Stephen F. Austin State University | University in Texas Taking Summer Classes? Fall Housing Application Request Info Visit Campus ​​ Apply Now Give to SFA 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! Officers at The University of Texas System Police Department at SFA received three Dell laptops to use in their patrol vehicles as part of the Nacogdoches Law Enforcement Foundation’s annual support package for Nacogdoches County law enforcement. In addition to the $2,000 laptops, each officer received $150 worth of technical equipment from NACLEF. Pictured is Sgt. Clint Patterson starting patrol with his laptop. SFA police receive donation from Nacogdoches Law Enforcement Foundation Stephen F. Austin State University’s Friends of the Visual Arts, a community organization supporting East Texas arts and art students through fundraising, has established a new scholarship honoring Dr. Jill Carrington, retiring professor of art history at SFA, and her distinguished career as an art historian, educator and dedicated supporter of the organization. SFA’s Friends of the Visual Arts establishes scholarship honoring Dr. Jill Carrington Stephen F. Austin State University’s IEEE Robotics Team captured first place at the IEEE Region 5 Robotics Competition in March in Boulder, Colorado. SFA engineering students competed against 25 teams from 23 universities to earn top honors at the prestigious event sponsored by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ Southwestern U.S. region. Pictured, from left, are Maegan Honeycutt, first-year electrical engineering student from Humble; Ashley Brewster, mechanical engineering senior from Center; Duston Judson, electrical engineering senior from Nacogdoches; Kevin Claypool, electrical engineering senior from Liberal, Kansas; Aaron Boehm, mechanical engineering senior from Kingwood; and Dalton Cardwell, mechanical engineering senior from Arlington. SFA engineering students earn top honors in regional robotics competition More News More Events >