Continuous Enrollment
Maintain continuous enrollment
All graduate students are required to maintain continuous enrollment through completion of degree requirements or lose graduate student standing at SF State. A student who does not enroll for three consecutive semesters loses graduate student standing and must reapply for admission to the University and to the major department.
Doctoral students are not eligible to enroll in the 499 course. Doctoral students must adhere to program specific continuous enrollment requirements and should consult with their Academic Department Chair for guidance.
Culminating Experience course enrollment
Enrolling in the Culminating Experience (CE) course is the final step toward completing your degree. Once you enroll in your course, you are expected to complete your degree within two semesters or maintain continuous enrollment until you earn your degree. You are not required to enroll in coursework the semester immediately following enrollment in your course if your CE has not been completed.
You are allowed a “grace” semester to complete your CE and earn your degree. For example, if you enroll in your CE course in Spring 2027, you are permitted to continue your work through the Fall 2027 semester without enrolling. However, if you do not complete it by the end of the Fall 2027 grace semester, you must enroll Spring 2028, and each semester thereafter until you earn your degree. You may enroll in the 499 course offered through CPaGE or in a course offered through the regular university enrollment process on advisement of your faculty.
Important notice
The grace semester and 499 CE course do not count as active enrollment for federal educational benefits or student loan deferment. Federal agencies only recognize enrollment in unit-bearing courses. Because zero-unit courses cannot be reported as enrollment, Federal Student Aid requires graduate students to be enrolled at least half-time (4 units) to qualify for in-school loan deferment.
Students should contact the Office of Student Financial Aid for guidance on loan repayment or deferment options.
Students receiving VA education benefits should contact the Veteran Services for guidance.
International students should contact the Division of International Education for information about enrollment requirements and available options.
Continuous enrollment through CPaGE 499 requirement
Students who do not complete their CE during the semester of enrollment in the CE or the following semester (the "grace" semester) must enroll in a zero-unit College of Professional & Global Education (CPaGE) 499 course every subsequent semester until the CE is completed. Enrollment in the CPaGE 499 course provides students access to SFSU libraries, discipline-associated laboratories and facilities, and CE advisors. Students will be assumed to have withdrawn from their degree program if they fail to maintain continuous enrollment status after the grace semester. (For the purpose of this policy, only the fall and spring semesters are counted as semesters.)
Students who do not maintain continuous enrollment in their CE course and subsequently return to complete their CE within the seven-year time limit to complete requirements for graduate degrees must be reinstated in their degree program. To be reinstated, students must retroactively enroll in CPaGE 499 for all semesters after the initial CE enrollment except the grace semester and file a new Proposal for Culminating Experience. Students who are past the seven-year limit must formally reapply for admission to the program in which they were completing their CE. No guarantee of admission can be assumed. If readmitted, students shall follow the degree requirements in effect at the time of readmission and must submit a new Graduate Approved Program to the Division of Graduate Studies. For more detailed information please refer to Academic Senate Policy S08-246 or to the SF State Bulletin.
Register for CPaGE 499
- On the CPaGE website, find the available Continuous Enrollment courses for this term
CPaGE - Check to see if you have the necessary CPaGE 499 Course Requirement indicator in your “Student Center.” This indicator will appear under “Holds & Alerts” on the right side of your “Student Center.” If you do not have this indicator, stop and contact Graduate Studies at (415) 338-2234. If the indicator appears on your record, proceed to Step 3.
- Enroll using the class number you noted by contacting Enrollment Services at (415) 405-7700. Enrollment Services will assist you with payment options.