Newly Admitted Students
Congratulations!
You belong here. We are thrilled to welcome you to the Gator family! This step-by-step checklist below β 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 began Monday, June 8, 2026; check enrollment time in your Student Center. You may contact your graduate program for advice on which courses to enroll in for your first semester. The Fall 2026 class schedule is available here: https://webapps.sfsu.edu/public/classservices/classsearch
View important dates on the Registrarβs 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 2026 orientation will be offered on August 10-14.
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. 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 2026 Graduate Student Orientation Schedule
Monday, October 19
| EVENT HOST | EVENT TITLE DESCRIPTION | DATE & TIME | LOCATION | PROGRAM MATERIALS |
| Graduate Studies | Funding Your Graduate Journey at SFSU: A Sneak Peek into the Campus Resources & Funding Opportunities: Curious about how to fund your graduate education at SF State? Join us for a sneak peek at the campus resources and funding opportunities available to support you throughout your graduate journey. |
Monday, October, 19 11:00 a.m.β 12 p.m. PDT |
Zoom Link | |
| Elementary Education | Teaching the Children: Credentials and MA programs for future ECE and Elementary Teachers: Has working with children brought you joy, but maybe you never thought you'd be a school teacher? Time to explore this together! In this session, join Elementary Education Department Chair Dr. Maria Zavala and colleagues as we explain the credentialing process for becoming a PK3 or Elementary (multiple subjects) teacher. |
Monday, October, 19 4:00β 5:00 p.m. PDT |
Zoom Registration Link | |
| English | MA English Online Open House: Q & A with the Program Graduate Coordinators (for concentrations in Linguistics, TESOL, and Composition), 4 graduate certificates (Teaching of Composition, Teaching of Post-Secondary Reading, Computational Linguistics, and TESOL), and the BA-MA English SF Scholars program. |
Monday, October, 19 4:00β 5:00 p.m. PDT |
Zoon Link |
|
| Graduate Studies | Master Your Path: Graduate School Application Readiness: A workshop designed to help students confidently navigate the graduate school application process, from exploring programs and strengthening application materials to preparing for deadlines and next steps. |
Monday, October, 19 5:30β 6:30 p.m. PDT |
Zoom Registration Link |
Tuesday, October 20
| EVENT HOST | EVENT TITLE DESCRIPTION | DATE & TIME | LOCATION | PROGRAM MATERIALS |
| Graduate Studies |
Making SF State Your Next Chapter: Discover what makes SF State a unique place to learn, grow, and connect. Explore opportunities beyond the classroom and see what your next chapter at SF State could look like. |
Tuesday, October, 20 1:30β 2:30 p.m. PDT |
Zoom Link | |
| Chinese | M.A. Program in Chinese (w/Teaching Credential Pathway)--Overview and Q&A: Introduction to the Chinese M.A. Program with optional Teaching Credential Pathway including program history, admission requirements, course requirements, cost of attendance and teaching Credential pathways |
Tuesday, October, 20 5:30β 6:30 p.m. PDT |
Zoom Link | Program Flyer |
Wednesday, October 21
| EVENT HOST | EVENT TITLE DESCRIPTION | DATE & TIME | LOCATION | PROGRAM MATERIALS |
| Graduate Studies | Resume & CV for Graduate School Applications: Applying to graduate school? Wondering how to tailor your resume or CV for applications? Join an SFSU Career Counselor to learn how to highlight your academic achievements, research experience, leadership, and skills in ways that stand out to admissions committees. |
Wednesday, October, 21 6:30β 7:30 p.m. PDT |
Zoom Link |
Thursday, October 22
| EVENT HOST | EVENT TITLE DESCRIPTION | DATE & TIME | LOCATION | PROGRAM MATERIALS |
| Graduate Studies | Master Your Path: Graduate School Application Readiness: A workshop designed to help students confidently navigate the graduate school application process, from exploring programs and strengthening application materials to preparing for deadlines and next steps. |
Thursday, October, 22
12:30 β 1:30 p.m. PDT
|
Zoom Registration Link | |
| Graduate Studies | CareerEDGE: Is SFSU Grad School Right for Me? (Current/Alumni of SFSU) |
Thursday, October, 22
2:00 β 3:00 p.m. PDT
|
Zoom Registration Link | |
| Graduate Studies | SFSU Scholars Accelerated Program (Bachelors + Masters) Info Session: Please join us to learn more about the 4+1 program benefits and eligibility requirements. |
Thursday, October, 22
3:00 β 3:45 p.m. PDT
|
Zoom Registration Link | Program Website |
| Physical Therapy | Graduate Program in Physical Therapy Information Session: Please join us for an upcoming online or in-person informational session! Topics include an overview of the program and application process, plus more in-depth information on prerequisites and highly recommended courses. |
Thursday, October, 22
5:30 β 6:30 p.m. PDT
|
In Person
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Friday, October 23
| EVENT HOST | EVENT TITLE DESCRIPTION | DATE & TIME | LOCATION | PROGRAM MATERIALS |
| Graduate Studies | Mental Health and Conflict Resolution in Grad School: Join us in a discussion exploring expectations for graduate students and building positive habits to manage graduate school stressors. |
Friday, October, 23 10:30 a.m.β 11:30 a.m. PDT |
Zoom Link | |
| History | Master of Arts in History and SF State Scholars - Information Session for Prospective Students: Join us to learn all about the MA in History! We'll discuss the excitement of pursuing an advanced degree in history, including the many career options open to those with an MA. We will cover our admissions process, funding options for graduate school, course offerings, advising, and student life. In addition, we'll provide information for current SFSU History majors interested in the SF State Scholars Program, a pathway into the History MA. Our session is open to all. |
Friday, October, 23 12:30β 2 p.m. PDT |
Zoom Registration Link | Program Info Sheet |
| Graduate Studies | Cal State Apply Session: Please join us for help with navigating your application to Graduate school in Cal State Apply. We will be answering any questions you may have about the application requirements as well. |
Friday, October, 23 1β 2 p.m. PDT |
Zoom Registration Link | |
| Humanities & Comparative Literature | MA Research Panel in Humanities and Comparative Literature: Presentations of research interests and projects by our current MAs in Humanities and Comparative Literature, followed by Q/A about the MA programs. |
Friday, October, 23 3β 4 p.m. PDT |
Zoom Registration Link |
Future Events
| EVENT HOST | EVENT TITLE DESCRIPTION | DATE & TIME | LOCATION | PROGRAM MATERIALS |
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