Policies and Deadlines

Summer 2026 
From: Dean Andreana Clay and Associate Dean John Elia 

Welcome to the College of Health & Social Sciences, 

This section is to inform you of the College and University policies that may affect you. Knowledge of these deadlines and policies (viewed on the Bulletin) will help you to navigate the bureaucracy of the University while helping you succeed and graduate in a timely manner. Policies can be intimidating sometimes, but they ensure an equitable, consistent and reliable process for each student. 

Please review this information for more detail on these policies. Approval of a petition from the instructor and/or Department Chair does not constitute automatic approval from the Associate Dean. If you have any questions about how these policies specifically apply to your situation, please contact the Associate Dean’s Office at assocdean@sfsu.edu or call (415) 405-3533. 

This information is subject to change.

University & College Policies & Procedures

Syllabi are to incorporate the Academic Senate Policy and University Bulletin regarding finals week, deadlines or withdrawals, late adds, CR/NC option and information related to course registration and Disability Programs and Resource Center. A sample listing of the required policies is shown below:

The last day to drop a class without a ‘W’ grade will depend on your summer session: 

R1|R4: Friday, June 12, 2026 

R2: Friday, June 26, 2026 

R3: Friday, July 17, 2026 

Note: Prorated refund schedule may apply even when dropping by the drop deadline. For refund or financial impact questions, click here to review the Bursar’s Refund Guidelines or contact the Bursar’s Office at (415) 338-1281. 

In compliance with Academic Senate policy #S20-196, students have the right to initiate a course(s) withdrawal during one of the deadlines outlined below. A maximum of 18 units can be withdrawn, and a course can only be repeated once after receiving a failing grade. 

Although instructors are encouraged (not required) to drop students by the faculty drop deadline shown below (either for not attending the first class meeting, not participating in the course during the first three weeks, and/or not meeting course criteria), dropping a course is ultimately the student’s responsibility at SF State (SF State Bulletin and #S20-196). However, if extenuating circumstances caused you to miss a deadline, please consult with your instructor or the Department Chair. 

Per Academic Senate policy #S20-196, faculty are strongly encouraged to define course participation required during the drop period in the course syllabus and to instructor-drop all students who do not participate as required before the end of the faculty drop periods below: 

R1 | R4: Tuesday, June 9, 2026 

R2: Tuesday, June 23, 2026 

R3: Tuesday, July 14, 2026 

Courses that are primarily or exclusively taught using an asynchronous online learning mode during the drop period are required to have at least one activity that captures participation due during the drop period. Students who do not complete these initial activities may be instructor-dropped for non-attendance. 

Important note: Withdrawing from a course does not release students from any financial obligation owed for fees, tuition or financial aid. Before submitting a request for withdrawal, please contact the Financial Aid Office at finaid@sfsu.edu or (415) 338-7000 or the Bursar’s Office at (415) 338-1281 to fully understand any potential financial implications before withdrawing. 

Deadline 1: Withdrawal from Classes or University for Serious and Compelling Reasons  

R1: Saturday, June 13, 2026 – Wednesday, June 24, 2026 

R2: Saturday, June 27, 2026 – Friday, July 24, 2026 

R3: Saturday, July 18, 2026 – Thursday, July 30, 2026 

R4: Saturday, June 13, 2026 – Tuesday, July 21, 2026

During the first withdrawal period, “withdrawal from a course will be permissible, for serious and compelling reasons, as defined and specified by the student” (#S20-196) and will require the approval of the instructor and department chair/program director. Documentation is not required at this time. The student will receive a ‘W’ grade if the withdrawal is approved.   

To withdraw from a course, students may initiate a withdrawal request on their Student Center/Gateway. Instructions and more information can be found at https://registrar.sfsu.edu/request-withdraw and https://registrar.sfsu.edu/withdrawal.  

Students wishing to withdraw from all their courses for the current semester during the first withdrawal period should complete the process outlined in the link above for all courses enrolled and then submit an appeal to exclude the “W” grades from the 18-unit withdrawal limit. To submit the appeal, email a brief statement (include full name, SID, contact info, and justification for the request) to the Registrar’s Office records@sfsu.edu and attach supporting documentation.  

