Frequently Asked Questions For Students 

A list of on-campus, in-person courses to be offered for fall 2020 is available at the registrar's website Students can also view on their student portal if a specific course is on-campus. The department and college of each in-person course will provide further information to students enrolled in those courses. 

In-person classes are selected based on the following criteria: The accrediting body requires in-person instruction for specific courses or the discipline requires specific instruction that cannot be replicated virtually.

We will do all we can to accommodate a student who cannot attend in-person classes, but please understand that some classes will not have an alternative, in which case a student who is unable to take those courses in fall 2020 will need to take them in the future when the risk of the virus transmission has been minimized.

The list of 101 in-person courses was developed with significant input and consultation with academic deans and department chairs, the Academic Senate, Associated Students, Inc. and the Joint Labor Council. These classes, which include clinical labs in the College of Health and Human Services, STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) lab courses and performance courses, are considered essential meaning they need to be held in person because they cannot be delivered virtually in an effective way.

A wide array of services are available to students to ensure their success, well-being and engagement. Please visit the Student Resources page for more information. Many campus offices are conducting appointments virtually or by appointment.

The campus may conduct baseline testing of all students who live on campus before students move in. Once students are at the University, housing staff will conduct a pre-health screening questionnaire of all residents and pre-approved guests during move-in. All public-health guidelines will be followed, including the wearing of facial coverings. Move-in will be coordinated, using staggered, assigned times for students to ensure physical distancing.

With a summer to prepare for more dynamic online programming, Fresno State will continue to offer high-quality and interactive activities for all students. Partners across campus are planning virtual and hybrid delivery for co-curricular campus programs. These experiences will be dynamic, experiential and informative. There will also be several opportunities to connect with and meet your fellow classmates through a variety of interactive activities and events.

The fall 2020 deadline is Monday, Aug. 10, unless you have a Fall Fee Deferment, which delays payment of charges until your financial aid applies. If you need more time to pay, you can set up a payment plan.

If you need additional payment assistance, email Student Financial Services or call 559.278.2876. For financial aid inquiries, email the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships or call 559.278.2182.

Yes, everyone on campus will be required to wear a mask or cloth face covering to reduce possible exposure to COVID-19 and to help prevent the spread of the virus, consistent with the Governor’s order and updated state public-health guidelines. You will need to bring and wear your own mask each time you come to campus.

We provide several options to students with health concerns and who are unable to attend in-person classes. These can include one or more of the following:

• If possible, live-streaming the in-person class or video recording it for review at a later time.
• Giving the student an alternative course needed for graduation so graduation plans are not affected. In some cases, the in-person course may need to be delayed to the following semester, along with the student’s graduation date.
• Giving the student an independent study course that can be extended to the next semester for the content that must be completed face-to-face (the content that does not require on-campus activities would have to be completed virtually, during fall 2020.
• Students who have a COVID-19 related concern about attending essential in-person courses on campus may contact Dr. Bernadette Muscat, dean of Undergraduate Studies, who will help by coordinating other options if possible.

Students who identify as persons with a disability will be directed to the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) where staff will determine functional impairments and reasonable accommodations. In addition, SSD will collaborate with the relevant faculty to ensure that the accommodations do not fundamentally alter the essential functions of the course.

In accordance with CSU policy, tuition will not change if instruction is delivered by alternative means (virtually) for any part of an academic year. All CSU campuses will be virtual for fall 2020, except for limited, essential in-person courses, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Given that students will receive academic credit for courses taken, as well as support services such as registration, financial aid and academic advising, there will be no reduction in the tuition amount.

Campus mandatory fees, such as the health fee that provides students medical and counseling services, will continue as well. (Fresno State charges the lowest amount of mandatory campus fees of any of the 23 CSU campuses.)

The campus is not able to refund or prorate campus-based mandatory fees because they cover annual fixed expenses that the University continues to incur during the pandemic — such as student-life programs (many of which continue to be provided virtually), facility repairs and maintenance utilities, employee wages and benefits, and debt service.

These fees also support student government programs (ASI), academic retention and support, and progress towards degree completion.

Students pay campus mandatory fees regardless of whether they are studying full-time, part-time, online or studying abroad.

If you are a student who is studying, working or living on campus and test positive for COVID-19, please contact Janell Morillo, associate vice president for Student Health, Counseling and Wellness, immediately at 559.278.0276 or janellt@csufresno.edu AND complete this online form. Once received, the appropriate campus officials, including the vice president for administration and the director of environmental health, safety and risk management will be notified, and they will review. We ask that you also self-isolate and do not return to campus for a period of no less than 10 calendar days. 

If you have been exposed to COVID-19, complete this online form. Once received, Environmental Health and Safety will review. You may be required to quarantine for at least 14 days per Fresno County Department of Public Health recommendations. Consider visiting a testing site in your county and seek guidance from your health care provider. 

As a reminder, your health information is confidential. For more information about reporting requirements, visit COVID-19 Cases, Reporting and Notifications.

Fresno State is here to support you with the technology and tools to make this semester a success. The University will provide a hotspot and/or iPad with a keyboard for any enrolled student who is in need of a device or high-speed internet at home or on the go. Both the iPads and the hotspots will be provided free of charge to students and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Devices will be due back at the end of the fall 2020 semester.

If you are interested in getting an iPad or a hotspot, please select a time to pick up your device using this link: https://forms.gle/TyfrbeUj7nYYqBTX7.

Returning students who already have a hotspot: Your hotspot data plan will be automatically reactivated on Aug. 10. You will not need to do anything to have it reactivated.

For more information, read this Aug. 3 message to students or visit the DISCOVERe website.