A Parent’s Complete Guide to the University of San Francisco (2026-2027)
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Jump to
- What is the one thing every University of San Francisco parent needs to know before move-in?
- Quick Facts for University of San Francisco Families
- A Note on the Dons, the Jesuits, and What USF Actually Is
- How do parents get to University of San Francisco? Travel guide from San Francisco International Airport
- What do parents need to know about University of San Francisco move-in day 2026?
- The Residence Halls: Where Your Student Will Live
- How much does University of San Francisco cost? Tuition, financial aid, and scholarships for 2026-27
- What should parents do when visiting the surrounding area? Hotels, restaurants, and activities near campus
- When is University of San Francisco Family Weekend 2026 and how do parents plan for it?
- How can parents support their University of San Francisco student’s mental health?
- Who do University of San Francisco parents contact? Essential numbers and websites for families
- USF’s Academic Strengths
- Getting Your Student’s Stuff Home Between Semesters
- You Are a Dons Family Now
- University of San Francisco academic calendar 2026-2027: dates families need
- What is University of San Francisco’s graduation rate?
- What to Pack for University of San Francisco
What is the one thing every University of San Francisco parent needs to know before move-in?
University of San Francisco move-in is Move-In Day is Wednesday, August 19, 2026, with orientation running through August 24.
Fall 2026 classes begin Tuesday, August 25, 2026.
Classes begin Tuesday, August 25. USF has a fall break October 19 and 20.
Verified against the official housing and academic calendar pages in July 2026. Move-in times are usually assigned individually, so confirm your student’s slot before booking travel.
This is not a campus that happens to be near San Francisco.
The University of San Francisco sits on Lone Mountain, a hilltop in the Inner Sunset and Cole Valley area of the city, with views of the Marin Headlands and the bay, a literal backyard of Golden Gate Park, and the full weight of one of the most consequential urban environments in the country available by MUNI. The city is not a backdrop. It is the education.
What that means in practice: your student will spend four years developing a relationship with a city that is simultaneously a center of global technology, one of the most active legal and healthcare markets in the country, a hub for nonprofit and public interest work, and a place of genuinely startling physical beauty. The career access, the alumni network embedded in Bay Area law firms and hospitals and technology companies, and the life experience of four years in San Francisco are advantages that are real and lasting. Parents who understand this from the beginning tend to see USF’s cost not as an indulgence but as an investment in a particular kind of formation.
The cost part requires direct acknowledgment. San Francisco is one of the most expensive cities in the United States, and USF’s tuition reflects the pricing reality of private Jesuit universities on the West Coast. The combination means that total cost of attendance at USF is significant, in the range of $80,000 per year before aid. That number requires honest financial planning, and this guide will walk through it. It also means that the financial aid conversation with USF is not optional; it is the first conversation every family should have after receiving an admission decision.
The flip side of the cost reality is also true: students who spend four years at a Jesuit university in San Francisco, who engage seriously with the academic programs and with the city, and who build relationships in the Bay Area professional community leave with something genuinely difficult to replicate elsewhere. Go Dons.
Quick Facts for University of San Francisco Families
| Family Weekend | University of San Francisco Family Weekend 2026 is October 23 to 25, 2026. |
| Location | 2130 Fulton Street, San Francisco, CA 94117 |
| Enrollment | ~11,000 students |
| Type | Private Jesuit university, West Coast Conference |
| Tuition and Fees (2026-27) | ~$58,000/year (verify at usfca.edu) |
| Room and Board (2026-27) | ~$17,000-$19,000/year (verify at usfca.edu) |
| Books and Supplies | ~$1,500/year |
| Personal and Transportation | ~$3,500/year |
| Estimated Total Cost | ~$80,000-$82,000/year (verify at usfca.edu) |
| Graduation Rate | ~72% (6-year) |
| Median Earnings (10 years post-grad) | ~$64,000 |
| Nearest Major Airport | SFO (San Francisco International, ~14 miles south) |
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A Note on the Dons, the Jesuits, and What USF Actually Is
The University of San Francisco was founded in 1855 by the Society of Jesus, the Jesuits, making it one of the oldest universities in California and one of 27 Jesuit universities in the United States. The Jesuit tradition shapes the USF experience in ways that are practical and daily, not just ceremonial.
