Newly Admitted Students
Congratulations!
You belong here. We are thrilled to welcome you to the Gator family! This checklist will guide you through the next steps to start your future at SF State.
Accept your admission offer now! Accepting your admission offer will secure your place in the program, obtain an SF State e-mail address, and receive enrollment appointments to enroll in courses.
- Log into gateway.sfsu.edu. Under the LaunchPad, click on the Student Center button.
- Once in your Student Center, go to the Admissions section and under the My Applications box, click Accept or Decline and ACCEPT YOUR OFFER!
After accepting their admission offer, students will be automatically assigned an SF State email account. We will send detailed instructions regarding your SF State email account to your personal email address once it has been created. Once enrolled, you will receive critical reminders regarding class registration for the upcoming semester and other important information at that account.
You will also receive instructions for setting up two-factor authentication which will be required to access SF State information resources and helps protect your student account.
Registration for all newly admitted graduate students will begin on June 10, 2024 (check enrollment time in your Student Center)
Contact your academic program to see what courses to enroll in for your first semester. The Fall 2024 class schedule is available here: https://webapps.sfsu.edu/public/classservices/classsearch
View important dates on the Registrar’s Website. For more support join one of our upcoming End Registration Frustration workshops.
At the start of every semester, we host a New Graduate Student Orientation for all of our new incoming students. This is a general orientation in which we host a variety of different workshops designed with your success in mind. Fall 2024 orientation will be offered on a hybrid basis on August 12 to August 16. The orientation schedule is coming soon.
Your individual department may also be hosting an orientation session. This will be an event more specific to your studies, where you will get to meet members of your cohort/peers in your program and faculty.
We look forward to meeting you!
It is very important that you pay your tuition fees on time. Please review the Bursars website and mark your calendar for important due dates. Note that payment plans are available, and international funds can be sent using Flywire.
- How Financial Aid Works
- F-1 International Students Financial Assistance
- Receiving and Reviewing your Awards
- Disbursement of Aid
The first disbursement of financial aid will be one week before school starts. Subsequent disbursements occur once a week throughout the semester, and you will only receive a disbursement if there is any remaining aid needed to disburse for that semester.
Learn more on our Funding Your Education page.
Official electronic transcripts must be addressed to SF State Graduate Studies and sent directly from your institution to graddocs@sfsu.edu. Transcripts submitted as attachments directly from the student will be considered unofficial and will not meet official transcript requirements.
Please send official, sealed transcripts to:
Division of Graduate Studies
1600 Holloway Avenue
Administration 254
San Francisco, CA 94132
U.S.A
- Access your SFSU E-mail
- Get your student ID Card/OneCard
- Getting to campus
- Campus Map
- Take a virtual campus tour
Fall 2024 Graduate Student Orientation Schedule
|
SESSION |
DATE & TIME |
ZOOM or LOCATION DETAILS |
|
New Graduate Student Orientation Welcome: Congratulations on your acceptance to San Francisco State University! Your journey to an advanced degree begins now. The Division of Graduate Studies welcomes you to attend our Virtual New Student Orientation Welcome webinar. This is a great opportunity to gain an understanding of the higher expectations of graduate students, learn about campus resources, and meet the Dean of Division of Graduate Studies. |
Monday, August 12 4:00 - 5:00 PM Pacific |
|
|
International Graduate Studies - Fall 2024 Welcome to SF State! Welcome newly admitted students! You will learn about the SF State campus services & resources. |
Tuesday, August 13 10:00 - 11:00 AM Pacific |
|
|
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS): Taking care of your psychological well-being is important as you embark on your graduate student journey. Join this session to learn about services available through Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) and how to access them. |
Tuesday, August 13 11:00 - 11:30 AM Pacific |
|
|
SF State Scholars New Undergraduate Student Orientation Session: The Division of Graduate Studies welcomes our newly admitted Fall 2024 SF State Scholars students! In this session, we will review program policies and the transition process as a Scholars student. |
Tuesday, August 13 12:00 - 1:00 PM Pacific |
|
| Managing Your Time As A Graduate Student: Are you thinking about how to manage your responsibilities as a Graduate Student? No worries! In this session, we’ll explore different methods in managing your responsibilities inside and outside of Graduate School. We will cover tools for time management, ways to minimize burnout, self-care strategies, and campus resources to support you as a graduate student. Graduate Studies and I can’t wait to meet you all. |
Tuesday, August 13 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM Pacific |
