California Institute of Integral Studies

Key Highlights

• Active WSCUC-accredited main campus with no related sponsoring entity
• Private nonprofit institution founded in 1968
• Specialized, predominantly graduate-oriented university
• Degree delivery includes fully online, hybrid, and San Francisco campus formats

Student Life & Environment

Student life at CIIS differs from the experience at a residential undergraduate college. The San Francisco campus is non-residential, and much of the university's community includes graduate students, working adults, commuters, online learners, and hybrid cohorts. CIIS does not provide university housing. Enrolled students instead receive access to internal community platforms where peers share housing opportunities, roommate searches, and sublets. Student Affairs also connects students with local resources involving housing, food, transportation, health insurance, and financial stability. Academic and personal support includes career development, health and wellness resources, disability services, and student-success programming. The university's community and belonging work emphasizes dialogue across backgrounds, anti-racism practice, and social engagement. Public programs, arts activities, events, and the university's community counseling centers provide additional points of contact beyond formal classes. Participation will naturally vary by delivery format, so an online student's experience may center more on cohort interaction and virtual programming than campus events. Career Services supports both students and alumni through workshops, resources, individual coaching, and advising. Some programs also build community engagement, field placement, clinical practice, or applied projects into their curricula. Prospective students should ask their chosen department how often its cohort meets, whether intensives require travel, what student organizations or events are accessible remotely, and what placement support is available for their particular professional goal.

Location & Surroundings

CIIS is headquartered at 1453 Mission Street in San Francisco's South of Market area. The setting places students near the city's arts, cultural, nonprofit, activist, health, and professional communities. The university presents the Bay Area as an extension of the classroom: some students work with local community groups, practitioners, artists, writers, or performers through coursework and applied learning. Its counseling centers and public programs also connect institutional activity with the wider region. The campus is accessible through the Bay Area's public-transportation network, and the surrounding area offers access to museums, public art, restaurants, festivals, and distinct neighborhoods. Regional parks, the bay, coastal areas, and redwood landscapes add outdoor options beyond the urban core. These location benefits are most relevant to on-campus and hybrid students; fully online students may have no requirement to visit San Francisco. Because CIIS is non-residential, students attending in person must arrange their own accommodation and budget independently for San Francisco living costs. Hybrid applicants should identify the location, duration, and frequency of every required intensive before estimating travel and lodging expenses.

Costs & Career Outcomes

For 2026–27, CIIS lists undergraduate tuition at $1,028 per unit, with a package price of $12,319 per semester for 12–18 units. Master's tuition is $1,449 per unit, and doctoral tuition is $1,674 per unit. Program-specific charges can apply to practicum, internship, examinations, dissertation work, and other requirements. Published institutional fees include registration, technology, student wellness, and student union charges. Tuition is subject to change, so students should build estimates from the required units and sequence for their specific degree rather than multiply a generic annual figure. CIIS offers institutional and federal aid to eligible undergraduate students, including grants, scholarships, and loans. Graduate aid may include loans, scholarships, fellowships, and assistantship opportunities. International students can seek institutional assistance, but federal-aid eligibility differs by status. CIIS also warns that federal graduate-loan rules change for new borrowers beginning July 1, 2026; affected students should request an individualized aid estimate rather than rely on older borrowing assumptions. A deferred-payment plan is available for a fee. Career preparation is closely tied to the chosen field. Counseling and clinical programs may involve practicum, internship, and jurisdiction-specific licensure planning, while research and interdisciplinary degrees can lead toward academia, advocacy, nonprofit work, policy, creative practice, health and wellness, or independent professional work. Career Services provides coaching, advising, workshops, and resources to students and alumni. CIIS does not publish sufficiently comparable current salary or placement data across all programs on the cited pages, so applicants should request program-level completion, licensure, and employment outcomes before borrowing.