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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!

  • Dr. Kimberly Childs, dean of the College of Sciences and Mathematics; Dr. Neal Weaver, SFA president; and Barbara and Dr. Bill Gandy

    Stephen F. Austin State University faculty, staff and students along with members of the Gandy family and the Nacogdoches community celebrated the unveiling of the Dr. Bill and Barbara Gandy Makerspace in SFA’s College of Sciences and Mathematics at the Cole STEM Building July 16. Pictured, from left, are Dr. Kimberly Childs, dean of the College of Sciences and Mathematics; Dr. Neal Weaver, SFA president; and Barbara and Dr. Bill Gandy.

  • The SFA Baja SAE team during off-road Baja vehicle inspection

    The Stephen F. Austin State University Baja SAE team recently completed its first-ever national Baja SAE New York competition, marking a historic and exciting milestone for the university’s engineering program. Despite their newcomer status, team members successfully passed 98 of the 109 items evaluated for their off-road Baja vehicle during the rigorous technical inspection portion of the event.

  • The minor planet (102216) Carona orbits around the sun in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter

    An asteroid discovered at the Stephen F. Austin State University Observatory in Nacogdoches in 1999 has been officially named Carona in honor of late Texas A&M University astronomer Don Carona. Image credit: Dr. Dan Bruton