University of San Francisco Reviews

  • 128 Reviews
  • San Francisco (CA)
  • Annual Tuition: $55,532
90% of 128 students said this degree improved their career prospects
90% of 128 students said they would recommend this school to others
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Student & Graduate Reviews

AJ
  • Reviewed: 1/20/2021
  • Degree: International Relations
"My experience in USF was relatively good for the most part. I can only speak on behalf of the International Studies department in the school, but they took their time to mentor each student who was interested in IO, NGO, and international relations work. Their classes made sense and were challenging, there were distinct requirements you had to reach in order to get the degree, and there were a variety of courses available (sort of) . If you wish to pursue an African studies minor, it's practically non existent which I find moderately problematic; I hope they offer more classes by the time you choose to go to the university. I see a lot of people in the comments complaining about internship and work placements, but it's a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to that. Career services help you somewhat, but I personally did not go to their offices for any career advice because my major advisor did a better job at providing me suggestions. If anything, if you choose to go to USF, you need to understand that you are in one of the greatest hubs when it comes to internships and YOU have to willingly put yourself out there to get those internships. I graduated in three years with my BAIS degree and within that time frame, I secured 3 internships and a fellowship in the state capitol. If you choose to major in Business, Finance, Political Science, Sociology, International Studies or any other Humanities, you have so much work placement and internship opportunities. A lot of my friends that were business majors got jobs in the Financial District before they graduated because they either got it through an internship in the firm or they had alumni networks already working there. The school is not just gonna shovel a job up yours, you literally need to throw your resume everywhere and anywhere until it sticks and build yourself up there. There are so many foreign consulates, political research firms, grass root organizations, and community outreach that will be more than happy to accept students from USF. Moreover there are programs that the university provides that can actually help segue you into better job and/or internship opportunities (i.e. Erasmus, EMDS, McCarthy Fellows, etc.) Not that many people apply (for some reason) so it's an excellent stepping stone to get you where you need to be. The resources are there, you just have to actually do the work to get to it. However I do have to agree with everyone else on this thread that the school is ridiculously expensive and gets more expensive by the day. So if you choose USF you better have an excellent financial aid plan, scholarships, grants, or parents with some serious bank."
michaelllll1
  • Reviewed: 12/21/2020
  • Degree: Marriage & Family Therapy
"Do not attend Marriage and family therapy program at the school of education. This is a bad program!!! why? they hired Pay D student to teach you and most of the faculty are dumb and do not know how to teach. Moreover, De la Lue (director) very toxic, retaliating/attacking on students (not allowing you to speak up, very rigid on rules and protocol, no social justice), very moody, you are going to regret it if you choose the MFT program. Waste your money and learn nothing, Faculty are not supportive at all!!!!! It was very draining!!!!!"
Perry
  • Reviewed: 2/28/2020
  • Degree: Teaching
"This school gets you and teicks you by being super friendly at first and using their absolute best class first. Everything xhanges after that and you have random classes with brand new teachers and it's just another basic school from there. As soon as I had trouble with payments, they locked my account, didn't check up in me, and only emailed me asking for payments on a weekly. Disgusting liars."
Sydney Powell
  • Reviewed: 12/18/2019
  • Degree: Marketing
"Overall I loved the whole USF experience, although I do believe they have things they can work on. Perhaps because it is a private schools it does fill abit clique-y at times and I wish some of the programs were more welcoming. At first I was a sociology student with a minor in Anthropology. I love these 2 departments the. I switched to Advertising. The reason for the switch is because I felt like ( at the time ) I didnt know what I could do realistically with Sociology. Although the same thing goes for advertising, they did a somewhat better job at exposing what I could do after I graduated but the program itself was all about favorites. Only the favorite students of the professors got to go to conferences or ad agency trips to visits the agencies. Overall I wish there had been more focus on helping us figure out what we could do after graduating especially being a smaller school but with much more resources than most schools. The financial aid office twice told me I no longer qualified for financial aid 2 week before classes starting stating I had to pay the full amount within 4 days , the date to get on a payment plan had passed, although I would never be able to pay over $25k on any sort of payment plan. Just to have to call at least 3 time, send several emails and go down to the office twice. They then realize ( even though I had mentioned this over several emails) that I filled out FASFA correctly and submitted it in a timely manner. They stated due to me not putting down my parents ( my parents dont and have never financially supported) an option they have on for people whos parent abandoned them and/or are incarcerated. They said it was all a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding that caused me so much emotional distress and anxiety. From my experience most of the financial aid office doesnt care, so you have to be on top of your own paperworks because they will try to screw you over, however if you dont have to deal with them and know what direction you want to go in life then come here"
