The city approved the addition of a new year-long teacher-training program to his high school's curriculum, for girls who wanted to pursue a career in education.

When the California State Normal School was moved to San José in 1871, Girls' High became the only publicly-supported teacher-training institution.

[14] A group of teachers, students, and supporters pressured the California State Legislature to convert it into a state-funded institution.

[21] Ten days after the earthquake, President Burk found a new site for the school at a property bound by Laguna, Haight, Buchanan, and Hermann Streets.

[17][22] In 1921, the school began offering Bachelor's degree options and was renamed San Francisco State Teachers College.

The campus consisted of four Spanish Colonial Revival style buildings designed by George McDougall, a California state architect.

[26][21] By 1939, land near Lake Merced had been acquired to build a new campus, but plans were paused due to World War II.

Also in 1969, Richard Oakes led a group of SF State students in the occupation of Alcatraz Island[21] And a 763-bed, 15-story dorm building, Verducci Hall, was built near Lake Merced Boulevard.

The same day, Verducci Hall was imploded after it sustained damage from the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and sat vacant for a decade.

[33] In 2007, the Downtown Campus was opened at 835 Market Street, with nearly 47,000 square feet of classroom space in Westfield San Francisco Centre.

[41][42]In response to the College of Ethnic Studies being underfunded since 2008, four students held a ten-day hunger strike from May 2–11, 2016, resulting in one hospitalization.

[49] On September 23, 2020, SFSU faculty Rabab Abdulhadi and Tomomi Kinukawa hosted a discussion on Zoom titled "Whose Narratives?

[56] On April 6, 2023, former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines visited SFSU for a Turning Point USA student chapter event and spoke publicly about her campaign against transgender athletes in women's sports.

[60][59] In September, October, and November, students and staff held numerous demonstrations in response to the 2023 Israel–Hamas War, tuition increases, layoffs, and budget cuts.

[78] The shift to the current Lake Merced campus began during the Great Depression, when the site was still owned by Spring Valley Water Company.

Worth proved instrumental in securing the campus's future, successfully lobbying the state Legislature to fund the land purchase.

[87] The campus offers 35–40 different courses each summer through two programs: accredited classes through the College of Professional & Global Education, and non-credit workshops through the University Corporation.

An approved master plan and certified environmental impact statement are required before the university can begin significant construction projects at the campus.

[133] The College of Health and Social Sciences offers a DPT program in partnership with University of California, San Francisco.

The revived Experimental College, known as EXCO, allows students to create curriculums and teach one-unit courses about any topic.

[136] ElderCollege is a noncredit program provided by the College of Professional & Global Education that allows people aged 50 and older to sit in on courses on a space-available basis, with the approval of an instructor.

Mini courses consist of one to three class meetings and are offered six months per year: January, March, May, July, September, and December.

[158] The university does not use school rank, personal statements and essays, letters of recommendation, legacy status, or standardized test scores in the admissions process.

[182] Also Parkmerced, a planned neighborhood consisting of high-rise and low-rise apartments, is located immediately south of the university.

[195] Named after the university's fourth president, the J. Paul Leonard Library houses a collection that includes government documents, maps, sound and visual recordings, in addition to books.

[211][212] After Irwin served five years at Soledad State Prison in the 1950s for armed robbery, he wanted to create a program that provided educational support to people like him.

The Gators have also produced 13 National Football League players, including Billy Baird, Elmer Collett, Maury Duncan, Carl Kammerer, Douglas Parrish, and Floyd Peters.

SF State has produced three Major League Baseball players, two of whom became All-Stars (former Mets shortstop Bud Harrelson, and former Brewers and Red Sox outfielder Tommy Harper).

[270][271] In the early 20th century, collegiate sports at SFSU became more popular, creating a need for a team name, and the search for a mascot started in 1921.

[274][275] Students voted in favor of the name and the alligator choice was finalized in 1931,[272] but after numerous misspellings by the newspaper, use of "Golden Gator" stuck.