Payment

Online Payment – Credit Card or eCheck

After enrolling, payments for courses can be made online through your record in the Student Center:

  1. Log on to your student record at SF State Gateway.
  2. Navigate to your Student Center.
  3. In the center of your Student Center page in the “Finances” section you will see an Account Summary box with your current outstanding balance owed. If you recently enrolled but you do not yet show owing fees, click on the link Account Inquiry to calculate your fees. Once fees have calculated return back to your Student Center to see your fees owed.
  4. Under the Account Summary box, click on the link “Make a Payment” and follow the prompts to pay by credit card or eCheck.

See the Due Date & Payment Instructions Guide.

Important Information:

  • A non-refundable service fee of 2.75% for each credit/debit card transaction will be added to the total payment amount. Service fees are retained by the vendor and are not refundable. The cardholder will see two transactions on their statement, one for the university payment transaction and one for the service fee. eCheck payments are free of any service fee.
  • Credit/Debit card payments are not accepted in-person.

Payment by Check, Money Order, or Cashier's Check

Make checks/money orders payable to SFSU-CEL. Include student name, SF State ID, current address, and phone number on the face of the check.

Extended Learning cannot accept payments by checks that exceed total course fees. A check returned for any cause (insufficient funds, closed account, or stop payment) results in a financial obligation equal to the amount of the check plus a $20 dishonored check fee. See financial obligations.

Pay by Mail

Payment by check or money order must be included if registering by mail. Please take into consideration delivery and processing time if mailing a payment. Our office is not responsible for any delayed or misdirected mail by the U. S. Postal Service.

Mailing Address:

San Francisco State University
College of Extended Learning
Attention: CEL Enrollment Services
1600 Holloway Avenue
San Francisco, California 94132

Pay in Person

Payment by check for online and phone registration can be made in person at SF State's Bursar's Office on the main campus, Administration Building Only (ADM). For Bursar’s Office business hours please visit the Bursar’s Office website.

Receipts

A returned check or credit card statement can be used as proof of payment. For a receipt, please access your Account Activity under the Financial Section in your student record using SF State Gateway or call the SF State Bursar's Office at (415) 338-1281 for further information on receipts.

Payment Due Date

Find Due Date and Payment Instructions Guide

The class registration system of San Francisco State University College of Extended Learning is a charge-based system. This means:

  1. When you register for a class, financial charges in the amount of the class fees are applied to your account immediately with a payment due date.
  2. If you decide to drop a class for which you have not paid, and the drop is not done by the deadline for a 100% refund, outstanding charges will remain on your account, and you are responsible for them. See Drops & Refunds.
  3. Unpaid charges will result in a placement of a financial obligation hold on student records which prevents future registration, adding classes, receiving diploma and/or transcripts, use of campus facilities and/or other services. The University or its agent has the right to pursue collections in order to repay a delinquent debt owed to the University. If account is placed with an outside collection agency, the account holder may be required to pay all reasonable collection costs, including legal fees. Delinquent charges owed to the University will be submitted to the Franchise Tax Board for tax refund offset.

When you enroll online at SF State Gateway, both your fees owed and due date will display in the Finances section of your Student Center within 24 hours of registering. To see your class fees charges and payment due date immediately after registration, use the Find Due Date and Payment Instructions Guide. Full fees are payable as soon as students are registered. If full payment is not received by the end of the day on the payment due date, students will be dropped for non-payment (Drops for non-payment may not be executed every day. Students are responsible for maintaining their class schedule and avoid incurring charges by dropping from a class within the deadline for a 100% refund). If you enroll in multiple courses with different due dates, be sure to pay before the due date. If you only pay partial fees, you will be dropped for underpayment. Payment due dates are calculated by adding five calendar days, to the date of registration with the following exception:

  • If registration takes place within five calendar days of the beginning of a course, fees are due the day before a course begins.

IMPORTANT: For courses excluding Open University and semester-length academic credit courses, if you enroll on the day a class begins, or after a class has begun, fees are due immediately. If payment is not received, even if you drop the class, charges will remain and you are liable for them based on the refund schedule at the time of the drop. If you don’t pay, a Financial Hold will be placed on your student record preventing you from enrolling in classes and receiving other university services for future terms.

For Open University and semester-length academic credit courses, you will be able to drop and swap courses with no financial impact up until the Last Day to Drop on the Calendar & Deadlines.

Third Party Payment by Employer/Agency

If a Third Party will be funding your Extended Learning education, please first contact the Extended Learning Subsidy Specialist at (415) 817-4248 or subsidy@sfsu.edu for guidance and questions before you register or enroll in any course(s).

Third Party Payment Process

Please follow the steps below if a third party agency is paying for your courses.

  1. The Third Party Agency should send a Third Party Contract Authorization Letter to the Subsidy Specialist at SF State Extended Learning. The letter can be faxed to (415) 817-4299, emailed as PDF to subsidy@sfsu.edu, or mailed to:
    San Francisco State University
    College of Extended Learning
    Attn: Subsidy Specialist
    1600 Holloway Avenue
    San Francisco, California 94132
    If the Third Party Contract Authorization Letter requires additional signature/s from Extended Learning, please allow 4 to 8 weeks for approval & signatures.
  2. Students register for course(s). See Registration Policies & Procedures.
  3. Immediately following registration, students MUST contact the Extended Learning Subsidy Specialist at (415) 817-4248 or subsidy@sfsu.edu to ensure their course(s) from being non-payment drop. See Drop Deadline policy.

Authorization to Bill Letter must include:

  • Third Party Agency’s Letterhead
  • Student’s First & Last name
  • Student SF State ID/Social Security Number (The Social Security Number acts as the student’s identification number.)
  • Semester(s) covered by the agency
  • Program/course(s) covered by the agency
  • Authorized Amount to be billed
  • Contact person (if different from the Third Party Contract Authorization Letter), address, and phone number
  • Third Party Agency’s signature

Payment must be received and processed before or by the student’s fee payment due date. To avoid being dropped from course(s), students MUST contact the Subsidy Specialist and show proof of their Third Party Authorization Letter, before the student’s fee payment due date. For any subsequently added course(s), please follow this same process.

Students, who elect to register in-person after 5:00pm, on Saturdays or on the first class meeting, must present a copy of their authorization letter in order to be enrolled, even if the Extended Learning Subsidy Specialist already has the authorization letter on file.

NOTE: If the Third Party Agency subsequently does not submit payment for course fees, the student becomes responsible for ALL the course fees.

Contracts

Contracts take 4 - 8 weeks to be completed and signed by both SF State and the contracting agency. Signed contracts will be on file with Extended Learning prior to registration. Students whose contracts are not complete at the time of enrollment may be dropped from classes for non-payment.

If the contract has not been completed and signed, we are only able to hold course seats with an additional promise to pay letter from the agency which will act as a placeholder until the final contract is completed and signed. The contract must be signed and completed by both the Third Party agency and SF State by the Drop Deadline, or students will be dropped for non-payment. After this deadline, all students need to petition to add late with appropriate signatures (see Calendar & Deadlines).

See Subsidy Refunds - Refunds to Agency