For students that opt for off-campus housing, they typically search for housing options that can be shared with at least one roommate. For a lot of students, renting houses and having up to four roommates is an affordable option for housing, as this cuts down the costs of living drastically in the San Francisco area.

Off-campus, there are a few neighborhoods/areas as well as complexes that are consistently popular choices for SFSU students. The most popular, arguably, is the Park Merced area, located less than a mile south of main campus. Within the Park Merced area, students can find several housing options, such as Park Merced apartments, which features luxury apartments with one to three-bedroom units available. In the Park Merced neighborhood, there is a shopping center that has a laundry-mat, an Enterprise Rent-a-Car, a coffee bar, a taqueria, a poke restaurant, and more. In their free time, students can hang out at Park Merced or relax by Lake Merced!

Another popular choice for SFSU students to seek off-campus housing is the Daly City area, which is located approximately two and a half miles south of campus. In the Daly City area, there are several apartment complexes that students can rent, such as Edgeview Terrance Apartments, Westlake Village Apartments, 88 Hillside Apartments, Brunswick Street Apartments, Hillside Courtyard Apartments, and La Terrazza Apartments. Within the Daly City area, students can shop at the Westlake Shopping center or even play a round of golf at the Lake Merced Golf Club!

Additionally, another neighborhood where students look for off-campus housing is the Outer Sunset district, located three miles northwest of campus. In the Outer Sunset district, students can find rooms or private homes for rent. Around the area, students can visit the San Francisco Zoo, go to Ocean Beach, or shop and eat at the local stores and restaurants in the area.

Dining

After a long day of classes, the surrounding area of SFSU has a variety of restaurants and eateries to satisfy any hunger cravings that you may have. Whether you want to have a steaming, hot bowl of udon noodles at Marugame Udon, a plate of fluffy soufflé pancakes at Gram Cafe and Pancakes, or a beautiful and delicate assortment of pastries at Tartine Bakery, there are several different options to take advantage of. In addition, you can hit up Pacific Catch for when you want a bite of fresh seafood or stop by Hall of Flame for a juicy burger, or Dumpling Kitchen for some chewy, delectable dumplings! You will find several more favorites in the area, such as Zazie San Francisco, San Tung, El Techo, and Cafe Rosso!

When the weekend hits or you want to grab drinks with some friends after class, there are a few different bars around campus to try! The Lister Bar, located in the Park Merced area slightly south of campus, is the perfect place to kick back with your friends. The bar has pool tables, ping pong, arcade games, beer pong contests, and live music! Another local favorite is the Pub at SFSU, a casual sports bar to hang out with friends, grub some delicious appetizers, and have a beer! Other favored spots include Wang Dae Bek, Tiki Haven, Underdogs Too, Beretta, and Pittsburgh’s Pub.

Transportation

San Francisco State University students use several different methods of transportation to travel to and from campus, including biking, riding the bus or train, and lastly driving. A campus that is dedicated to reducing traffic congestion and carbon emissions, SFSU highly encourages biking as a commute option. Because of this, there are several bike and scooter routes across campus, bicycle, and scooter parking areas, as well as special events and free repair sessions.

For commuter students, BART is available from the Daly City Station, as well as the six Muni Bus lines that serve campus. Lastly, for students who drive, there is parking available on campus (purchase of permit needed) as well as a Ride Match service that helps students find carpools based on where they live.

Parking

The San Francisco area is not known for having vast parking availability, and thus finding parking around campus without a permit can be a bit of a hassle. For this reason, other methods of transportation are encouraged, such as riding the train or bus. If students do own a car and wish to drive to school, a parking permit must be purchased to utilize the parking garages on campus. For students, permits are divided into two categories: campus resident permits and commuter student permits. Students in each category are designated to park in Lots 20 and 25 of the parking garages on campus. Daily parking permits are also available to purchase when needed.

Safety

San Francisco State University takes campus safety seriously and has several different services and programs to ensure the safety of all students, faculty, and staff. The University Police Department can assist students with a variety of issues ranging from handling police reports to defense training, to a safety escort program. Through the safety escort program, students can have an escort to walk with off-campus within a one-block radius between the hours of 4:30 pm to 8:30 am, Monday through Friday.

Shopping

For students of SFSU, shopping around the area is not a problem, as there are several different retail stores to splurge at. About a mile north of campus is Stonestown Galleria, a shopping mall with 100+ stores, including Apple, Express, Forever 21, GameStop, H&M, Lush, and more! Another place to shop at is the Westlake Shopping center, located in Daly City slightly south of campus. The shopping center includes several different stores, such as Burlington, Target, Ross Dress for Less, and DSW.