The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the California Education Code afford “eligible students” certain rights with respect to their education records. Eligible students are those who are or have been in attendance at Golden Gate University. These rights include:

1. The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days of the date the university receives a request for access. A student should submit to the registrar, dean, head of the academic department, or other appropriate official, a written request that identifies the record(s) the student wishes to inspect. The school official will make arrangements for access and will notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. If the records are not maintained by the school official to whom the request was submitted, the official shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed. If the student cannot inspect the records at Golden Gate University’s San Francisco campus, copies of the records will be made available by regular mail at the cost of $0.25 per page, upon satisfactory proof of the student’s identity.
2. The right to request the amendment of a student’s education records that the student believes is inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights under FERPA. A student who wishes to ask the school to amend a record should write the school official responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record the student wants changed, and specify why it should be changed. If the University decides not to amend the record as requested, the University will notify the student in writing of the decision and the student’s right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the student when notified of the right to a hearing.
3. The right to provide written consent before the University discloses personally identifiable information (PII) from students’ education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent FERPA contains various exceptions to the general rule that the University should not disclose education records without seeking the prior written consent of the student. The following circumstances are representative of those in which education records may be disclosed without the student’s prior written consent:
   1. The University may release directory information upon request. Directory information is information that is not generally considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed. See Directory Information for more information.
   2. School officials who have a legitimate educational interest in a student’s education record may review it. A school official is a person employed by Golden Gate University in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research, or support staff position; a person serving on the board of trustees; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee. A school official also may include a volunteer or contractor outside the University who performs an institutional service or function for which the University would otherwise use its own employees and who is under the direct control of the University with respect to the use and maintenance of PII from education records, such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agency or a student volunteering to assist another school official in preforming his or her duties. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibilities for the University.
   3. The University discloses education records without consent to officials of another school, in which a student seeks or intends to enroll, upon request of officials at that other school.
   4. The University may inform persons including either parent(s) or guardian(s) when disclosure of the information is necessary to protect the health or safety of the student or other persons.
   5. The University must provide records in response to lawfully issued subpoenas, or as otherwise compelled by legal process.
4. The right to file a complaint with the US Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the University to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is:

Family Policy Compliance Office
US Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-5920

The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) defines “directory information” as the information contained in students’ education records that would not generally be considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed to third parties without the students’ written consent. Directory information can never include the following: social security number, birth date, gender, citizenship, race/ethnicity, grades or grade-point-average (GPA), or class schedule. The law requires institutions to give public notice to students of the categories of information it has designated as directory information.

Golden Gate University does not typically disclose students’ directory information to outside organizations or persons. However, the university has designated the following categories of student records as “directory information” and at its discretion may release this information to third parties without students’ written consent:

• Full legal names
• Chosen names
• Preferred pronouns
• Address
• Telephone number
• Email address
• Dates of attendance
• Enrollment status
• Program of study and concentration(s)
• Anticipated completion date
• Participation in officially recognized activities
• Awards
• Honors (including dean’s list)
• Degree(s) earned and date(s) conferred
• ID card photograph

As required by Section 99.37 of the FERPA regulations, this serves as annual public notice of which student records Golden Gate University classifies as “directory information.” Students have the right to withhold all “directory information,” but must notify the registrar in writing by completion and submission of the Request to Withhold Directory Information form. Once a withhold request is placed on a student’s record, it will remain in effect until and unless the student removes it by submission of a written request to the registrar.

Student Demographics

• Average age: 34

• International:
  • 12%
  • 47 countries represented
  • International students: 300+

• Gender:
  • Female: 49%
  • Male: 48%
  • Unknown: 3%

• Ethnicity:
  • American Indian or Alaskan: 1%
  • African American: 0%
  • Asian: 21%
  • Hispanic / Latino: 13%
  • Pacific Islander: 1%
  • Two or More Races: 2%
  • Unknown: 25%
  • White: 29%

Tuition costs vary based on program. Please visit our Tuition page or refer directly to your program of interest for details.

View the Net Price Calculator

View our Tuition Refund Policy & Requirements for Withdrawal

View Return of Federal Financial Aid Policy

Visit the GGU Bookstore

View all degrees & programs at GGU

With many classes offered online and a main campus in downtown San Francisco, Golden Gate University is committed to offering you flexible and convenient programs.

