Advising

Where do you go for academic advising? 

There are many advising resources available for students here at SF State depending on your major and any affiliations to special programs (i.e. Metro, EOP, and athletics).

First-Year Freshmen

First-year Freshmen are students who start their college experience for the first time without taking any college coursework after graduating from high school. Academic counselors in the Undergraduate Advising Center (UAC) will advise you until the end of your first spring semester.

Fall Admitted Freshmen will work with academic counselors in the UAC for their first Fall and Spring semesters, after which they will transition to their specific college resource center for advising based on their currently declared major—otherwise, undeclared majors will continue with the UAC until they declare their major.

Spring Admitted Freshmen will work with academic counselors in the UAC only for the Spring semester, after which they will transition to their specific college resource center for advising based on their currently declared major—otherwise, undeclared majors will continue with the UAC until they declare their major.

Continuing First-Year Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors & Seniors

You are declared in a major or pre-major and therefore seek advising services through the links provided below to identify your college center.

We have consolidated quick link resources to guide you to the Academic Advising Directory.

The Undergraduate Advising Center (UAC) is the home base for freshmen during their first year and undeclared students at SF State. While the UAC is entirely virtual due to COVID-19, our academic counselors are ready to support your path at SF State.

Services provided for: first-year freshmen and all undeclared students

Drop-in appointments are available for "quick questions" that can be answered in 15 minutes or less: general education, non-major graduation requirements, graduation check, First Year English and math, University policy, and procedures.

Scheduled Appointments are offered for topics that may require a little more time: choosing a major/major exploration, academic probation, students changing to undeclared, B.A. Special Major and returning undeclared students. 

Phone:  (415) 338-2101

Website: advising.sfsu.edu

Email: If you are a first-year freshman or undeclared student, you should contact your assigned counselor directly.  

Gator Smart Start partners with local high schools, incoming students, and current SF State Gators and SF State staff to ensure students excel in their English composition (writing) and quantitative reasoning (math) courses.

Services offered and provided: Advising support for local high school students, incoming freshmen taking Early Start, and continuing students completing their first-year English composition and quantitative reasoning coursework.

Informational support for staff members and faculty at local high schools and within SF State.

Phone: (415) 405-0435

Website: gatorsmartstart.sfsu.edu
 

Email: gatorsmartstart@sfsu.edu
Please email or call and leave a message to schedule a Zoom appointment. 

For over 50 years, the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) at SF State has improved access and retention of historically underserved (low income, first generation college) students by facilitating their matriculation into the university and by providing a support system for their success.

The Educational Opportunity & Pathway Programs (EOPP) provide comprehensive and holistic services designed to provide participants with outreach, admissions, academic, and financial support. Participants receive on-going advising, tutoring, peer mentoring, and developmental workshops designed to increase retention and graduation rates.

Services provided for: EOP students only — (California residents and eligible AB 540 students who meet the income eligibility index and are a first generation college student can apply for EOP).

Services offered: Advising, mentoring, tutoring, workshops and scholarships

Phone: (415) 338-1085

Website: eop.sfsu.edu
 

Email: eop@sfsu.edu
 

Location: SSB 201

The Metro College Success Program (Metro) is a two-year learning community of two courses each semester that share themes such as social justice, education equity, community health, or ethnic studies. Metro courses satisfy general education requirements for all majors at SF State, so you can go on to complete your bachelor’s degree in any major.Metro students receive individualized tutoring, advising and support. Metro students also develop strong academic skills. They learn to write and speak with confidence and power, master mathematical concepts, and think critically about real-world issues.

Adjusting to college can be challenging. Learning in a small, supportive community of students and faculty can help you thrive throughout your first two years and through to graduation. Metro’s goal is to help you graduate in a timely manner and gain the skills you need to succeed in college and find a meaningful career.

Services provided for: Any incoming first-year student (students can apply to Metro for either the fall or spring semesters of their freshman year)

Services offered: Small learning communities, dedicated instructors, one-on-one support from a dedicated academic advisor, tutoring

Themed Academies/Communities:

•     Business Academy
•     Education Academy
•     Ethnic Studies Academy
•     Health Academy
•     Liberal & Creative Arts Academy
•     STEM - Biology Academy
•     STEM - Engineering & Computer Science Academy

Phone: (415) 338-3034

Website: metro.sfsu.edu
 

Email: metro@sfsu.edu
 

Location: HSS 301

The mission of the Athletic Department at SFSU is to provide a broad based NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics program that fosters the physical, intellectual, social, and emotional development of student athletes.

Services provided for: SF State athletes

Services offered: Quiet study area, updated computer lab reserved specifically for student athletes, mandatory one-on-one general education advising, personal and/or career counseling, tutorial services (collaboration with campus tutorial offices), priority registration for current active athletes

Phone: (415) 338-3320
 

Website: www.sfstategators.com/sports/2008/8/31/academics.aspx
 

Location: GYM 2nd Floor

Faculty advisors are experts in a selected major and/or minor. They are professors and researchers with a detailed understanding of major requirements and connection to the field in which they teach.

