Drop for Non-Payment Protocol

SF State drops continuing students who have not paid their financial balance by the fee payment due date of each fall and spring semester.

Once a student registers for classes, tuition and fees will be applied to their student account, with a balance due date.

This is made available to students in their Student Center. Students who are dropped will have their courses removed from their schedule for the term.

Charges are reversed, so they are not financially responsible for charges associated with the dropped courses.

Students are ultimately responsible for any charges on their account.

The University may decide not to perform the drop for non-payment. Students will be notified of this decision through their SFSU email address so they can self-drop if they do not plan to attend.

Population at Risk of Drop for Non-Payment

Students are dropped from their courses if they have an outstanding tuition balance on their student account after the fee payment deadline.

Students in the following categories are exempt from the drop process:

  1. Students new to SF State are not dropped for non-payment in their first semester. We send a message to newly admitted students that they won’t be dropped for non-payment so they have the chance to self-drop.
  2. Students on an Installment Payment Plan are not dropped if they are in good standing on the plan. Good standing means that they have made all payments on time and in full.
  3. Students eligible for federal or state grants, scholarships, or loans are not dropped as long as they have a “Balance deferred by FA” indicator listed in the “Holds and Alerts” section of their Student Center. The Office of Student Financial Aid puts this indicator on:
  4. New students who are FAFSA Filers with a valid EFC of $15,672 or lower OR CADAA Filers with valid Cal ISIR received March 2nd or earlier who have a CADA EFC of $8,000 or lower
  5. Continuing students with finalized financial aid awards and any amount of disbursable aid or with any amount of estimated scholarship/AmeriCorp funding. Students with an approved Fee Waiver or Third-Party Authorization are not dropped as long as the account is coded/noted on the Account Activity page in the Student Center and any remaining balance is paid by the fee payment deadline.

At-Risk Population Review

The Associate Vice President of Fiscal Affairs and the Senior Associate Vice President of Enrollment Management will review the population of students at-risk of being dropped.

A decision will be made, in consultation with the President’s Cabinet, to proceed with or cancel the drop for non-payment.

At-risk students will be notified of the decision through their SF State email address.

Payment Deadline and Reminders

Please note, dates provided here are for planning purposes.

The dates for future terms are estimates and are subject to change.

Payment Deadline Reminder Schedule
Term First Notification Warning Second Warning Text Warning Payment Deadline Drop Date
Fall 2024 After initial registration August 5 August 12 August 12 August 19 (Monday) August 20 (Tuesday)
Spring 2025 After initial registration January 13 January 17 January 17 January 21 (Tuesday) January 22 (Wednesday)
Summer 2025 After initial registration May 26 May 30 May 30 June 2 (Monday) No Summer Drop1

1Students are not dropped for non-payment in the summer. However, students are still financially responsible for paying their balance. Students who do not meet their financial obligations will have a financial hold applied to their account, and are at risk for being dropped for the subsequent Fall semester.

Communication Plan for Students at Risk of Drop for Non-Payment

First Notification:

  • The Bursar’s Office will send all students a notification through their SFSU email address about payment due dates the day after they first register for classes
  • This communication details the fee payment deadline and provides students with information about payment plans, financial aid, and third-party waivers

Warning/Second Warning: 

  • Students at risk of being dropped will be notified through their SFSU email address in advance of the payment deadline that they will be dropped for non-payment if they do not pay their account balance by the fee payment deadline
  • We will also provide instructions for making payments online
  • Contact information is provided for the Financial Aid and Bursar offices in case a student meets an exception but it has not yet been documented on their record

Text Warning: 

  • Students who have a mobile phone on record and are at risk of being dropped will be notified 1 day in advance of the payment deadline that they will be dropped for non-payment if they do not pay their account balance by the payment deadline
  • We will refer them to the email received the prior day for further instruction

Drop Notice and Re-enrollment Instructions

Students who are dropped will be notified through their SFSU email address that they have been dropped for non-payment.

They will also be notified about the next steps they can take if they still plan to attend.

We also provide contact information for campus services.

Any student who re-registers will have a financial hold placed on their account the day after they re-register.

The financial hold will prevent further registration and will remain in place until their payment has been made in full.

Policies/Procedures