The University of San Francisco has a new place to call home.

The 150-year-old, 9,600-student campus located in the North of Panhandle neighborhood has expanded to 101 Howard St., a historic building in the South of Market.

An estimated 350 students started attending the downtown campus Aug. 21, the start of the fall semester. On Friday, though, USF officials will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the official opening of the campus.

The historic 100,000-square-foot building, known as the Folger Coffee Company Building, will house the full-time and part-time Master of Business, Executive Master of Business, Master of Science in Financial Analysis and Master of Science in Organization Development programs, university spokeswoman Ann-Marie Devine said.

The building was purchased in August 2011 for $36 million in order to “reach a broader base of students,” USF officials said at the time.

The downtown campus will “reinforce the university’s existing business and civic ties, and underscores USF’s commitment to engage the city on a deeper, mutually beneficial level,” USF officials said in a written statement when the building was purchased. The location will allow USF to “provide new experiences for a variety of students and tailor educational opportunities to meet the changing needs of the City.”

USF will continue to offer more than 50 master programs at their main campus, according to Devine. The university also has campus branches in Sacramento, San Jose, Pleasanton and Santa Rosa.

akoskey@sfexaminer.com