Finance and Financial Management Services at San Francisco State University

San Francisco State delivers exactly what California families need: strong finance career outcomes without the debt burden that often comes with the field. With graduates earning nearly $63,000 in their first year while carrying less than $15,000 in debt, this program's debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.23 ranks in the 95th percentile nationally—meaning only 5% of finance programs nationwide offer this level of debt efficiency.

The earnings tell an interesting story about public education value. While private Bay Area schools like Santa Clara ($80k) and Loyola Marymount ($71k) lead the state, SF State graduates out-earn those from the majority of California finance programs, landing at the 60th percentile statewide. More importantly, they're earning $9,000 more than the national median for finance graduates and seeing steady 9% growth through year four. For a school with a 96% admission rate serving a significant population of Pell Grant recipients (41%), these outcomes demonstrate genuine upward mobility.

The value proposition here is straightforward: your child can enter finance from a highly accessible state school and achieve above-average earnings while avoiding the debt trap that hamstrings many business graduates. That's particularly powerful in an expensive city like San Francisco, where the low debt load means more flexibility in choosing first jobs and living situations rather than being forced into specific roles just to service loans.