The phrase you will hear most often is cura personalis, a Latin concept that translates roughly as “care for the whole person.” In Jesuit education, this means the institution is explicitly committed to the intellectual, spiritual, social, and moral development of its students, not just their academic training. What it looks like on the ground: small class sizes, faculty who know their students, a serious commitment to service learning and community engagement embedded in the curriculum, and a campus culture that takes social justice as a legitimate academic and moral category rather than an extracurricular afterthought.
The other phrase central to Jesuit identity is “men and women for others.” This is not marketing copy at USF. It reflects a genuine institutional commitment to public interest, to the common good, to the idea that education carries a social obligation. Given San Francisco’s context, that commitment finds expression in a rich set of partnerships with the city’s nonprofit sector, legal aid organizations, public health institutions, and community organizations. Students who arrive expecting a straightforward pre-professional education sometimes find themselves surprised by how much the Jesuit mission asks of them.
The Dons are USF’s athletic identity. The name comes from the title of Spanish colonial officials and reflects California’s Spanish heritage. The men’s basketball program has a history that serious basketball families should know: Bill Russell and K.C. Jones played for USF in the 1950s, and the program won back-to-back NCAA championships in 1955 and 1956. USF currently competes in the West Coast Conference (WCC), one of the strongest mid-major conferences in college basketball, alongside Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s. Home games at War Memorial Gymnasium on campus are a genuine community experience and worth attending during family visits.
How do parents get to University of San Francisco? Travel guide from San Francisco International Airport
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is the primary gateway for most USF families. It sits about 14 miles south of campus, and travel time to the university runs 25 to 40 minutes depending on traffic conditions and how you get there.
The BART system connects SFO directly to the Powell Street station in Union Square, from which MUNI streetcar and bus routes reach the USF campus neighborhood. This combination works well and is less stressful than driving during peak hours.
Oakland International Airport (OAK) is an option for families connecting through Southwest Airlines or other carriers that serve it. Getting from OAK to campus requires a BART ride to a transfer point and then MUNI, or a rideshare from the airport. It is manageable but adds time.
Driving to San Francisco is straightforward on US-101 from the south or I-80 from the east, but parking in San Francisco is genuinely expensive and limited. Street parking near campus is metered or permit-restricted in most areas. For visits, the most practical approach is arriving via rideshare or public transit and using it for getting around the city during your stay. Families who insist on driving should budget $35 to $60 per day for garage parking in the neighborhoods near campus.
MUNI is the city’s surface transit system and the primary way USF students move around San Francisco. Students living on campus have ready access to the N-Judah streetcar line and several bus routes. The MUNI app is essential, and student transit passes are available at a discount. For parents visiting: buy a Clipper card at any BART station, load it with $20, and use it for all MUNI trips. It is significantly cheaper than individual fares and keeps things simple.
What do parents need to know about University of San Francisco move-in day 2026?
USF’s fall move-in for new students is typically in late August. Your student’s housing confirmation will specify their exact date and time window. Check the official schedule at usfca.edu as dates are confirmed, and build your travel plans around the assigned window rather than arriving whenever it is convenient.
When Is Move-In?
USF’s fall move-in for new students is typically in late August. Your student’s housing confirmation will specify their exact date and time window. Check the official schedule at usfca.edu as dates are confirmed, and build your travel plans around the assigned window rather than arriving whenever it is convenient.
The Weather Reality Nobody Tells Families from Warm States
San Francisco in late August is not warm. This surprises families from the South, the Southwest, and the Midwest every single year, and it matters practically for move-in planning.
The marine layer, the cold Pacific current off the coast, and the geography of the Bay Area combine to produce a summer climate that is often foggy, cool, and in the low to mid-60s Fahrenheit. August in San Francisco is reliably cooler than January in Dallas. The fog that locals call “Karl” rolls in off the ocean and sits over the city through the morning, burns off by early afternoon on many days, and sometimes returns in the evening. This is the normal pattern. Families who arrive expecting California warmth and get fog and 62 degrees are not being unlucky. They are experiencing San Francisco summer.
The practical implication: pack layers for move-in day. Bring a fleece or light jacket for everyone in the family, not just your student. If your student has a winter coat at home, ship it to the dorm rather than leaving it until Thanksgiving, because the San Francisco fall gets cool quickly and reliably.
