San Jose State University

San Jose State University is a public institution that was founded in 1857. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 26,863 (fall 2022), its setting is urban, and the campus size is 154 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. San Jose State University's ranking in the 2024 edition of Best Colleges is Regional Universities West, #4. Its in-state tuition and fees are $7,992; out-of-state tuition and fees are $19,872.

Students who attend San Jose State University, or SJSU, are situated in the scenic California Bay Area and booming Silicon Valley. The campus is located in downtown San Jose, and there are a variety of on-campus housing options, including student apartments and suites. Freshmen are not guaranteed university housing, though there is usually enough room for all who apply. There are more than 350 student organizations to check out at SJSU, as well as a Greek system that prides itself on its diversity. Students can also get involved by joining or cheering on the school’s Spartans athletics squads, which compete primarily in the NCAA Division I Mountain West Conference. The San Jose State football team competed in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision.

For graduate students, the school offers programs through the Lucas Graduate School of Business, among other schools. The university also operates unique research centers that study the lives and works of Nobel Prize-winning author John Steinbeck and legendary composer Beethoven. About three fourths of SJSU alumni stay in the Bay Area after graduation. Some of the school’s most notable graduates include musician Stevie Nicks and author Amy Tan. More than a dozen Olympic medalists have also graduated from SJSU, including runner Lee Evans and boxer Chuck Adkins.