In order to get ahead in their academic careers, more college students than ever are enrolling in school year-round to make use of that valuable free time that used to be known as summer.
“Students are under pressure to make their summers count,” said Kathleen Micham, manager of marketing and communications for UCLA Summer Sessions.
“The university is encouraging students to finish their degree in four years,” she added.
One of the biggest changes came in 2001, when UCLA, UC Berkeley and UC Santa Barbara began receiving state funding for summer school, which had previously been funded by student fees.
While the university still charges student fees for their summer school programs, the additional money allows the universities to offer financial aid for summer terms, making it more accessible.
This additional funding was extended to all the UC campuses over the past two years, said Carol Copperud, acting director of academic planning and budget for the UC Office of the President.
Since this money was made available, summer sessions at UCLA and at other UC campuses have seen leaps in enrollment.
UCLA estimates that 80 percent of its students attend summer school at some point during their time here, up from about 50 percent in 2001, said Phil Hampton, UCLA spokesman.
Copperud said about 70,600 students are enrolled in UC classes this summer.
While official numbers are not yet available, UCLA has been keeping a rough census of this year’s summer school population. The university estimates there are 16,000 students enrolled this summer, said Micham.
Copperud said summer school is beneficial both for the university and for students, since it allows ambitious students to get ahead and can help students graduate on time and open up space for new students.
“(This helps) the universities accommodate more students without costing the state more money,” she said.
While summer school at UCLA is certainly becoming an increasingly popular option for students and there is more funding for summer school financial aid, the additional cost can still be a burden.
“It’s pretty hard to pay for. I’m on financial aid, but it seems to barely give me enough for rent,” said James Beach, a fourth-year biology student who is attending summer school.
Unlike the flat tuition rate during the regular school year, summer session students pay a per-unit fee.
For the 2007 summer sessions, UC undergraduates pay $147 per unit, while graduate and visiting students pay $206 per unit.
There are also additional campus and instructional enhancement fees, which vary.
Micham said she knows some students take summer courses at community colleges because of lower costs, but she said summer school costs have not increased significantly.
“Those creep up very slowly, by about a couple of dollars a year,” she said.
She added that she thinks students from non-UC schools, particularly private schools, come to UC summer school because for them it is a comparative deal.
Beach said he prefers paying a fixed tuition during the regular school year.
“I can take advantage of paying a flat rate for as many units as I want,” he said.
Third-year neuroscience student Anup Rao took General Education courses at a community college last summer, which he feels is a better deal than taking the courses at UCLA.
“It was a lot easier taking it at a community college and a lot more cost-effective,” he said.
Rao added, however, that this summer he is taking courses for his major at UCLA and for these upper division courses he thinks taking UC classes is worth the cost.
“The classes I took are directly for my major, so it definitely helped me get ahead,” he said.