Zoom Link |
|
Second Baccalaureate New Orientation Session: The Division of Graduate Studies welcomes our newly admitted Fall 2024 second baccalaureate students! In this session, we will review program policies. |
Tuesday, August 13 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM Pacific |
|
|
New Graduate Student Welcome Coffee meet & greet: Come meet graduate studies and the rest of your cohort for a coffee and pastries. |
Wednesday, August 14 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Pacific |
In Person ADM 250 |
|
Campus/Library and Global Museum Tour with our Graduate Student Ambassadors: Get acquainted with SF State! Come join our Graduate Student Ambassadors as they provide a tour of our beautiful SF State campus. |
Wednesday, August 14 11:00 AM - 1:30 PM Pacific |
In Person ADM 250 |
|
End Registration Frustration: Join us for a brief Zoom session to learn how to navigate course registration as a newly admitted student. We will cover SF State registration basics, how to choose courses using the bulletin, making payments in the Student Center, & more! |
Wednesday, August 14 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Pacific |
Registration not required. Click Zoom link to join. |
|
Get to Work with Career & Leadership Development (CLD): There’s so much more to your career than writing a resume. In this session, learn about all the services that Career and Leadership Development (CLD) has to offer. Don’t wait until the last minute to start thinking about your career. Check out CLD today! |
Thursday, August 15 11:00 AM- 12:00 PM Pacific |
|
|
Graduate Student Expectations: Congratulations on your admission! We look forward to supporting your pursuit of academic achievement and intellectual endeavor. As a graduate student, you are held to a higher academic standard. We encourage you to attend this webinar session to familiarize yourself with the academic policies, procedures, and resources available to graduate students. |
Thursday, August 15 12:00PM - 1:00 PM Pacific |
|
|
Academic Technology Student Resources: This session will help students help students prepare to work remotely and interact with their course content, classmates and instructors using remote modalities. |
Thursday, August 15 1:00PM - 1:45 PM Pacific |
|
|
Q&A with The Bursar’s Office: Join us for an information session followed by Q&A with the Bursar’s Office. This will be an opportunity to gain an understanding of the Finance section of your Student Center, learn about academic finances at SF State, and to ask questions directly to the Bursar’s Office. For information regarding the Payment deadlines, Refund Schedule and the Schedule of Tuition and Fees please visit: https://bursar.sfsu.edu/students/upcoming-academic-year |
Thursday, August 15 2:00PM - 3:00 PM Pacific |
|
|
Q&A with Office of Student Financial Aid: Office of Student Financial Aid answers frequently asked questions specific to post-baccalaureate students.
|
Thursday, August 15 3:00PM - 4:00 PM Pacific |
|
| Life in the US as a new student (for international students): Navigating life as a new student in the United States can be both exciting and daunting. Join us for an insightful workshop designed to help you thrive at SFSU. We will cover essential topics, including campus resources, academic support, building a network and cultural adaptation. Learn how to make the most of student services, connect with your peers, and find your way in a new environment. This presentation will provide practical tips and guidance to ensure a smooth transition and a successful academic journey at SFSU. Don't miss this opportunity to start your adventure on the right foot. |
Thursday, August 15 4:00 - 5:00 PM Pacific |
Zoom Link |
|
End Registration Frustration: Join us for a brief Zoom session to learn how to navigate course registration as a newly admitted student. We will cover SF State registration basics, how to choose courses using the bulletin, making payments in the Student Center, & more! |
Friday, August 16 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Pacific |
Registration not required. Click Zoom link to join. |
| Maintaining a Sense of Self in Graduate School: While life in graduate school is exciting and explorative, it can also become really intense and overwhelming. Especially under academic pressure, working multiple jobs, and all the responsibilities that come with being a grad student, it's easy to lose yourself in the process. This presentation will cover multiple tools for maintaining your sense of self during grad school including work-life balance strategies, advice for building community, and the significance of establishing who you are beyond academics. Ultimately, we hope to help you develop a healthy relationship to yourself as a grad student! |
Friday, August 16 11:00 AM - 12 PM Pacific |
Zoom Link |
|
OIP International Student Orientation: The Fall 2024 International Student Orientation is a community-building event tailored for incoming international and exchange students. Attendance is free of charge. |
Wednesday, August 21 (half-day in-person) & Thursday, August 22 (Virtual) Time TBD |
In-person Annex I virtual (Online synchronous) at Zoom |
Connect
I need help with...
- General SF State Questions
- Accessing my Student Center
- Submitting Official Transcripts
I need help with...
- Choosing my courses
- Understanding my conditional admission
- Other departmental inquiries
