Academic FAQs

Log in to your profile in Populi, our learning management system. In Populi, once the instructor starts the class session, you will see a green button marked Join Conference. When you click this button, Populi will launch the Zoom client app on your device, and you will be in class. Make sure you have the latest version of Zoom installed before you join.

For more information, please refer to the Attendance policies below.  

Student Attendance & Academic Engagement Policy

Purpose Attendance is not only essential for a student's academic and creative success in the program, but is also required by COE, BPPE, Title IV, and VA regulations to maintain student eligibility for financial aid and veteran benefits.

Attendance Policy

• Students are expected to attend all scheduled class sessions live at the scheduled time.

• For all class sessions, students will be marked as present through academic engagement during the scheduled class meeting time, as evidenced by the designated discussion forum assignment.

  • Attendance is recorded through the completion of a formal response to a discussion forum prompt based on the current class session's lesson. All students must submit this response during the scheduled class meeting time.

  • Students who are not present for the live class session (either in-person or online) must still complete the discussion forum assignment during the scheduled class time to be marked present.

Daily Reflection & Application Prompt Instructions: Based on today's lesson content, respond to each of the following in 2-3 sentences:

1. Identify one specific concept, technique, or insight from today's class that challenged your current understanding or approach to your creative work.

2. Describe how you could apply this learning to a current or upcoming project, providing a concrete example of implementation.

3. Pose one thoughtful question that emerged from today's material that you'd like to explore further in your practice.

Submission Requirements

• Post your response during today's scheduled class time

• Responses must be the student's work and demonstrate engagement with today's specific lesson content to receive attendance credit

Students experiencing technical issues should contact their instructor during the class session in person or via email for one-time alternative attendance verification

Students may apply for a leave of absence through the program director or education director. Students in good standing may receive a leave of absence for up to 180 days within a 12-month period. Students who do not contact SF Film School prior to the end of a leave of absence to arrange for their return or those that do not return from their leave of absence by their agreed upon date will be terminated.

Every semester, all students enrolled in a Production course are required to attend a one week session on campus in San Francisco. This is called LRP (Low Residency Program). 

SFFS students are responsible for their own transportation and housing while attending LRP at the campus.  You can find more guidance on this on the LRP page.  (Low Residency Program). 

In Populi, navigate to the course page for the class. From the lefthand menu, select Assignments, and choose the appropriate item. (The syllabus will show when the assignments are due.) Follow the directions to submit your work. Different instructors may request that assignments be submitted in different ways, so it's always a good idea to check in about this.

Please notify your instructor and TA with as much advance notice as possible, to let them know your work will be late.

For consideration, send a college or university transcript to the Registrar at registrar@sanfranciscofilmschool.edu, along with a syllabus for each course in which you earned at least a "B." Approved transfer credits will be applied to your live transcript in Populi, and will be visible immediately.

All prior credits earned at another accredited institution are eligible to be evaluated for possible transfer if the following criteria are met a) a grade of "B" or higher was achieved; b) the class is similar in scope and content to a class offered at SFFS.

Students wishing to have their earned credits evaluated must provide a syllabus of the class as well as a transcript from their previous school to be evaluated by the Registrar. A notarized translation of the syllabus must be provided if in a language other than English.  A written exam, oral exam, or a technical competence exam may be additionally requested as appropriate for the class. 

Any student credits allowed to be transferred will be recorded upon enrollment and a record of the evaluation with its supporting documentation will be placed in the student’s permanent file. The length of the course will be shortened proportionally, and the tuition charges and program hours will be reduced accordingly.  In addition, the student and (in the case of a veteran student, the VA) shall be notified. 

The school reserves the right to grant or reject any prior credit or training, this evaluation will become part of the student’s permanent record.

To request an official transcript be sent to another institution, please use this link: Transcript Request 

All transcripts are sent electronically. If you the transcript needs to be sent via mail, please allow 3 to 5 business days for processing and for the transcript to be mailed out.