The campus’s hilltop location means that the walks from parking areas to some residence halls are genuinely steep. USF organizes a move-in volunteer crew that helps with boxes and bags, and they are genuinely helpful and physically necessary on the hill. Accept the help.
Practical tips for USF move-in:
- Book your San Francisco hotel well in advance for move-in weekend. Late August hotel prices in San Francisco reflect peak travel season.
- Know your student’s specific residence hall before you arrive. Lone Mountain’s geography means different buildings are in different locations, and arriving without a clear destination costs time on a logistically demanding day.
- Bring a hand truck or collapsible cart. Elevator wait times get long, and the terrain between parking and some halls is steep.
- Pack layers for everyone. San Francisco August is not Cancun August.
- Ship boxes ahead to the dorm address when possible. USF holds packages and it removes real effort from move-in day.
- Plan a meal in the Inner Sunset neighborhood after unloading. Irving Street (three blocks from campus) has excellent options within walking distance. Nopalito, Outerlands, and The Pig and Pie are all nearby and worth the stop.
The Residence Halls: Where Your Student Will Live
USF guarantees housing for freshmen who apply by the deadline, and the residential facilities are on or immediately adjacent to the hilltop campus. The residential experience at USF is genuinely campus-based, which is not a given at urban universities where many students live scattered across the city from day one.
Gillson Hall is a primary freshman residence hall on the main campus, with traditional double-occupancy rooms and the social density that comes with a large freshman community in one building. Expect noise, activity, and the particular energy of 18-year-olds living on their own for the first time. This is normal and generative.
Hayes-Healy Hall houses a mix of freshmen and upperclassmen on the main campus. The mixed-class composition gives freshmen more exposure to upperclassmen, which is socially useful.
Phelan Hall is a traditional-style hall situated adjacent to the main academic buildings, which makes it convenient for students whose classes are centered in the academic core.
Lone Mountain Commons is a residential complex on the western portion of the campus, named for the Lone Mountain site itself. It offers a range of room configurations and is generally considered a desirable assignment.
Fromm Hall serves upperclassmen and some freshmen. The location and community make it a popular assignment for students who prefer a slightly quieter residential environment than the main freshman halls.
After freshman year, a significant portion of USF students move to off-campus housing in the surrounding neighborhoods: the Inner Sunset, Cole Valley, Inner Richmond, and Haight-Ashbury are all within reasonable distance of campus by foot or MUNI. This is worth knowing as a financial planning reality: San Francisco off-campus housing is extremely expensive. Students regularly pay $1,200 to $2,000 per person per month in shared apartments in these neighborhoods. The financial jump from on-campus room and board to off-campus San Francisco rental is substantial, and families should have this conversation with their students well before sophomore spring.
Dorm essentials for USF students:
- Bedding for an XL twin (standard in USF residence halls; verify dimensions at usfca.edu/housing)
- Power strip with surge protector
- Shower caddy and flip-flops for community bathrooms
- Layers and a quality fleece or light jacket for San Francisco’s year-round cool weather
- Desk lamp
- Over-door hooks and storage organizers
- Rain jacket with a hood (San Francisco winters are mild but wet, and the hill is exposed)
Full printable USF dorm packing list
How much does University of San Francisco cost? Tuition, financial aid, and scholarships for 2026-27
USF is a private Jesuit university in one of the most expensive cities in the country, and the numbers reflect that reality directly. Families who approach USF’s cost with clarity and a plan are in a significantly better position than families who are surprised by the bill in September.
The Real Numbers
USF is a private Jesuit university in one of the most expensive cities in the country, and the numbers reflect that reality directly. Families who approach USF’s cost with clarity and a plan are in a significantly better position than families who are surprised by the bill in September.
| Expense | Cost |
|---|---|
| Tuition and Fees | ~$58,000/year (verify at usfca.edu) |
| Room and Board | ~$17,000-$19,000/year (verify at usfca.edu) |
| Books and Supplies | ~$1,500 |
| Personal and Transportation | ~$3,500 |
| Estimated Total | ~$80,000-$82,000/year (verify at usfca.edu) |
The personal and transportation figure is higher than the national average for most universities and reflects the San Francisco cost of living. Students eating out occasionally, using MUNI regularly, and participating in city life will spend more than students at comparable institutions in lower-cost cities. Factor this into your planning.
