Drops and Refunds

Classes can be dropped by one of the following methods:

  • Online in your student center at SF State Gateway
  • By calling Student Services at (415) 405-7700

Students can drop a course online if it is not in the withdrawal period.
Drops cannot be requested through email.

Students are not automatically dropped for non-attendance.

For more information on drop deadlines and refunds, see Open University, and Calendar and Deadlines.

Students who miss the Drop Deadline for academic courses must officially withdraw from the course by following the guidelines on the Registrar's Office Dropping and Withdrawing page. (An academic course offers units rather than CEUs.) The effective date of a refund or withdrawal is the day the request is received by the College of Professional & Global Education. If you do not see the option in your Student Center to submit a withdrawal request and/or you are enrolled in one of the classes below, please fill out the Withdrawal Petition and email the completed form to sfsucel@sfsu.edu.

 

Classes Excluded from Student Center Withdrawal Process

Please use the Withdrawal Petition form.

Spring 2024

Spring 2024 classes excluded from the standard withdrawal procedure
Class Number Subject Catalog Section
9781 COUN 325 01Z
9828 MATH 124 01Z
9829 COMM 150 01Z
9953 BUS 300GW 19Z
9954 ACCT 100 11Z
9956 ECON 102 07Z
9957 ISYS 263 02Z
9958 BUS 450 03Z
9974 C J 200 06Z
9975 C J 435 04Z
9976 C J 330GW 07Z
9977 C J 530 01Z
9978 C J 230 09Z
9979 C J 300 09Z
9980 C J 400 03Z
9981 C J 501 02Z
9983 PSY 303 02Z
9984 PSY 463 01Z
9985 PSY 371 15Z
9986 PSY 330 02Z
9987 PSY 400 04Z
9988 PSY 472 01Z
9989 PSY 493 03Z
9990 PSY 461 02Z
9991 PSY 371 16Z
9992 C J 330GW 08Z
9993 C J 300 10Z
10011 COUN 325 02Z
10015 RRS 240 01Z
10034 S ED 899 03Z

The following tables apply to paid and unpaid tuition charges for either a refund or removal of charges. A $20 processing fee applies to all refunds of paid tuition charges for each class dropped.

If course is cancelled, the entire course fee will be refunded. Credit card convenience fees are not refundable.

To determine the add deadline, please review our Calendar and Deadlines information.

For Open University refund policies and procedures, see Open University Registration.

Refund checks are mailed to students approximately three to four weeks on average after the date the add/drop form is received by the College of Professional & Global Education. According to CSU regulations, credit card accounts cannot be credited.

Do not put a stop payment on a check or credit card charge to drop or withdraw from a course. This results in a financial obligation to SF State for the course fee, plus an additional $20 charge.

To find the refund code for your class, see the class schedule:

All Terms

Refund Codes
Refund Code Full Refund 75% Refund 60% Refund No Refund
CEL_SFDV Class dropped on or BEFORE the 31st calendar day from class start day Class dropped between the day before class start to the 30th calendar day from start day N/A Class dropped from class start date
CEL_SFDS Class dropped on or BEFORE the 31st calendar day from class start day Class dropped between the day before class start to the 30th calendar day from start day N/A Class dropped from class start date
CELALI16 100% before first day of instruction N/A Class dropped between first day of class and the 20th calendar day from start day Class dropped AFTER the 20th calendar day from start day
CELALI8 100% before first day of instruction N/A Class dropped between first day of class and the 10th calendar day from start day Class dropped AFTER the 10th calendar day from start day
CELALI4 100% before first day of instruction N/A N/A Class dropped on or beyond class start day
CELALI10 100% before first day of instruction N/A Class dropped between first day of class and the 12th calendar day from class start date Class dropped AFTER the 12th calendar day from class start day
CELALI5 100% before first day of instruction N/A Class dropped between first day of class and the 6th calendar day from class start date Class dropped AFTER the 6th calendar day from class start day
CEL_1 Before first day of instruction N/A N/A Class dropped on or beyond class start day
CEL_2 Last day to add N/A N/A Class dropped AFTER full refund deadline
CEL_1SUM Before first day of instruction N/A N/A Class dropped on or beyond class start day
CEL_2SUM Last day to add N/A N/A Class dropped AFTER full refund deadline
CEL_OU Last day to add N/A N/A Class dropped AFTER full refund deadline
CEL_OUS Last day to add N/A N/A Class dropped AFTER full refund deadline
CEL_ACSL Last day to add for Session 1 N/A N/A Class dropped AFTER full refund deadline
CEL_ACSU Last day to add for R4 Session N/A N/A Class dropped AFTER full refund deadline
CEL_WINT First Day of Winter Session N/A N/A Class dropped AFTER full refund deadline
CEL_R1 Last day to add for R1/R3 Session N/A N/A Class dropped AFTER full refund deadline
CEL_R2 Last day to add for R2 Session N/A N/A Class dropped AFTER full refund deadline
CEL_8A Varies depending on key dates N/A N/A Class dropped AFTER full refund deadline

Call (415) 405-7700

Transfer of fees is permitted for adding and dropping if the transaction is submitted in person on one add/drop form, or by phone to the College of Professional & Global Education by the Drop Deadline. (See Calendar and Deadlines for add/drop deadlines.)

If the amount of the added course exceeds the amount of the available refund for the dropped course(s), the non-refundable portion of the dropped course fees can be applied toward total fees due. These non-refundable fees are not included in any subsequent refund calculation. After the Drop Deadline, students must withdraw from courses which earn academic credit and there is no refund or transfer of fees.

Financial aid recipients are obligated to remain enrolled in and pass a certain number of units. Upon a financial aid recipient's withdrawal from school, SF State is required by the federal government to calculate, collect, and return a portion of federal financial aid grant or loan funds received by the student.

The calculated returned aid funds are credited to outstanding federal loan balances and grant programs received by the student. The student's portion of the calculated amount attributable to a Title IV loan program may be repaid by the student according to the loan's terms. The student's portion of unearned aid attributable to a grant is reduced to 50%. The student has 45 days to enter into repayment arrangement with SF State or with the U.S. Department of Education.

The portion of financial aid to be returned is determined by the percentage of financial aid not earned by the student. The percentage of unearned aid is calculated using the following formula:

Total Number of Calendar Days in the Semester Not Completed by the Student divided by Total Number of Calendar Days in the Semester

During the first 60% of the enrollment period a student "earns" Title IV funds in direct proportion to the length of time that he or she remains enrolled. A student who remains enrolled beyond the 60% point earns all aid for the period.

A student who withdraws from the University before the 60% period (approximately before the 10th week of classes) may be required to return all or a portion of the federal financial aid funds. The amount to be returned will be based on the formula stated above by calculating the financial aid funds that were used to pay the student's registration fees and campus housing obligations as well as the portion directly disbursed to the student.

Note: For a student who withdraws without notifying the University, the withdrawal date is the midpoint of the semester. College of Professional & Global Education students who withdraw/drop past the date for 100% refund are subject to financial charges based on college refund policies.

For subsidy students, refunds will be processed back to the subsidizing agency based on regular refund guidelines (see Calendar and Deadlines).

To be eligible for a full refund, a course must be dropped the business day (Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.) prior to the first class meeting, and according to all rules and regulations of the College of Professional & Global Education.

We cannot transfer funds from one course to another. Because payment is authorized by a third party, adds and drops must be separate transactions, handled strictly as described above. Adds and drops need to be approved by the subsidizing/contracting agency since each student's academic plan and course tuition is binding to the contract and/or subsidy agreement.

If a course is cancelled, a refund to the subsidizing agency will be processed automatically.

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