Program Overview

San Francisco Discover Program

The San Francisco Discover program is an English language and culture program that utilizes the City of San Francisco as the classroom. The program combines language study at the San Francisco State University campus with excursions throughout the city's colorful and exciting neighborhoods.

Program Overview

As a student in the program, you will improve your English skills while learning how San Francisco has become a global center of entrepreneurship and innovation. You will have the opportunity to explore the arts, business, culture, and technology of the city as you practice your English skills with locals from a variety of backgrounds.

Program Highlights

• Experience the entrepreneurial and innovative nature of San Francisco
• Two- to four-week sessions, with no student visa required
• Improve your spoken English
• Offered multiple times per year

Program Details

What You Will Learn

• Learn how innovation and entrepreneurship influence life in San Francisco
• Gain useful conversation skills
• Visit unique San Francisco neighborhoods
• Practice English with your classmates and locals
• Explore the diverse industries of San Francisco
• Receive an unlimited transportation pass

Past Program Highlights

• A presentation and question-and-answer session with a manager from Facebook
• Touring local universities, such as the campus of UC Berkeley
• Touring a 3D printing facility
• Tasting delicious international cuisine
• Learning useful vocabulary to discuss arts, business, culture, and technology
• Experiencing San Francisco as a local

Program Structure

Cost and Length

• Cost: $1,535 - $2,995 (in-person)
• Length: 2 - 4 weeks
• When to Start: Winter, Spring, Summer

Age Requirement

You must be 18 years old and a high school graduate to join the San Francisco Discover program.

Visa Requirement

No visa is required for San Francisco Discover. The program is a part-time, non-credit program for people who wish to improve their English in the United States.

Location and Housing

Location

San Francisco Discover program classes will be held at the San Francisco State University campus. The SFSU campus is located in a quiet and safe neighborhood near the Pacific Ocean.

Housing

• SFSU on-campus housing is available for Summer A session only.
• Off-campus housing resources are available for Winter, Spring, and Summer B sessions.

Activities and Visits

In addition to improving your spoken English and learning about San Francisco in class, you will visit many unique and colorful San Francisco neighborhoods. You will also take a bay cruise on San Francisco Bay and under the Golden Gate Bridge. In the summer, you will see the San Francisco Giants play a baseball game in their beautiful stadium on San Francisco Bay. In the winter, you will see the champion Golden State Warriors play basketball.

Testimonials

• Marielle R. C¶co, Brazil: "Besides realizing my dream to know San Francisco, I was able to learn the history of the city and to improve my English. The teachers are great. They have a lot of teaching experience, and they help a lot when students have difficulties."
• Jen Hua You, Taiwan: "This program improved my English speaking and listening skills and gave me more chances to travel around San Francisco, including places that are not just tourist attractions."
• Gil Jae Lee, Korea: "Every week I had so much fun in the classroom and on field trips. The fact that the whole program was taken in San Francisco was just perfect."