H
  • Reviewed: 12/6/2019
  • Degree: Nursing
"I transferred into the Nursing program as a Junior and almost complete with my 3.5 years at the University of San Francisco. Beware all transfer students, USF's bachelor's nursing program is a mandatory 3.5 years of just nursing courses (prereqs not included) and the max Cal grant you could recieve is 2 years and 3 years for the USF transfer scholarship. USF has been a reputable nursing program throughout California, however the program is falling apart (literally). The program requires Sophomore 2-Senior 2 students to take a HESI exam at the end of each semester. If failed the first time, students are required to pay the fee for a 1 unit "remediation" course (mind you, each unit at USF is $1700+). The course consisted of a 20 min lecture of when to expect the next retake and consequences of not passing a second time. $1700+ to retake a test required by the nursing department (not even the state) to obtain a diploma. All students are required to purchase an extremely expensive ONLINE TEMPORARY textbook bundle to "save money" that expires right after graduation that you can't even keep or sell to get some of your money back. Students have had issues with clinical placements (groups not being assigned to a clinical site for half a semester that was to be "made up", failing to submit accurate onboarding forms for all students preventing us from being able to actually start clinicals, professors unfit to teach because all of the respected professors have left). The students in the BSN program have rallied together to change the structure of the program that is leading us to failure and potentially endangering our future patients. Students have continuously rallied up throughout the years to get their concerns about the program heard and have been immediately shut down or not even considered. There few amazing professors left at in the program that genuinely care for and advocate for the students but the big names in charge don't seem to care for the students more than their profit. I have never experienced such an unorganized, unprofessional department. The quality of the department and school is so horrendous that I wouldn't even pay $5,000 a year to go here knowing I could get a much better quality education at a community college or CSU/UC. The cafeteria has a history of having roaches. The bathrooms are always filthy and don't have seat covers. Every year we get a letter in the mail stating that tuition is increasing another $3000+ for the upcoming school year. You'd think that them raising tuition thousands of dollars for everyone every year that they'd at least be able to buy us toilet seat covers. And don't get me started on the quality/efficacy (or lack thereof) of the financial aid department."
Lucy D.
  • Reviewed: 12/30/2017
  • Degree: Nursing
"As a small town girl, moving to the big city like San Francisco and going to college at the University of San Francisco was as life changing as you can get. Its a university thats situated in the middle of the city, so you are completely and immediately immersed in the city culture. You meet amazing people who become your friends. You go to classes that are small and seem tailor-made to your needs. Your professors want to get to know you and want you to succeed. My Nursing program was rigorous, but I can wholeheartedly say it prepared me for a realistic nursing career. Perhaps the only downside I can think of is the financial services was lacking in support and heart. I knew of countless classmates who were unhappy with the service they received at One Stop (what USF calls their financial aid office) and Im not talking about actual finances but the people. Overall, I would go to USFagain in a heartbeat. I received a high class education that has opened doors for me."
Diego Lescano
  • Reviewed: 12/18/2017
  • Degree: Fitness Trainer
"At the University of San Francisco, the health science classes consisted of a wide range of students from various disciplines. As a Kinesiology graduate, my science curriculum allowed me to work collaboratively with students from other programs such as Nursing, Psychology, Biology, Chemistry, etc. In addition, the university is also prestigious for their highly ranked Business program as well as their School of Law. What I appreciated the most was that the class room size was small and intimate, allowing a close bond between classmates and the professors. At USF, they truly care about ones success in school as well as their success post-graduation. The professors are open to providing letters of recommendations and the departments are constantly searching for job opportunities to holistically care for their students. Unlike other universities, one factor that was never an issue was registering for classes. They want us to succeed in a timely fashion, with that said the faculty makes a strong effort in satisfying their students with the classes they need. The University of San Francisco was the best decision I have ever made because it truly prepared me to become a stellar graduate student and enabled me with the skills to enter the work world."
Whoseyourdaddy
  • Reviewed: 9/1/2017
  • Degree: Psychology
"Overpriced, faculty unhelpful, overall disappointment"
Anonymous
  • Reviewed: 9/1/2017
  • Degree: Economics
"College is a great, but expensive way to explore and learn about the world and yourself."
