Welcome

Welcome to Humboldt State University!

Your educational experience at HSU will encompass both classroom and extra-curricular learning opportunities. Your active participation in a wide array of educational, cultural, recreational, and social programs will determine the richness of your collegiate experience. I encourage you to become an active learner and join with the faculty, staff and students as explorers of new opportunities.

This Student Handbook introduces you to services, programs, student organizations, and student conduct policies. It will serve as a guide to how you can best become involved and take advantage of these services, activities, and opportunities. It is designed to help you understand the University and get you actively involved in its activities.

I look forward to our meeting and wish you a successful experience here at Humboldt State.

Steven Butler
Vice President,
Student Affairs

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About the Handbook

Whether you are coming right out of high school or even if you already have some college credit under your belt, making the move to Humboldt State can evoke as much excitement and anxiety as any other “firsts” in your life. To help ease the transition, this Handbook was developed to answer your questions and to acquaint you with student life here at HSU. In it you will find a plethora of information about campus programs, opportunities, policies, and requirements - all of which affect your life as a student! Your Handbook also has some added features that you won't find anyplace else. In short, it is a valuable resource.

Please note that the Student Handbook is intended to complement the HSU Catalog and the Registration Guide/Schedule of Classes; it should not be used as a substitute for those sources. Also be advised that not all excerpts appear in their entirety; only material deemed of interest to a majority of the student body has been reproduced.

Every effort was made to ensure the accuracy of the information presented in this Web Version of the Handbook. However, readers should be aware that specifics are bound to become outdated because campus policies and procedures are subject to change throughout the year. For the most current information, please consult this website, and the resources it provides often.

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About Humboldt State

Set between redwood groves and located just four miles from the Pacific Ocean and 270 miles north of San Francisco, Humboldt State University is a campus of choice, not convenience. The northernmost institution in the 23-campus California State University system, Humboldt tends to attract students from afar who are more adventurous and self-reliant.

Traditionally known for its sciences and natural resources programs (such as forestry and wildlife), Humboldt has strengthened its diversity in the past decade. Fine arts, business, and humanities programs have earned national distinction. Four times U.S. News & World Report has ranked Humboldt among the top ten percent of regional colleges and universities in the country. Humboldt was also cited a “Best Buy in the West” by Money magazine.

Founded in 1913 as a teachers college, Humboldt State University now has 47 baccalaureate degrees, 69 minors, 63 concentrations or areas of emphasis, 10 graduate programs, 25 credential programs, 15 certificates of study, and 4 pre-professional programs.

The main campus covers 144 acres. In addition, HSU owns, leases or has use agreements to a marine lab, observatory, natural history museum, salt water marsh, freshwater marsh, small lakes and ponds, forest lands, sand dune preserve, research vessel, the First Street Gallery, and the 4500 acre Galbreath Wildlands Center.

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