Online

GGU eLearning offers online courses that allow students to update their skills or earn degrees and certificates without ever setting foot on campus. eLearning also provides increased communication, storage for course documents, and supplemental course material for web-enhanced in-person courses.

San Francisco

The GGU San Francisco campus is located in the heart of the city’s downtown financial district, and is easily accessible by public transportation. GGU libraries, legal clinics and centers, computer lab, student and alumni lounges and service offices are located here.

Campus Address:

536 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
415-442-7000

Undergraduate Faculty

Graduate Faculty

Transfer of Credits

Students who have completed graduate work at another institution may be admitted with up to 6 units of Advanced Program (300-400-level) credit when courses submitted for transfer credit meet all of the following criteria.

Criteria

• They are taken at the graduate level.
• They are applicable to the student’s GGU degree objective.
• They are taken at a regionally accredited institution with admission requirements comparable to those of GGU.
• They are approved by the appropriate faculty member.

The following guidelines on graduate transfer credit should also be noted:

• Courses completed with grades of B or better by students in graduate status are acceptable. (Courses with grades of B- are not acceptable for transfer).
• The transcript shows that graduate units were given. (The units must not have been used toward completion of a bachelor’s degree.)
• Cooperative education units earned may be transferred with faculty approval.
• Professional Military Education (PME) or training courses evaluated by the American Council on Education (ACE) may qualify for transfer credit. In considering the ACE recommendation, the university determines what level and amount of credit to accept.
• Courses taken by correspondence are not acceptable for advanced program graduate transfer credit.

Additional Master’s Degree

• Applicants to master’s programs who have earned master’s degrees from other regionally accredited institutions may transfer-in up to 12 units of prior coursework to GGU and have it applied toward their GGU master’s degree programs, with the approval of their program directors or deans. However, the requirements for the GGU program, including academic residency, must still be satisfied.
• Applicants to master’s programs who have earned master’s degrees from GGU may have up to 12 units of coursework waived from each additional program, with the approval of their deans. However, the requirements for subsequent programs, including academic residency, must still be satisfied.

International Transfers
Official academic documents are required to perform a full review of student’s transferability of credits. All official documents including academic transcripts must be received on or before the first day of instruction for student’s first term at GGU. To determine what official documents are required after being admitted to GGU, please visit GGU4You or contact an Enrollment Counselor. Eligibility to transfer academic credits from other institutions is dependent on a number of factors.

Course Articulation

View the Course Articulation tool

View Accreditation Information

Copyright Infringement Policy
Unauthorized distribution (downloading or uploading) of copyrighted material over the Internet, including peer-to-peer file sharing, is considered copyright infringement. Copyrighted material that may not be shared without authorization includes recorded music (often in the form of MP3 or MP4 files), movies, television shows, digital books, or magazines. Copyright infringement may subject a student to civil and criminal liabilities.

Summary of Civil and Criminal Penalties for Violation of Federal Copyright Laws
Copyright infringement is the act of exercising, without permission or legal authority, one or more of the exclusive rights granted to the copyright owner under section 106 of the Copyright Act (Title 17 of the United States Code). These rights include the right to reproduce or distribute a copyrighted work. In the file-sharing context, downloading or uploading substantial parts of a copyrighted work without authority constitutes an infringement.

Penalties for copyright infringement include civil and criminal penalties. In general, anyone found liable for civil copyright infringement may be ordered to pay either actual damages or “statutory” damages affixed at not less than $750 and not more than $30,000 per work infringed.

For “willful” infringement, a court may award up to $150,000 per work infringed. A court can, in its discretion, also assess costs and attorneys’ fees. For details, see Title 17, United States Code, Sections 504, 505.

Willful copyright infringement can also result in criminal penalties, including imprisonment of up to five years and fines of up to $250,000 per offense.

For more information, please see the Web site of the U.S. Copyright Office at www.copyright.gov, especially their FAQ’s at www.copyright.gov/help/faq.

Institutional Penalties for Copyright Infringement
Students who use the university’s network to engage in unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material are in violation of the student code of conduct and will be disciplined accordingly.

Legal Alternatives for Acquiring Copyrighted Material
A fairly exhaustive list of web sites from which you may legally obtain copyrighted material is published by EDUCASE.

Explore our Student Services page for more information.

Explore our Career Services page for more information.

Explore our Financial Aid page or reach out to the Financial Aid Office for more information.

