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Lumberjacks Make Great

Become Great at SFA

Have a dream career or a major in mind? Still undecided? With more than 120 areas of interest at SFA,
you can find your path to becoming great.

VISIT ACADEMICS

Fast Facts

#1 Regional Texas
Public School

in the U.S. News &
World Report
Best Colleges
rankings.
July 2025

$2.73 million
portfolio

managed by
Mast Student
Investment
Roundtable
Lumberjacks

September 2025

Approximately
200,000 sq. ft. of
new construction

upgraded dining and
academic facilities
over the next two years
May 2025

Study Abroad
with scholarships

10 faculty-led programs
13 destinations
162 students
July 2025

Explore your passions, meet our faculty

Select an area of interest and discover how we inspire success – one Lumberjack at a time.

SFA Traditions

The Axe Handle

SFA freshmen receive an axe handle to personalize with their own Lumberjack spirit. Students can be seen (and heard) banging axe handles on the bleachers at SFA football games.

 

Ole Cotton

Ole Cotton is an imposing 75mm cannon that fires a celebratory shot every time the SFA Lumberjack football team scores. The SFA ROTC cadets man Ole Cotton just beyond the south end zone at Homer Bryce Stadium. The powerful blast can be heard – and often felt – all over town.

 

The Homecoming Bonfire

SFA's traditional bonfire and pep rally are the centerpieces of homecoming. Usually held in October, homecoming is a series of traditions that bring Lumberjacks together to celebrate SFA. Other events include homecoming elections, downtown parade, football games and much more.

 

Purple Haze

Press play to hear our rowdy Purple Haze student section in action. At SFA’s home football games, fans in the student section loudly bang their axe handles on a metal “Purple Haze” sign to show support for our beloved Lumberjacks (and to rattle the opposing team). Now that’s a home-field advantage!

  •  Alexandria Wooldridge, a graduate student in Stephen F. Austin State University’s School of Art, pictured left, receives constructive criticism from Susie Kalil, a nationally recognized writer and curator.

     Alexandria Wooldridge, a graduate student in Stephen F. Austin State University’s School of Art, pictured left, receives constructive criticism from Susie Kalil, a nationally recognized writer and curator. Wooldridge, along with four other representatives from SFA’s School of Art, will be featured in “Five Painters: New Myths,” on view from April 11 to May 16 with an opening reception and panel discussion from 5 to 7 p.m. April 11, at Kirk Hopper Fine Art, 1426 N. Riverfront Blvd. in Dallas.

  • SFA Strings Project performance

    Stephen F. Austin State University’s Music Preparatory Division was awarded the 2026 Outstanding National String Project Consortium String Project Award by the American String Teachers Association for its SFA Strings Project.

  • Ginger Gore Russel

    Ginger Gore Russell, a Stephen F. Austin State University Master of Fine Arts in photography candidate from Hemphill, earned first place in the Texas Photographic Society’s juried TPS 33: The International Exhibition with her photo, “Among Thorns.” Jurors selected Russell’s photo as the top entry from a competitive, international pool of 850 submissions. According to Russell, earning the top award adds significant visibility to her work and SFA’s graduate photography program. For more information about TPS and to view Russell’s award-winning photo in the online gallery, visit texasphoto.org.