Deadline 2: Withdrawal from Classes or University by Exception for Documented Serious and Compelling Reasons  

R1: Thursday, June 25, 2026 – Thursday, July 2, 2026 

R2: Saturday, July 25, 2026 – Friday, August 7, 2026 

R3: Friday, July 31, 2026 – Friday, August 7, 2026 

R4: Wednesday, July 22, 2026 – Friday, August 7, 2026 

During the second withdrawal period, “withdrawals shall not be permitted except in cases, such as accident or serious illness, where the cause of withdrawal is due to circumstances clearly beyond the student’s control and the assignment of an Incomplete is not practicable. Withdrawals of this sort may involve total withdrawal from the university or may involve only withdrawal from one or more courses, except that course grade and credit or an Incomplete may be assigned for courses in which sufficient work has been completed to permit an evaluation to be made.” (#S20-196).  

Requests to withdraw during this time must also be approved by the Dean of Division of Undergraduate Education and Academic Planning and students must attach supporting documentation. The student will receive a ‘WM’ grade if the withdrawal is approved and this will not count towards the 18-unit maximum for withdrawals (shows as ‘W’ on transcript). 

The student may appeal withdrawal decisions by the last day of finals. Contact the Registrar’s at records@sfsu.edu or (415) 338-2350 for more information. 

For a complete reading of the Senate policy, please refer to this page.

Students who wish to request for a withdrawal from a course taken in a previous semester must follow the instructions outlined on the Registrar’s website to request an appeal of the deadline to submit a request for withdrawal at https://registrar.sfsu.edu/withdrawal. The request must include a signed appeal form (including signatures or email approvals from instructor and department chair/program director), a brief statement, and supporting documentation. Students should submit all materials to the Registrar’s Office at records@sfsu.edu or by fax at (415) 338-0588. Please note that requests submitted without proper documentation cannot be reviewed and will be returned or denied. 

Please check the course description in the Bulletin and consult with your major advisor to determine if the class can be taken for CR/NC as some major requirements require letter grade only. If CR/NC is permitted, then you may change your grading option via your SF State Gateway (instructions here) by the deadline associated with your session*: 

R1: Thursday, June 25, 2026 

R2 | R3 | R4: Friday, July 31, 2026

Please visit the Registrar site for the most accurate dates/deadlines. Senate policy S23-305 states that letter grades are not convertible to CR/NC and CR/NC grades are not convertible to letter grades and a grade change is possible only in the case of a declared administrative error. The Associate Dean will not approve requests for changes if you miss this deadline so please be mindful of this and consult with your instructor or major advisor if you are considering changing the grading option prior to the deadline. 

The period to add classes via permission numbers will depend on your summer session: 

R1 | R4: Tuesday, June 9, 2026 - Friday, June 12, 2026 

R2: Tuesday, June 23, 2026 - Friday, June 26, 2026 

R3: Tuesday, July 14, 2026 - Friday, July 17, 2026 

To late add a class, please obtain a permission number from your instructor and add the class via your SF State Gateway during the periods listed above. Faculty can give you access to Canvas, but faculty cannot add you into a class, so please make sure you properly enroll via Gateway. 

Important note: Students do not need to officially add a class in which they currently have an “I” or Incomplete in (unless they want to retake this class with a different instructor). Please consult with your original instructor or an advisor if you have questions. 

If the period to late add passes, a Waiver of College Regulations Petition must be submitted. This petition must be signed by the student, instructor, and department chair/program director (college dean signature no longer required). The completed petition should be emailed to assocdean@sfsu.edu and we will forward your petition to the Registrar’s Office. 

You can find instructions on how to add, drop, swap, change grading option and withdraw on the Registrar site.

Always check your registration on your SF State Gateway after making any changes and before deadlines to ensure you are registered properly for your classes. It is always your responsibility to ensure your schedule is correct, even if the instructor indicates they will drop you. All deadlines will be strictly adhered to by the instructor, the Department Chair, and the CHSS Associate Dean.   

Summer finals period will be determined by your instructor. 