School 3-Year Default Rate FY 2020, 2019, and 2018

OPEID: 001205

Name: Golden Gate University

Address: 536 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94105-2967

Type: Master’s Degree or Doctor’s Degree

Control: Private, Nonprofit

Program: None

Visit the Federal Student Aid website for more information.

University Office of Financial Aid Employees:

• Do not receive anything of value from any lending institution, servicer or guarantee agency in exchange for an advantage sought by the lending institution, servicer or guarantee agency.
• Do not accept anything, of more than nominal value, from any lending institution, servicer or guarantee agency.
• Do not receive anything of value for serving on advisory boards of any lending institution, servicer or guarantee agency.

The Golden Gate University Office of Financial Aid hires its own employees and not employees of lenders, servicers or guarantee agencies in staffing the office.

GGU currently requires employees and students to be fully vaccinated, including a booster for the COVID-19 virus before entering the San Francisco building. Otherwise, GGU does not require its students to be vaccinated. However, we do encourage them to take responsibility for their wellness and to avail themselves of the information provided by the San Francisco Department of Health regarding immunizations and other services, some of which are available for free or at a low cost. Please visit the Communicable Disease Control and Prevention website for more information.

Visit our Campus Safety page for more information.

View the Street Smarts Annual Security Report for more information.

The Grade Grievance process is for students who feel that their final grade in a course was incorrect for one (or more) of the following reasons:

• The instructor deviated from written grading policies outlined in the course syllabus;
• The mathematical means by which a final course grade was calculated was not consistent with policies outlined in the course syllabus (including factual and calculation errors);
• Deviation from University policies pertaining to grading;
• The final course grade was influenced by factors other than published criteria (i.e. the decision was discriminatory);
• Factual errors or errors in judgment regarding the academic quality of a student’s work; and/or,
• An academic sanction for academic dishonesty was unfair, improper or unwarranted.

The General Student Grievance process can be used when you feel that you have not been treated fairly or you have a complaint about a decision that was made (there are several exceptions where this procedure is not used because there is another process in place already).

The Discrimination and Harassment, Sexual Harassment, Title IX Policy policy and process would come into place if you believe that you have been discriminated against due to a number of reasons, including your race, color, national origin, ancestry, gender, marital status, religion and/or age.

If you believe that a fellow student may have violated the student Code of Conduct, you should report that to the dean of students at deanofstudents@ggu.edu.

If you are aware of a student who has violated our Academic Integrity Policy, please contact your faculty member or dean. If you are unsure who to reach out to, please contact the dean of students at deanofstudents@ggu.edu. You may also submit information via the Allegation of Academic Dishonesty form.

General Questions

Business Schools (Tax, Accounting, Ageno, and Undergraduate)
Patricia Ann Haney
Interim Dean of Students
415-442-7885
deanofstudents@ggu.edu

Additional Resources

If you feel you are unable to resolve the complaint through informal and formal steps taken within GGU, you may choose to contact the oversight agency below depending on the physical location you are attending.  Some states do not require students residing in their respective states while taking online classes at GGU to attempt resolution of a complaint at the university level. You should contact the appropriate resource in the state in which you reside.

WASC Senior College and University Commission (Accrediting Agency)
View Website

California
An individual may contact the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education for review of a complaint. The bureau may be contacted at:

Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE)
Address: 1747 N. Market Blvd., Suite 225, Sacramento, CA 95834
Telephone: 888-370-7589 / 916-574-8900
Fax: 916-263-1897
Submit a Complaint
View Website

Connecticut
Emily Bjornberg
Senior Consultant
Academic Affairs
Connecticut Office of Higher Education
450 Columbus Blvd, Suite 707
Hartford, CT 06103
Telephone: 860-575-1127 (cell); 860-947-1824 (office)
Email: Emily.Bjornberg@ct.gov

Oregon
Higher Education Coordinating Commission
ATTN: Complaints-ODA
3225 25th St. SE
Salem, OR 97302
Email: complaints@hecc.oregon.gov
View Website

Utah
Utah Division of Consumer Protection
PO BOX 146704
Salt Lake City, UT  84117-6704
Telephone: (801) 530-6601
Email: consumerprotection@utah.gov
View Website
Submit a Complaint

Washington
The Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC) has authority to investigate student complaints against specific schools. WSAC may not be able to investigate every student complaint. Visit the WSAC website for information regarding the WSAC complaint process.

Washington Student Achievement Council
917 Lakeridge Way SW
Olympia, WA 98502
Email: complaints@wsac.wa.gov
View Website