The University of San Francisco, the city's first university, was established by the Jesuits in October 1855. USF is known as the Jesuit university in the heart of San Francisco. Students choose USF for its small classes, its diverse community, its academic excellence, and its location in a city known worldwide for culture, energy, innovation, internships, and jobs. They graduate equipped and inspired to change the world for the better.

The University offers over 60 master's, doctoral, and credential programs that foster intellectual and professional growth for nurses, lawyers, teachers, activists, scientists, environmentalists, financial analysts, and more. Also, USF offers more than 40 undergraduate majors and 70 minors in the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Management, and School of Nursing and Health Professions. All five USF schools design rigorous curricula that equip students with market-ready skills, while providing professional opportunities to enable graduates to be successful leaders in their first career and beyond.

USF Main hilltop campus is perched in the center of San Francisco and is divided between two adjacent plots of Lone Mountain and lower campus. Spread across 55-acres, separated by Turk Street in San Francisco’s Inner Richmond neighborhood, the hilltop campus is home to five schools and a vibrant community of students inspired to change the world from here. The university’s additional campuses offer undergraduate and graduate programs designed for working students to advance existing careers, switch career paths completely, or simply acquire new professional skills.