Register for Winter Session 2026

Winter Session 2026: Academic Credit Classes

Attention Students: Some deadlines have changed. Please read carefully.

Holidays:
11/11: Veterans Day. Online registration and payment systems are open.
11/24–11/28: Fall recess (Thanksgiving holiday). Online registration and payment systems are open. No classes, campus closed 11/27–11/30.
12/24–1/1: Campus closed for winter break. Online registration and payment systems are open.
1/19: Martin Luther King Jr. Day. No classes.

Fees

$415 per unit

Fee Deferment

If you're a matriculated SFSU student, you may be able to use your spring financial aid to pay for Winter Session. You can request a fee deferment if you're eligible. See Winter Session Fee Deferment.

Fee Disclaimer

The CSU makes every effort to keep student costs low. However, fees may change without notice if public funding is not sufficient. This includes changes after fees are posted or paid. All listed fees should be considered estimates until instruction begins. Any changes will follow the Working Families Student Fee Transparency and Accountability Act.

Online Payment

Pay your fees through your student record in SFSU Gateway using a credit card or electronic checking/savings account. You’ll need your SFSU login. See Payment for details.

• Credit card payments include a nonrefundable 2.75% convenience fee. Accepted cards: MasterCard, American Express, Discover and Visa.
• Electronic checking/savings payments do not have a fee.

For help, contact the Bursar’s Office at (415) 338-1281.

Check or Money Order

If registering by mail, include your payment. You can also pay by check in person at:

• SFSU Bursar’s Office (Admin Building, 1st floor)
• One Stop Student Services
• SFSU Downtown Campus

Checks must not exceed your total course fees.

Returned payments (for any reason) will result in a financial obligation for the amount of the payment plus a $20 returned check fee.

If you don’t pay by your due date, you may be dropped from classes and still be responsible for fees based on the refund deadlines.

Fees are due as soon as you register. If payment isn’t received by the due date, you may be dropped for nonpayment. Drops for nonpayment do not run daily, so you're responsible for managing your schedule and dropping any classes by the 100% refund deadline to avoid charges.

Winter Session 2026 Payment Deadlines:

• Register between Oct. 31–Dec. 6: Payment due Dec. 7
• Register between Dec. 7–Jan. 2: Payment due Jan. 2
• Register between Jan. 2–Jan. 5: Payment due in 1 day

You don’t need to apply or submit transcripts to take Winter Session classes.

High school juniors and seniors can register with written approval from their principal or counselor. This must be submitted with the registration form and payment.

Some courses have prerequisites like test scores or special qualifications. It’s your responsibility to make sure you meet all requirements before enrolling.

You can earn up to 4 units during Winter Session due to the fast pace of classes.

If you want to take 5 or more units, you must submit a completed and approved Winter Exceed Maximum Units Petition to the College of Professional & Global Education at sfsucel@sfsu.edu.

After Jan. 5, you’ll need to submit a Late Add Petition with signatures from the instructor and department.

Important
We don’t recommend enrolling in a class after it starts without the instructor’s permission. If you enroll and pay after the start date without approval, and the instructor does not let you stay in the class, or you fall behind or decide not to continue, you’ll still be subject to the refund deadlines and policies in place when you drop.

Use SFSU Gateway to confirm your class schedule. Check after you register to make sure you're enrolled correctly, and again after you pay to confirm your payment was processed.

Grades

You’ll receive a letter grade (A–F) for academic credit courses unless you audit or choose credit/no credit (CR/NC). Some courses are letter grade only or CR/NC only. If CR/NC is optional, select your grading option in SFSU Gateway by the deadline listed in Important Dates. You can’t change your grading option after the deadline.

CEU courses are graded CR/NC and will appear on your transcript if you earn credit. Noncredit courses do not include grade reports or transcripts.

Grades are posted in SFSU Gateway. Availability dates are listed in Important Dates.

Audit

If you want to audit a course, you must register and pay the same fees as for-credit students. Instructors may ask you to take part in class activities. You can’t earn credit later for an audited class or repeat it for credit.

To request audit status, complete the audit request form, get the instructor’s signature and submit it to the College of Professional & Global Education by the deadline listed in Important Dates.

You can’t switch from audit to credit after the second week. Only students enrolled in academic credit courses may audit.

Incomplete

If you can’t finish a course on time due to serious reasons, you or your instructor can request an incomplete (I). You’ll have one year from the end of the course to complete the work.

If the incomplete is not resolved within that time, it will turn into a failing grade for academic unit courses. For CR/NC courses, the course will be removed from your record.

Transcripts

Official transcripts are available from the SFSU Registrar for $8 per copy. If you want your current semester grades included, be sure to select “Hold for Grades” when you make your request. Transcript availability dates are listed in Important Dates. Visit the Registrar's Office Transcripts page for instructions.

Unofficial transcripts and grades are available in your SFSU Gateway account after the semester ends.

Withdrawal

You can withdraw after the drop deadline and get a grade of W. Follow the steps on the Registrar’s Office page. Don’t stop payment to drop a course. This adds fees and won’t withdraw you. If you don’t officially withdraw, you’ll receive an F or WU.

Drop Deadlines

You can drop Winter Session classes online through Jan. 5. To drop by phone, call (415) 405-7700 by the class drop deadline.

After Jan. 5, you can no longer drop classes yourself. You’ll need to submit a withdrawal request through your student account. Follow the steps on the Registrar's Office Dropping and Withdrawing page.

Withdrawal

After the drop deadline, you can request a withdrawal from unit-earning courses through your Student Center account. If approved, you’ll receive a grade of W. Follow the steps on the Registrar's Office Dropping and Withdrawing page.

There are no refunds during the withdrawal period. If you don’t officially withdraw, you’ll receive a grade of F or WU.

If your course is canceled, you’ll receive a full refund automatically.

Refunds are typically mailed as checks about 3–4 weeks after the College of Professional & Global Education receives your add/drop form. Not attending a class does not drop you from it.

Important:

• Do not stop payment on a check or credit card to drop a class. This will result in a $20 fee and a financial obligation for the course.
• If you enroll in a Winter Session 1 class on or after January 2, 2025, your payment is due the next day. If you drop after enrolling and don’t pay, you’re still responsible for the fees based on the Refund Deadlines Table.
• If you enroll in a Noncredit Session class on or after the start date, payment is due immediately. If you drop but haven’t paid, you are still liable for the fees.

Unpaid charges may result in a Financial Hold, which will prevent you from enrolling in future classes or using other University services.

Transfer of Fees
You can transfer fees by swapping classes online during the Add/Drop period for each course. After the deadline, fee transfers are not allowed.

See Important Dates for deadlines.

Winter 2026 Refunds

See Third-Party Billing.

The College of Professional & Global Education reserves the right to cancel, postpone or combine classes, change course dates or times, or change instructors at any time.