Individual/Family Tours
for a prospective student and his/her parents and family members

At San Francisco State, taking a guided campus tour (during our Fall or Spring semester) is the best way to get acquainted with our university.  Guided campus tours are conducted during the week throughout the year.  The schedule, which varies from semester to semester, will be posted at the beginning of each semester.  However, if you would like to visit the campus on a day or time other than what is scheduled, you are welcome to take our Self Guided Campus Tour map/brochure (see below).

Note: The information presented on this page is only for a prospective student and his/her parents and family members.  Tour information for school and community groups is available at www.sfsu.edu/outreach/GroupVisits.htm

  Student Guided Campus Tours
What does it include?  The individual/family guided campus tour for a prospective student and his/her parents and family members is a free walking tour on pathways outside of buildings that takes approximately 1 hour.  It is conducted by one of our trained tour guides who welcomes the opportunity to share their university experience as an undergraduate student.  The campus tour encompasses the main part of the campus and does not including housing.  If you wish to learn more about a specific department, you will need to contact that department office prior to your visit to make arrangements. (E-mail addresses and phone numbers of SFSU departments are available at www.sfsu.edu/atoz.)

I am a prospective graduate student; can I participate?  I am an international student; can I participate?  Yes, you can learn more about services available to you.  However, we cannot answer questions related to being a graduate student (or international student) at San Francisco State.  Graduate students will need to contact their major department for assistance and international students will need to contact the Office of International Programs for assistance.  (E-mail addresses and phone numbers of SFSU departments are available at www.sfsu.edu/atoz.)

How long is the tour?  Depending on the number of questions, the tour is approximately 1 hour. 

Do I need a reservation?  We do not need prior knowledge that you're coming.  (Phone reservations are not required and are not taken.)  Show up with a campus tour reservation ticket at least 15 minutes before the scheduled time.  We will collect one ticket per student at check-in.  Please complete the ticket before coming to our office because we very have limited space in our reception area.

Click on your desired month for a reservation ticket and schedule: 
June, July, August 2008 
** September to December 2008 - Details will be available in mid-September after our tour guides and the entire student population finalize their class schedules. **

I do not see a listing above for the month I want to visit.  When can I check back for details on the schedule? Since our tour schedule is based on the availability of our tour guides, the tour schedule will change from semester to semester since their classes change each semester.  Our tour schedule will be posted at the beginning of each semester after our tour guides add their classes and finalize their semester class schedule:
   September to December 2008 Tours - Details will be available in mid-September.
   January 2009 Tours - Details will be available in late December 2008.
   February to May 2009 Tours - Details will be available in mid-February 2009.
   June to August 2009 Tours - Details will be available in mid-June.

Will the tour take place if it is raining?  Yes, be sure to bring your umbrella.  Tours will leave promptly at the scheduled time.  Our tours will be cancelled if our tour guide is under the weather and a replacement is not available.  

Where is San Francisco State located?  San Francisco State is located in the southwest corner of San Francisco and has one main address of 1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco.  A campus map and directions by public transportation and by car are available at www.sfsu.edu/~sfsumap  We highly recommend you allow extra time for traveling and parking.
Note: Campus buildings do not have separate mailing addresses. 

Where can we park?  Parking is available in Lot 20 which is located off of Lake Merced Boulevard and State Drive.  (If you plan to use your GPS or if you plan to print online driving directions to campus, you should use "Lake Merced Blvd and State Dr, San Francisco, CA" as your destination point.)  Daily Lot 20 parking permits ($1 per hour, $5 maximum) are available from the vending machines throughout the parking structure.  Be sure to purchase the daily permit and put it on your dashboard before you come to our building.  A campus map and parking information are available at www.sfsu.edu/~sfsumap

We are stuck in traffic; can the tour wait for us?  Sorry, our tour guide has class immediately following the tour.  Tours will leave promptly at the scheduled time.  You can tour the campus on your own with the Self Guided Campus Tour brochure/map.

I currently have a temporary physical disability; is there assistance for me?  Yes, SFSU welcomes persons with disabilities and will provide reasonable accommodations upon request. Please contact the SFSU Disability Programs and Resource Center at least 2 weeks prior to the campus visit by calling (415) 338-2472 Voice/TTY.

  Self Guided Campus Tours 
If you would like to visit the campus on a day or time other than what is scheduled, you are welcome to take the Self Guided Campus Tour brochure to tour the campus on your own at any time. 

During normal business hours, you can pick up the brochure in the lobby (near the elevators) of the Student Services building.

The Self Guided Campus Tour brochure is also available online at:
www.sfsu.edu/outreach/Self-guided_tour.pdf

You will need Adobe Reader to view the brochure, please visit www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html for a free Adobe Reader download. If you have trouble with the links above, cut and paste the website address into the address bar of your browser.