ElderCollege at San Francisco State University

SF State sign with trees

People over 50 years of age are invited to participate in ElderCollege

The ElderCollege program gives people over 50 the opportunity to sit in any regular university course on a space-available basis with instructor approval.

Participation through ElderCollege is only for personal benefit and no official record of enrollment, attendance or grade is recorded on a student's transcript. This program is offered during fall and spring semesters. The cost of this program is $55 per semester. The registration code is CE 8900.

Note: The special ElderCollege fees apply only to SF State classes and are not applicable to College of Professional & Global Education courses.

Frequently Asked Questions

Students outside the Business building
  • ElderCollege students participate in courses without being officially enrolled or graded.
  • Regular class attendance and participation in class discussions is expected.
  • Taking exams and writing papers is not expected.

Go to the SF State Class Schedule online.

  • The class schedule contains times, locations and prerequisite information.
  • Find class descriptions by clicking on the course number.

The SF State Bulletin gives in depth descriptions of colleges, classes and departmental programs.

  • Some classes may have prerequisites. Check the SF State Bulletin and SF State Class Schedule, and ask the instructor if you are uncertain about whether the class is appropriate for you.
  • The ElderCollege program fee does not cover courses offered exclusively through the College of Professional & Global Education.

Once your enrollment is complete contact the OneCard Office at (415) 338-3619 or onecard@sfsu.edu.

How to Enroll

Student Center on a foggy winter day

Apply and enroll on the first day of class.

Fall: Late August
Spring: Late January

New Students

Create an SF State ID, Password and Email Address.

View the SF State class schedule and find the class you are interested in auditing.

If the class is online:

  • Find the instructor's email address using People Search
  • Send the instructor an email on the first day of class including:
    • The complete ElderCollege application (PDF), along with the letter of introduction from the CPaGE Dean.
    • A request to attend the class as an ElderCollege student. Be sure to communicate that your name will not appear on the class roster and that ElderCollege students are not graded.

If the class is in person:

  • Attend the first day of class
  • Present the instructor with the complete ElderCollege application (PDF), along with the letter of introduction from the CPaGE Dean.
  • Be sure to communicate that your name will not appear on the class roster and that ElderCollege students are not graded.

Your instructor will respond in one of three ways:

  • Approve your taking the class immediately and sign your application.
  • Ask you to wait until he or she knows how many matriculated SF State students need to be accommodated.
  • Tell you that there is no space available.

Email us your signed application form.

When we receive your form, we will place a $55 charge on your student account.

How to Pay

  1. Log on to your student record at SF State Gateway.
  2. Click on Academics, then on Access Student Center.
  3. In the center of your Student Center page in the “Finances” section you will see an Account Summary box with your current outstanding balance owed. If you recently enrolled but you do not yet show owing fees, click on the link Account Inquiry to calculate your fees. Once fees have calculated, return back to your Student Center to see your fees owed.
  4. Under the Account Summary box, click on the link Make a Payment and follow the prompts to pay by credit card or eCheck.

Important Information:

  • A non-refundable service fee of 2.75% for each credit/debit card transaction will be added to the total payment amount. Service fees are retained by the vendor and are not refundable. The cardholder will see two transactions on their statement, one for the university payment transaction and one for the service fee.
  • eCheck payments are free of any service fee.

As an ElderCollege student, you will not appear on the class roster. Therefore, you need to give your instructor your SF State email address and ask them to manually add you to the Canvas course.

Need Help?

Eduardo Cerpa, Paralegal Studies Program Specialist

Questions?

Call (415) 405-7700

Staff Contact

Program Specialist
Eduardo Cerpa
(415) 817-4244
ecerpa@sfsu.edu

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