Registration for summer session at Colorado State University opens Tuesday, March 19, in RAMweb.
Summer session allows students to tailor their learning and research experiences to complement other summer activities while gaining deeper understanding of course materials or expediting their track toward graduation.
CSU Summer Director Anne Van Arsdall said the program’s goal is to both promote equity for students while continuing to strive for excellence in educational opportunities. Following this mission, CSU Summer continuously examines ways to apply the Boyer 2030 Commission’s Equity/Excellence Imperative, which posits that “excellence without equity (privilege reproducing privilege) is not true excellence, and equity (mere access) without excellence is an unfulfilled promise.”
And this work is paying off. Reports from Institutional Research, Planning and Effectiveness show that students who take summer courses tend to persist and graduate at higher rates, especially students seeking to improve their GPA or who struggled during their first academic year. Last year, summer session saw a 5.3% increase in student credit hours awarded — its biggest spike since the 2020 pandemic altered learning experiences across the globe.
“Summer 2023 was really our largest growth without extenuating circumstances,” Van Arsdall said. “Students are becoming more aware of the affordability and opportunity that summer brings.”
Unique opportunities
Summer terms vary from four to 12 weeks, and with in-person, hybrid and online offerings, summer session students can gain invaluable knowledge and experiences in classrooms, at the Mountain Campus, studying abroad, in campus research facilities and through field experiences, internships and service learning.
“Summer session courses provide students multiple opportunities to make progress toward their degree without the added pressure of taking large credit loads,” said Tom Siller, interim vice provost for undergraduate affairs. “Classes typically have smaller enrollments, affording a more personal experience. It is a great opportunity to increase students’ success at CSU.”
“All the keys to success were on the table, and all the resources I needed were in front of me,” said Jonathan Christenson, biomedical sciences graduate student.
Through the Office of Undergraduate Research and Artistry (OURA), faculty can connect students with research opportunities related to their fields of study, and due to the intimate and flexible nature of summer classes, students can pair their courses with research or jobs without compromising their educational goals.
“(Summer session) is faster paced, but because of that it can be more engaging,” said Patrick Byrne, CSU professor of soil and crop sciences. “If you can get some type of practical experience that complements the subject that you’re studying, so much the better. But the complementarity between actual hands-on experience and what you would learn in the classroom I think is really powerful.”
Additionally, summer session is a key opportunity for students to explore different fields of study or progress more quickly toward their degree. Any students who have recently changed or declared a major can utilize summer courses to catch up on major requirements and work toward the graduation timeline they wish to pursue.
“Sophomore year I added a minor of ASL,” said Carli Collopy, a health and exercise science major with an American Sign Language minor. “Because I added the minor, I decided that I needed to take summer classes because I wanted to graduate in four years and walk with my friends and be able to graduate and celebrate with them.”
New offerings
This year, students interested in a leadership minor through the President’s Leadership Program can take their first two classes over the summer and online. The two classes, which culminate in four credits and a leadership certificate, will take place May 13 through June 9 and June 10 through July 7, respectively.
Also new this summer are Honors seminars open to all students, regardless of whether they are in the Honors program. These courses combine lessons with high-level discussion and local cultural outings.
“I really want Honors to serve the larger CSU campus in a range of ways, so opening up Honors summer classes more broadly is one way that we can do this,” Honors Director Shawn Bingham said. “Additionally, this will give students who did not know about Honors or who did not consider Honors when they entered CSU an opportunity to see what the Honors experience is all about. We are looking forward to more collaborations across campus like this one.”
Affordability and access
Several grants and forms of assistance are available for summer session students, in addition to the non-resident undergraduate base tuition reduction of 30% for summer session.
The CSU Tuition Assistance Grant varies based on demonstrated financial need, availability of funding and enrollment status, so early registration for summer session is highly encouraged. Students eligible for the Federal Direct Pell Grant may receive dedicated summer Pell funds if they enroll in six or more credits, and those enrolled in less than six summer credits may use any remaining funds from the fall or spring semesters.
Students may also enroll in the CSU flexible payment plan, which has an enrollment deadline of May 27 for the 2024 summer session. The payment plan allows for the summer session bill to be split into two payments or rolled into an annual payment plan.
Students living in Fort Collins for summer session can live on campus in Parmelee Hall, paying only for the weeks they stay. There are also a myriad of summer resources for housing and transportation through CSU’s Off-Campus Life, opportunities for campus employment through Handshake, and additional resources listed on the CSU Summer website.
CSU Summer’s Courses at a Glance web page allows students to browse courses, filtering by delivery type, subject, term and AUCC category. Registration is through RAMweb, and advising codes are not needed for summer session registration.
