Vanderbilt University to open first West Coast campus in San Francisco

Vanderbilt expansion seen as long-term investment in SF recovery

Mayor Daniel Lurie announced that Vanderbilt University will open its first West Coast campus in San Francisco, calling the move a significant long-term investment in the city’s future.

San Francisco - SAN FRANCISCO - Vanderbilt University will open its first West Coast campus in San Francisco, a move city leaders are celebrating as a major academic and economic investment in the city’s recovery.

Mayor Daniel Lurie announced the deal Tuesday, saying Vanderbilt’s expansion reflects renewed confidence in San Francisco as a global center for education, innovation and culture.

"Vanderbilt’s decision sends a powerful message," Lurie said. "It says that San Francisco remains one of the world’s great places to live, to learn and to innovate. It says this city is still a place where new ideas are born, tested and created."

The new campus will be located in the city’s Design District, near Mission Bay and Potrero Hill, and is expected to open to students in the fall of 2027. University officials said it will eventually serve more than 1,000 full-time undergraduate and graduate students.

Vanderbilt acquired the California College of the Arts campus and agreed to support the art school as it winds down operations by the end of the 2026–2027 academic year. The site includes about 750 existing student housing units.

Vanderbilt Chancellor Daniel Diermeier said the decision came down to alignment with the city and the opportunity to be part of San Francisco’s future.

"The most important thing for us was whether there was a fit between the city and the university," Diermeier said. "Are we welcome by the community, and do we have the support from the mayor and his team and everything was wonderful. We knew that there were challenges, but we also want to be part of the solution."

City officials say the campus will anchor a neighborhood already home to major technology and AI companies and could provide a boost to nearby businesses.

"This is an area of San Francisco that has reinvented itself over time from an industrial production zone into a design district," said Supervisor Matt Dorsey.

Economic development expert John Boyd said improvements in public safety and quality of life are helping attract more investment to the city.

"This is very significant," Boyd said. "This is another benchmark of San Francisco's rebound, you have a number of recent high-profile economic development success stories."

The announcement came as a surprise to many California College of the Arts students, who said they learned of the acquisition through an email Tuesday morning. 

"I feel really sad," said Christine Ortiz, a CCA student. "My heart is with all the students who aren’t graduating this semester or the coming semesters. I’m also really thinking about the international students who have to figure out their housing, their career and their school."

Vanderbilt officials said the university plans to launch a fundraising campaign, preserve CCA’s archives and honor the school’s legacy, while incorporating arts education into the future campus.