Scholarship Programs Worth Knowing
USF administers several merit scholarship programs that do not require a separate application beyond the admission application:
The Presidential Scholarship is USF’s highest merit award, highly competitive, and reserved for students with the strongest academic profiles. The amount is significant and renewable with satisfactory academic standing.
The Dean’s Scholarship is the next tier of merit recognition, awarded to strong academic candidates who do not receive the Presidential Scholarship. Also renewable.
The Ignatian Scholarship recognizes students who demonstrate exceptional alignment with the Jesuit values of service, community engagement, and academic excellence. Given USF’s institutional identity, this scholarship rewards students whose application reflects genuine community involvement and a commitment to the “men and women for others” ideal.
Individual schools and colleges within USF also administer their own merit awards. After your student is admitted and has identified their intended program, contacting that college’s financial aid coordinator directly is worth the effort.
USF meets a portion of demonstrated financial need for admitted students. The critical step is filing the FAFSA and CSS Profile as early as possible (October 1 is the opening date for the following academic year) and then responding promptly to any documentation requests from USF’s financial aid office.
When There Is a Funding Gap
If your family’s demonstrated need exceeds USF’s aid package, or if merit aid does not fully close the gap between family resources and total cost, private student loans are one tool to compare carefully before committing. SoFi is consistently competitive on rates for families with strong credit and also offers refinancing for parent PLUS loans after graduation, which is worth knowing even if that need is still years away. Always exhaust federal loan eligibility before turning to private options, and use the federal loan limits before any parent borrowing.
Full college cost planning guide
What should parents do when visiting the surrounding area? Hotels, restaurants, and activities near campus
USF parents are, by fortunate consequence, parents who get to visit San Francisco. This is a genuine benefit of the situation and worth embracing fully.
Golden Gate Park is immediately adjacent to the campus and is one of the great urban parks in the world. At over 1,000 acres, it is larger than New York’s Central Park and contains the de Young Museum (the Bay Area’s premier fine arts museum), the California Academy of Sciences (a natural history museum and planetarium that is genuinely spectacular), the Japanese Tea Garden (the oldest public Japanese garden in the United States), Stow Lake, the bison paddock, and miles of walking and cycling trails. A Saturday morning that begins with coffee on Irving Street and continues into the park covers enough to fill a day pleasantly without any further planning.
The Inner Sunset neighborhood along Irving Street, three blocks south of campus, is one of San Francisco’s most livable and undervisited neighborhoods. It is dense, walkable, and not oriented toward tourists, which makes it excellent for an actual meal in an actual neighborhood. Nopalito on 9th Avenue serves exceptional Mexican food with fresh, locally sourced ingredients and is genuinely one of the best Mexican restaurants in a city with a serious Mexican food culture. Outerlands on Judah Street has a devoted following for its brunch and wood-fired food; weekend waits are real, so plan accordingly or arrive early. The Pig and Pie is a reliable neighborhood spot for pizza and drinks. The stretch of 9th Avenue between Irving and Lincoln has coffee shops, bakeries, and the kind of quietly excellent neighborhood commerce that makes San Francisco neighborhoods distinctive.
For a larger parent dinner away from the neighborhood: Nopa in the Western Addition (about 15 minutes by MUNI) is one of the city’s most celebrated restaurants, with a seasonal California menu and a room that is genuinely electric on weekend nights. Zuni Cafe on Market Street is a San Francisco institution; the roast chicken requires two people and advance ordering but is worth planning around. SPQR in Pacific Heights serves Roman-inflected Italian food in a warm, intimate room and is excellent for a celebratory meal.
The Ferry Building Marketplace on the Embarcadero, downtown along the waterfront, is outstanding for a Saturday morning. The Tuesday and Saturday farmers market that surrounds the building is one of the best in the country. The food vendors inside, including Cowgirl Creamery, Acme Bread, Blue Bottle Coffee (original location), and several outstanding oyster and charcuterie operations, make it a destination meal in its own right.
