Best Online MBA Programs in San Francisco, CA (2026)

San Francisco, California has 5 accredited schools offering mba programs. San Francisco has a population of about 836,321. Median household income is $141,446 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 60.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, the top-earning mba-related role is Marketing Manager at a median $220,480 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest MBA Schools to San Francisco

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer mba programs near San Francisco, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from San Francisco city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from San Francisco. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, CA 1.7 miles from San Francisco BOC Score 70.2
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $89,812
Avg net price $41,431/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 82%
  • Programs offered: 42

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

City College of San Francisco

San Francisco, CA 2.1 miles from San Francisco BOC Score 44.5
  • 2 year
Graduation rate 22%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,805
Avg net price $6,906/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 101

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

California College of the Arts

San Francisco, CA 2.5 miles from San Francisco BOC Score 46.4
  • 4 year
Graduation rate 73%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,414
Avg net price $53,909/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 90%
  • Programs offered: 10

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Minerva University

San Francisco, CA 2.7 miles from San Francisco BOC Score 93.7
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 83%
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 97%
  • Programs offered: 2

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA 3.0 miles from San Francisco BOC Score 78.9
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $68,077
Avg net price $12,278/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 36

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Golden Gate University

San Francisco, CA 3.3 miles from San Francisco BOC Score 62.7
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 46%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $87,434
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 16

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California mba page.


MBA Wages Near San Francisco

San Francisco is part of the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area (BLS area code 41860). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
General and Operations Manager$149,990San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$129,749
Financial Manager$216,150San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$186,981
Marketing Manager$220,480San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$190,727
Management Analyst$126,730San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$109,628

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


San Francisco at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population836,321Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$141,446Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+60.1%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)115.6 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other San Francisco-Area Cities With MBA Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited mba schools are near San Francisco, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering mba programs near San Francisco. The closest is University of San Francisco in San Francisco, CA (1.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is San Francisco State University (3.0 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying mba roles near San Francisco?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying mba-related roles near San Francisco are: Marketing Manager ($220,480), Financial Manager ($216,150), General and Operations Manager ($149,990). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with California statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Daly City instead of San Francisco?

Daly City, CA is 5.0 miles from San Francisco and has its own set of local mba programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is San Francisco an affordable place to study mba?

San Francisco’s median household income of $141,446 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in San Francisco while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and California public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Learn More About MBA Programs

Other Programs Available in San Francisco

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for San Francisco:

Data verified: July 30, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024โ€“2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.