Ols Student
  • Reviewed: 8/2/2017
  • Degree: Nursing
"This comment is only for BSN students. The school is soo expensive. I did Pre-requisite for nursing in community college and it took me more than 3 years. Even I finished weird USFCA required pre-requisite such as religious studies, ethics, Literature, philosophy in community college but when I got admitted to USF they forced me to wait for one year ( 2 semesters), and during that one year, I had to take 1 unit Jesuit religion course for two semesters. They charged me 1650 $ for each course, total 3300 for two useless courses. For God sake, I am an atheist why I should pay this much for the religion which I don't want to know. Each year they charge 45000 $ and their program is 3 year (plus that one stupid year which I studied just religion). Their scholarship only cover the fraction of the tuition. The teacher who was priest bullied me. (I don't want to tell my story). If you have GI bill, this can be your school but If you don't have, I don't recommend you to get 150,000 loans from wells Fargo and if you d, you need to pay back 210,000 (include interest) LOL. By the way, the school doesn't have any parking space. (only 100 space which they give through lottery once a year :) ) so no to commuter Another option is community college (3000$ whole program) plus 7000$ (online RN-BSN)"
Jason W
  • Reviewed: 6/20/2017
  • Degree: MBA
"The University of San Francisco is a good school in a great location. The program I am reviewing is the Part Time MBA program at the downtown campus. The University has been very welcoming and accommodating to students who have different career goals and different educational and career backgrounds. The staff is responsive to student concerns and attempts to resolve any issues quickly. The location can't be beat. Downtown between the Financial District and AT&T Park leaves you in the middle of many tech startups, financial companies, and older established businesses. Opportunities abound to have guest speakers, office visits, and collaboration with innovators. Some of the class instructors did not meet my expectations. Some of the elective (adjunct professors) did not appear to have good teaching methods. While they may have been subject matter experts, they could not necessarily teach the content effectively. The professors for the core classes were quite competent and willing to go beyond to help students understand the material and provide resources as needed. The San Francisco area is very competitive. Not everyone will gain admission to nearby Stanford and Berkeley so as a result this university gets some talented people to join the program. Overall, I am happy with my decision to enroll in the program, but each prospective student will need to apply for themselves."
Nick
  • Reviewed: 6/14/2017
  • Degree: Public Relations
"The program is well connected within the city of San Francisco and parts of the east bay. Professors are often experts in their field or are actively working on current issues. One of the best strengths of the program is probably the strong alumni network that is very active and willing to help out with job findings and internships."
a
  • Reviewed: 5/22/2017
  • Degree: Information Technology
"It is the best college around here near me and i loved it with good teachers and friends and easy to join also"
Old Student
  • Reviewed: 5/15/2017
  • Degree: Public Administration
"The cohort group was a bunch 30 something who were very social...as long as you were one of the "cool kids." Disappointing experience, tuition is WAY over priced. Terrible, and I can't stress enough, terrible job assistance, networking for jobs, or internships. USF is more interested in promoting its image than helping soon to be graduates with job prospects. Go else where with more opportunities, internships, job prospects, and alumni connections. Read about other schools hire rate after graduation."
Catalina
  • Reviewed: 5/3/2017
  • Degree: Psychology
"The University of San Francisco was the place that sparked my interest in psychology and fostered the love that I have for the field today. The psychology department is immeasurable in the quality of the professors, the resources, as well as the other students in the major. The professors encouraged group study as well as office hours. The professors were constantly available even in late hours to accommodate the students seeking extra assistance. Not only were the professors excellent teachers, but they were also great advisors. They assisted me in finding my path in psychology and never failed to point me to other resources that would benefit my education as well as my career choice. The psychology professors truly made an incredible impact in my education and continue to support and council me today, two years post graduation."
RR
  • Reviewed: 4/27/2017
  • Degree: Nursing
"I'm only just about to complete my first semester in the CNL program. I have very little positive things to say about it. It is disorganized, unprofessional, half the instructors are incompetent, feels more like high school than a graduate degree program. This program is not even close to being worth the extraordinary tuition. If I had to pay my tuition through personal financing or loans, I'd probably cut my losses and leave. Should have accepted my UW offer or some other more established program."
MarMar
  • Reviewed: 3/27/2017
  • Degree: Nursing
"Currently a student in the CNL- Master's Entry program. There are pros and cons to this program. The program is very expensive and can be disorganized at times which is stressful given the financial investment students are making. Some of the professors have been great, but there are some that are not very supportive. The biggest con is that the school caters to the BSN students in every aspect."
Nick
  • Reviewed: 3/26/2017
  • Degree: Public Policy
"The program is very closely tied with the urban affairs sister program, and has a good amount of urban planning components. This program is good for anyone looking to get into public policy and running campaigns. The professors are experts in their fields, and have their network pretty integrated in the city of San Francisco. The program is also very good at using its network to find jobs and internships."
Lexi Amrhein
  • Reviewed: 3/24/2017
  • Degree: Higher Education
"After searching for Higher Education and Student Affairs programs across the US for two years, I found and fell in love with the HESA program at USF. Of all the programs I looked at, USF- HESA had the most integrity in its dedication to social justice and human rights. Where other schools 'talked the talk' USF really put advocacy and action to work creating positive social change and challenging existing barriers within educational institutions."
John Ayala
  • Reviewed: 3/10/2017
  • Degree: Elementary Education
"The University of San Francisco's School of Education, Masters of Arts in Teaching is a great program of study. The program fully prepares you to teach in today's classroom. One of the great advantages of the program is that the professors in the program are current or retired teachers in your area of study. The student field advisors are current teachers, and when they come to conduct observations spend as much time as you as a student for review of performance after observation. They will conduct extra observations if you want, the whole course is student oriented. The rigor of the program is very high, but I feel that have such high standards for classroom performance has made me so much more prepared to teach. I recommend this program for anyone interested in becoming a teacher."