Best Philosophy Schools Near San Francisco, CA (2026)

Updated September 5, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

San Francisco, California has 5 accredited schools offering philosophy programs, with tuition ranging from $16,347 to $50,547 per year for indexed 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 philosophy-related role is Lawyers at a median $212,500 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Philosophy Schools to San Francisco

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer philosophy 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.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, CA 1.5 miles from San Francisco
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
70.2 BOC Score
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: 81

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

City College of San Francisco

San Francisco, CA 2.1 miles from San Francisco
  • 2 year
44.5 BOC Score
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: 118

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA 3.0 miles from San Francisco
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
78.9 BOC Score
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: 102

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Philosophy 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.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary $119,530 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $103,400
Writers and Authors $86,480 CA statewide $74,810
Lawyers $212,500 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $183,824
Clergy $74,580 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $64,516
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $102,880 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $88,997
Editors $102,940 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $89,048
Management Analysts $126,730 San 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

Metric Value Source
Population 836,321 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $141,446 Census 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 Philosophy Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering philosophy programs near San Francisco. The closest is University of San Francisco in San Francisco, CA (1.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of California-Berkeley (12.8 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying philosophy-related roles near San Francisco are: Lawyers ($212,500), Management Analysts ($126,730), Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary ($119,530). 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 philosophy 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 philosophy?

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 Philosophy Programs

Other Programs Available in San Francisco

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

Data verified: September 5, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

Back to Best Philosophy Schools in California: Online Programs (2026)