For matters to be handled in a timely manner, it is important to follow the proper channels by first connecting with the instructor or department involved. If you are uncertain of what steps to take, you can also contact the Associate Dean’s Office for a consultation prior to taking action as we are here to support your success. If the issue has not been resolved at the department level, please contact the Associate Dean’s Office by emailing assocdean@sfsu.edu or calling (415) 405-3533. 

For some tips on how to communicate to faculty and staff, please visit the Office of Student Conduct’s webpage. More information can also be found here. 

Disability access 

Students with disabilities who need reasonable accommodations are encouraged to contact the instructor. The Disability Programs and Resource Center (DPRC) is available to facilitate the reasonable accommodations process. The DPRC is located in the Student Services Building and can be reached by telephone (audio at 415-338-2472, video at 415-335-7210), or by email at dprc@sfsu.edu.

Student disclosures of sexual violence 

SF State fosters a campus free of sexual violence including sexual harassment, domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, and/or any form of sex or gender discrimination. If you disclose a personal experience as an SF State student, the course instructor is required to notify the Title IX Coordinator by completing the report form available at http://titleix.sfsu.edu, emailing ocrtitleix@sfsu.edu or calling (415) 338-3892. To disclose any such violence confidentially, contact: 

For more information on your rights and available resources: http://titleix.sfsu.edu 

Counseling and Mental Health Services 

Counseling provides an opportunity for students to explore personal problems or concerns in a brief treatment model. Students come to CAPS for reasons as varied as the people themselves; personal problems involving relations with parents or peers, emotional or social difficulties, relationship conflicts, anxiety or depression, sexuality and orientation, concerns about academic progress or direction, and other issues.  Appointments can be made in person at the Student Services Building Rm 205 and/or calling (415) 338-2208. https://psyservs.sfsu.edu/ 

Undergraduate Advising Center (ADM 211)

Provides academic advising and support to ALL undergraduate students. For more information, visit: https://advising.sfsu.edu/.   

CHSS Department Advising

For more information on department advising, visit: https://chss.sfsu.edu/advising to learn more about how to contact a major advisor in your department. 

Other Resources

For other resources to support student success such as tutoring, career and leadership development, library, and basic needs, visit: https://www.sfsu.edu/student-success.html to learn more. 

Academic Honesty & Integrity

Academic integrity, the ethical presentation of one's own work in accordance with the rules established for the class, is required. Instances of academic misconduct will be reported to the College in which the course is housed, the Division of Graduate Studies (if a graduate student), and the Office of Student Conduct with the report being kept in those offices until a student earns his/her degree. Any instances of cheating, deceit, fabrication, forgery, plagiarism, unauthorized altering of records or submitting false documents, unauthorized collaboration, unauthorized submission of work previously given credit, or other forms of academic misconduct will be assigned a grade penalty, likely an F or a grade of zero. Failing one or more assignments or examinations for reasons of academic integrity violations may result in a final class grade of F. Students may not withdraw from classes in which they have committed academic misconduct. Consequences for violations of academic integrity may exceed an F on the assignment, examination, or class as determined by the Academic Integrity Review Committee (#F24-298). 

In addition to attending to one's own actions, the Standards for Student Conduct require that students who witness academic dishonesty notify their faculty/ instructor, department chair, or the Office of Student Conduct. Supporting academic integrity enhances the reputation of the University and the value attributed to degrees awarded by the University (#F24-298). 

Students may not post or use the recordings in any form (e.g., audio transcript, chat transcript, screen shots) in any other setting (e.g., social media) outside of the class, for any purpose. Students who violate this will be subject to student discipline, up to and including expulsion (#S23-264).   

Students are not allowed to capture audio, photos, or video from class sessions on their own devices without explicit permission from the instructor or unless specifically requested by DPRC. Recordings cannot be shared by students without explicit consent of the faculty member and anyone present (#S23-264). 

Forms

See the following policies and forms regarding petitions.

Contact the Associate Dean’s Office

Inquiries related to petitions, University and College policies and procedures, registration issues, grades, grade appeals and grievances should be directed to:

CHSS Associate Dean's Office
Office: HSS 239
Email: assocdean@sfsu.edu
Phone: (415) 405-3533

Hours

In person Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Available remotely Thursday and Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Closed every day from 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. for lunch