For arts and culture: SFMOMA (the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art) is a world-class institution in a spectacular Snohetta-designed building downtown, worth a half day on any parent visit. Alcatraz tours are a genuine San Francisco experience and require booking well in advance at recreation.gov. The Legion of Honor in the Outer Richmond is an undervisited gem with a strong European painting collection and views of the bridge.
Getting around the city for parent visits: MUNI is fast, inexpensive, and covers most of where you will want to go near the campus and park. Rideshare fills in the gaps. Driving and parking are possible but expensive and often frustrating; most families find they do better leaving the car at the hotel and using transit.
When is University of San Francisco Family Weekend 2026 and how do parents plan for it?
University of San Francisco Family Weekend 2026 is October 23 to 25, 2026.
Confirm the schedule and registration on the official family weekend page. Hotels near campus sell out early, so book as soon as dates are confirmed.
USF (San Francisco) refunds tuition on a declining schedule after the semester starts, so timing a withdrawal matters.
The refund is calculated from the date paperwork is received by the Registrar’s Office, not the last day the student attended class, so families should file the official withdrawal as early as possible to protect the higher-percentage tiers.
Refund schedule: For non-Law students: 100% refund through roughly the first week of the term, then declining through 80%, 60%, and 40% over the following weeks, with no refund from about week 4 on. Law students follow a separate day-based schedule with the same overall shape. Exact calendar dates shift every semester.. Confirmed via the official USF (San Francisco) refund policy page. Policies and dates change every term, so verify directly before making a decision.
Advertising disclosure: this is a paid partner link. UniversityParent may earn a commission if you purchase through it.
Most colleges do not refund 100% of tuition once the semester starts.
GradGuard Tuition Insurance can reimburse tuition, housing, and fees if a covered illness, injury, mental health condition, or other covered reason forces a withdrawal during the term. Plans must be purchased before the semester begins.
USF prohibits students living in university housing, including nearly all freshmen, from bringing a car.
First-year, full-time students are required to live in campus housing (with a narrow exception for those living with a parent or guardian within 20 miles), and housing residents are ineligible for a semester or annual parking permit. A separate parking lottery exists but is restricted to off-campus students living more than 3 miles from campus, so freshmen cannot enter it.
Freshman permit cost: not applicable, resident students cannot purchase a permit at any price. Confirmed via the official University of San Francisco parking page. Policies can change year to year, so verify before move-in.
USF’s Family Weekend is typically held in October and includes campus programming, departmental events, and opportunities to attend athletic events and meet faculty and staff. Specific dates and the full event program are available through usfca.edu/family. Check the site in late summer for the confirmed schedule and registration information.
Family Weekend
USF’s Family Weekend is typically held in October and includes campus programming, departmental events, and opportunities to attend athletic events and meet faculty and staff. Specific dates and the full event program are available through usfca.edu/family. Check the site in late summer for the confirmed schedule and registration information.
San Francisco hotel pricing in October reflects the city’s peak conference and fall tourism season. Rooms near campus and in the neighborhoods most convenient for visiting families (Union Square, Civic Center, Fisherman’s Wharf) book quickly and at prices that reward advance planning. The short version: book your hotel for Family Weekend the moment you know the dates. The Inner Sunset and Inner Richmond neighborhoods, accessible by MUNI, occasionally offer Airbnb options at somewhat lower prices than the downtown hotel district, with the added advantage of proximity to campus and the park.
Traditions Worth Knowing
The WCC basketball season runs from November through March, with home games at War Memorial Gymnasium on campus. The West Coast Conference is genuinely competitive basketball. Gonzaga has been the dominant program in the conference for over two decades, but Saint Mary’s and USF are regular presences in postseason conversations. For parents who enjoy college basketball, attending a home game during a family visit is a good evening.
The Mardi Gras on the Hilltop festival is USF’s spring campus celebration, a tradition that brings the campus community together for music, food, and the particular warmth of a community nearing the end of the academic year.
Campus ministry and social justice programming are active and year-round. The Jesuit tradition of service learning means that many students are engaged in community partnerships throughout the city, and the programming that surrounds this work, retreats, speaker series, service trips, and reflection communities, creates genuine touchpoints of community across the campus year.
How can parents support their University of San Francisco student’s mental health?
The USF Student Counseling Center provides individual therapy, group support, crisis services, and outreach programming for enrolled students. Contact and appointment information is available at usfca.edu/counseling.
