Learn How to Get Around

The big picture

UCSF has many campuses. The School of Pharmacy has activities primarily at 3 campuses: Parnassus, Mission Bay, and Laurel Heights.

  • Parnassus: The Parnassus campus is located along Parnassus Avenue between San Francisco's Inner Sunset and Cole Valley neighborhoods just 3 blocks south of Golden Gate Park.
  • Mission Bay: The Mission Bay campus is located just 1 mile south of downtown San Francisco. First occupied in 2003, it's the newest campus at UCSF. It is close to AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants major league baseball team.
  • Laurel Heights: The Laurel Heights campus is located at California and Walnut Streets. It is 5 blocks south of the historic Presidio of San Francisco.

Reliable, free University shuttles help you get from campus to campus easily. More maps and locations: Maps.

How to find buildings

Buildings are typically referred to by letter code (e.g., the "S" in the room called "S1457") and also by building name (e.g., "Library 101"). Building names and letter codes are listed on campus maps found at Locations. Example: Parnassus Heights.

How to find rooms

If you need to find, say, Room S918, the letter code tells you that "S" stands for the Medical Sciences building. The first digit is usually (but not always) the floor number, so Room S918 is on the 9th floor of the Medical Sciences building. When you get to the right floor, you might need to wander around or ask someone where to go; signs to help you are not always available. Note that S1457 is a room on the 14th floor—use the first two digits instead of just one to determine the floor number. When in doubt, ask someone. More info: Classrooms by Room Number. Looking for Cole Hall, Toland Hall, or any conference room? See Maps.

How to find rest rooms

Campus toilets are not always easy to find. It’s easiest to just ask someone.

Public transportation

MUNI

San Francisco's public transit system is called Muni, which is comprised of buses, streetcars, light rail trains, and the city's famous cable cars. Muni buses 6 and 43 run on Parnassus. MUNI light rail line N-Judah runs on the Irving Street side of campus. See a Muni map. You can track Muni light rail trains at NextBus. You can buy Muni passes on campus—see Where to Buy Transit Passes. Certain Muni passes are also valid for BART trips entirely within San Francisco. How to ride.

BART

BART is a regional transit system using electric trains. BART doesn’t stop at any UCSF campuses, but you can use it in conjunction with MUNI. See a BART map. You can buy BART passes on campus—see Transit Pass Sales Locations at Parnassus and Transit Pass Sales Locations at Mission Bay.

More regional transit

If you live outside the city limits, you may need to rely on other regional transit services in addition to MUNI or BART.

Shuttles

UCSF maintains a fleet of shuttle buses to take UCSF students, faculty, and staff from one campus to another. There’s no charge, but you may be asked to show your UCSF ID card to ride. Consult the Shuttle Timetables, then wait at the designated shuttle stop. Signs notify you of temporary relocations of stops due to construction or other reasons.

Bicycles

Park bikes in designated parking areas only. For details, see Bicycle Parking. More bicycling information can be found at Bicycling, 511.org, and Google: San Francisco Bicycling. For bike routes, select the cycling icon after getting directions in Google Maps. Showers are available to members of our Fitness and Recreation Centers. More: Maps and Reference.

Cars and motorcycles

Car parking for students is extremely limited. To learn more, see Parnassus Campus Permit Parking. For questions about motorcycle parking on campus, contact Transportation Services.

Car-free

San Francisco has a wide variety of services which give you access to a car or truck without needing to own one. Examples: