,601
Admissions
- Early Decision/Early Action
- No
- Accepts Common App
- —
Cost
Tuition and aid
- Full cost of attendance
- $28,920per year
- In-state tuition
- —
- Out-of-state tuition
- —
- Average family income
- $44,094
- Students with a school grant
- 36%
- Average school grant
- $6,608
- Average federal debt
- $14,750at graduation
- Need-blind
- —
- Meets full need
- —
- Merit scholarships
- Yes
- CSS Profile
- —
- International aid
- —
Academics
- Majors offered
- 86
- Freshmen who return
- 87%
- Notable
- 1857founded — the oldest public university on the West Coast
Students
Campus life
- Setting
- Urban
- Location
- San Jose, CA
- Live on campus
- —
- Student organizations
- —
- Varsity sports
- —
SJSU is largely a commuter school: students come in from across the Bay Area, which aggregate reviews describe as both a strength (a genuinely diverse student body converging on one campus) and a weakness (weekends can feel quiet, and social life takes real effort to build). Nearly 450 student organizations and Weeks of Welcome, 90+ events in the first month, exist specifically to counter that. What's distinctive here is location: campus sits in downtown San Jose, so students get real access to food, culture, and tech-industry activity within walking distance, alongside some reviews flagging downtown safety as a concern at night. Fraternities and sororities have run since 1898, one of the older Greek systems on the West Coast.
Summarized by Spike from what students write: The Spartan Daily.
Outcomes
- Earnings 6 years in
- $67,528
- Graduate within 6 years
- 67%
- Average federal debt
- $14,750
- Graduates go into
- Silicon Valley Workforce, Shafi Dayatar, Software Engineering Alumnus, Sameer Saran, Computer Engineering Alumnus
Reviews
Been to San Jose State University, or visited? Yours would be the first.
Spike Rankings 2027
Where San Jose State University ranks.
- #64Best Collegesof 232 ranked
- #9Colleges That Beat Expectationsof 231 ranked
- #8Best Colleges That Admit Most Applicantsof 132 ranked
- #19Best Colleges for the Artsof 196 ranked
Ranked on federal data about graduation, earnings and cost. How Spike ranks colleges
Common questions
Questions about San Jose State University
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