San Francisco’s urban environment has characteristics that are worth discussing with your student before they arrive. The city is extraordinary and also genuinely intense. Visible homelessness and housing insecurity, particularly in the Tenderloin and Civic Center neighborhoods that students will pass through when accessing downtown, are persistent realities of San Francisco urban life. Students from suburban or rural environments sometimes find this aspect of the city emotionally difficult to process at first, and that difficulty is legitimate. Having a conversation about what they are likely to see, and how to hold it alongside the privilege of their own situation, is a form of preparation that serves students well.
The cost-of-living pressure that affects everyone in San Francisco affects USF students too. Students from families with limited financial resources can feel this particularly acutely when surrounded by peers from wealthier backgrounds and by a city where a dinner out costs real money. The Jesuit commitment to cura personalis means USF’s student services are oriented toward the whole student, but families should also maintain regular, honest communication about financial stress and how it is affecting their student.
If your student is in a wait for a counseling appointment or needs support outside of regular business hours, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (call or text 988) is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Student Health Services is available through usfca.edu/health.
Who do University of San Francisco parents contact? Essential numbers and websites for families
Verify all phone numbers and URLs at usfca.edu before using, as contact information is subject to change.
- Parent and Family Programs: usfca.edu/family
- Residence Life and Housing: usfca.edu/housing
- Financial Aid: usfca.edu/financialaid
- Student Counseling Center: usfca.edu/counseling
- Student Health Services: usfca.edu/health
- Campus Safety (non-emergency): usfca.edu/safety
- Registrar: usfca.edu/registrar
- Emergency: 911
- National Crisis Line: call or text 988
USF’s Academic Strengths
The School of Management is among USF’s most prominent programs, with genuine strength in entrepreneurship, marketing, and business analytics and a location that makes it difficult to overstate the employer access available to students.
Bay Area technology companies, venture capital firms, and the full constellation of the Silicon Valley and San Francisco startup ecosystem are within MUNI distance of campus. The School of Management’s alumni network in the Bay Area is active and professionally engaged in ways that matter practically to students in career development.
The School of Nursing and Health Professions benefits directly from USF’s location in one of the most important healthcare research and delivery environments in the country. The proximity of UCSF, one of the top academic medical centers in the world, along with CPMC, Zuckerberg San Francisco General, Kaiser Permanente, and other major Bay Area health systems, creates clinical placement and research pipeline opportunities that are genuinely exceptional for nursing and health professions students.
The School of Law occupies a distinctive place in Bay Area legal education. USF School of Law has a strong identity in public interest law, civil rights, immigration law, and international law, reflecting both the Jesuit mission and the particular social justice concerns that are central to San Francisco’s civic culture. For families with students considering law school, knowing that USF has a serious, active law school on the same campus is relevant both as an inspirational presence and as a practical resource for undergraduate students exploring legal careers.
The College of Arts and Sciences is the academic core of the university and houses programs in the social sciences, natural sciences, humanities, and the arts. The Data Science program is a growing strength, positioned to benefit from the Bay Area technology community in both curriculum design and employer relationships. Computer science and technology-adjacent programs benefit from the proximity of Silicon Valley in ways that are structural rather than incidental: guest lecturers, internship pipelines, and alumni networks that extend directly into the industry.
The School of Education prepares teachers and education leaders for careers in California and nationally. The Fromm Institute for Lifelong Learning, a continuing education program on the USF campus, is a distinctive and nationally recognized model that brings adult learners into the university community alongside traditional undergraduates. It is one of USF’s more unusual distinguishing features.
USF alumni in law, healthcare, technology, and the nonprofit and social justice sectors in the Bay Area constitute a genuine and active professional network. For students who engage seriously with their program and with the city during four years at USF, this network is accessible and real.
Getting Your Student’s Stuff Home Between Semesters
For families who flew to San Francisco and cannot drive a car full of belongings home, winter break and summer create the recurring logistical challenge of what to do with everything that does not fit in checked luggage.
San Francisco storage is not cheap, and coordinating a storage unit across the city from a dorm on a hilltop is genuinely difficult for a student without a car.
Storage Scholars specializes in student storage with pickup and delivery directly from the residence hall, so your student does not need to transport their belongings off campus to a storage facility. Worth knowing before the end of the first semester.