Services provided for: prospective students and students declared in major or pre-major

Services offered: Major advising, probation, signatures for petitions and graduation applications

Major departments will list on the department website the faculty advisors and office hours for advising. Your department may assign you to an advisor or you can choose an advisor.

Website: faculty.sfsu.edu

The Lam Family College of Business at SF State is a leading institution of business education in the San Francisco Bay Area, with an emphasis on preparing students to succeed in an economy that is global in nature.

Contact information

Website: cob.sfsu.edu

Phone: 415. 338.1276

Email: cob@sfsu.edu

Highlights

• Graduate Business Programs, Downtown Campus

Resources

• Student Success Center
• Career Services and Professional Development Center
• Graduate Student Resources
• Academic Course Internships
• Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fellows Program
• Technology, Workspaces, Business Collaboration Lab

College of Ethnic Studies (COES) The College of Ethnic Studies was established in Fall 1969 through the efforts of dedicated students, faculty and community members and provides safe academic spaces for all to learn the histories, cultures and intellectual traditions of Native peoples and communities of color in the U.S. in the first-person and also practice theories of resistance and liberation to eliminate racism and other forms of oppression.

Contact information

Web: ethnicstudies.sfsu.edu

Phone: 415.338.1693

Email: ethnicst@sfsu.edu

Highlights

• James Akira Hirabayashi Person for All Seasons Scholarship
• D. Phillip McGee Memorial Scholarship
• Kenneth P. Monteiro–Associated Students Scholarship Endowment in Ethnic Studies
• Queer Ethnic Studies Graduate Student Scholarship
• Betty Parent Achievement Award
• Annetta and Gertie Jolivette Empowerment Scholarship Fund
• Edward Said Scholarship
• Jerry Wayne Varnado Ethnic Studies Scholarship Fund

Resource

• Student Engagement Center (SEC)

College of Science & Engineering (COSE) is home to more than 400 faculty and staff members, including 182 tenured and tenure-track faculty and more than 6,000 students in eight departments and one school. COSE also provides foundational education to students crossing the entirety of the University.

Contact information

Web: cose.sfsu.edu

Phone: 415.338.1571

Email: cose323@sfsu.edu

Highlights

• The Estuary & Ocean Science Center (EOS)
• The San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
• The Center for Science & Math Education
• The Center for Computing in Life Science
• The Institute for Geographic Information Science (IGISc)
• The Sierra Nevada Field Campus
• Annual Student Project Showcase

Resources

• The Student Success Center
• ARCS Scholarships
• Robert W. Maxwell Memorial Scholarships
• SF State Academic Works

College of Liberal & Creative Arts (LCA)

“We are the College of Ideas, and we engage ideas that feed the spirit, power the world and empower your success and growth.”

—Dean Andrew Harris, Ph.D.

Contact information

Web: lca.sfsu.edu

Phone: 415.338.1471

Email: clca@sfsu.edu

Highlights

• Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies
• Center for Greek Studies
• Center for Research Translation and Public Policy
• Design Gallery
• Documentary Film Institute
• Fine Arts Gallery
• Global Museum
• Paul K. Longmore Institute on Disability
• The Lab for Media and Community
• Morrison Chamber Music Center
• Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI)
• The Poetry Center
• Queer Cinema Project
• Veteran Documentary Corps

Resources

• Advising Resource Center (ARC)
• Institute for Civic and Community Engagement (ICCE)

At the College of Health & Social Sciences, students develop their ability to make a significant, meaningful impact on their communities and society. Through classroom learning and practical experience, they receive professional preparation in a variety of fields promoting health, well-being and quality of life.

Contact information

Web: chss.sfsu.edu

Phone: 415.338.3326

Email: chss@sfsu.edu

Highlights

• School of Nursing
• School of Public Affairs and Civic Engagement
• School of Social Work
• Clinical Laboratory Science Internship Training Program
• Center for Research & Education on Gender and Sexuality (CREGS)
• Health Equity Institute
• Marian Wright Edelman Institute
• The Pacific Leadership Institute

Resource

• Student Resource Center (SRC)

The Graduate College of Education is founded on the principles of equity and social justice and our programs across undergraduate through graduate levels are designed to prepare educator leaders to provide inclusive education for all learners with a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework.

Contact information

Web: gcoe.sfsu.edu

Phone: 415.405.3681

Email: gcoe@sfsu.edu

Highlights

• Alexandra Laboutin Bannon Scholarship
• Alpha Delta Kappa, SF Chapters
• Robert and Elizabeth Hemphill Scholarship
• Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences Scholarship
• The Cahill Learning Resources and Media Laboratory
• Early Childhood Special Education Conference
• Dia de la Familia
• Communicative Disorders Recognition Ceremony

Resource

• The Education Advising Community Hub (TEACH)