You Are a Dons Family Now
USF is a small, serious Jesuit university inside one of the most extraordinary cities in the world.
Your student is about to spend four years being challenged academically, asked to think carefully about their obligations to the common good, and given access to a city that will give back exactly as much as they bring to it. That is a considerable gift, even at a considerable price.
Your job from here is to stay connected without managing, to ask good questions without interrogating, and to trust that the transition, including the hard parts, is doing what it is supposed to do. The Jesuit tradition has been producing thoughtful, purposeful graduates for nearly 500 years. USF has been doing it in San Francisco for over 170.
Go Dons.
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Last updated: May 2026. Tuition, dates, and policies subject to change. Verify all time-sensitive information at usfca.edu and usfca.edu/family.
University of San Francisco academic calendar 2026-2027: dates families need
These are the dates worth putting in your own calendar now, while flights and hotel rooms are still reasonable. Every date below was verified against University of San Francisco official sources in July 2026.
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Fall classes begin | Tuesday, August 25, 2026 |
| Move-In Day | Wednesday, August 19, 2026 |
| Labor Day | Monday, September 7, 2026 |
| Fall break | October 19 and 20, 2026 |
| Thanksgiving break | November 26 and 27, 2026 |
| Last day of classes | Wednesday, December 9, 2026 |
| Final exams | December 11 to 17, 2026 |
| Fall commencement | Friday, December 18, 2026 |
| Spring Move-In Day | Thursday, January 21, 2027 |
| Spring classes begin | Monday, January 25, 2027 |
| Spring break | March 15 to 19, 2027 |
| Last day of classes | Thursday, May 13, 2027 |
| Final exams | May 15 to 20, 2027 |
| Commencement | May 20 to 22, 2027 |
USF dorms close and are inaccessible after the fall Move-Out Day, Saturday, December 19, 2026, unless a student signs up for winter housing. Belongings may stay unless the student is changing rooms. Halls reopen for spring Move-In Day, Thursday, January 21, 2027.
USF’s spring term starts late, so the winter closure runs about a month. A student staying in San Francisco over break must sign up for winter housing in advance. Note the Jesuit calendar puts MLK Day inside intersession, before spring classes begin.
Confirm current closure dates on the official housing calendar.
Universities do adjust these dates. Reconfirm on the official academic calendar before booking anything nonrefundable.
Where to stay near the University of San Francisco
Hotels near campus fill up fast on move-in and Family Weekend. This live map shows places to stay near the University of San Francisco with the Family Weekend dates already set. Drag the map or change the dates to fit your trip.
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What is University of San Francisco’s graduation rate?
University of San Francisco graduates 62.8% of students in four years; another 7.3 points finish within six. About 83.7% of first-year students return for sophomore year. Each bar is compared to the national average, marked by the vertical line.
13.8 pts above national
6.1 pts above national
2.7 pts above national
Here is how to read these numbers: the four-year and six-year rates show how many students finish on time and eventually, and retention shows how many return after the first year. Wherever your student lands, the habits that keep them on track matter most: a full, well-sequenced course load, an advisor meeting every term, and using campus support early. See why most students don’t graduate in four years and how to choose the right classes in the right order.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, most recent available data. National averages: NCES. Figures are for first-time, full-time bachelor’s-seeking students.
The college parent playbook for freshman year
Once you have picked the school, our 2026 Kindle book The College Parent Guide: Freshman Year walks you through the year ahead: what to say, when to step in, and when to hang back. Free companion toolkits and a school-specific packing list come with it.
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Free planning tools: College Cost Calculator · College Match Tool
What to Pack for University of San Francisco
Every dorm is different, but these are the items parents of University of San Francisco students buy most. Ship directly to campus and skip the trunk-stuffing stress.
Twin XL Bedding Set
Sheets, comforter, and pillowcases — buy before you arrive so the bed is ready day one.
Shower Caddy & Flip Flops
Shared bathrooms require these. Get a hanging caddy and waterproof sandals before move-in.
Surge Protector Power Strip
Most dorms allow 6-outlet surge protectors with USB ports. Check your school’s policy first.
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Shipping to campus? Students get 6 months of Amazon Prime for Young Adults free, then half price on the student’s own account. Here is how it works.
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