Experience More Success: The Benefits of Summer Study

Published: April 23, 2013 | Read Time: 3 minutes

In addition to great weather and the perfect location for summer fun, SUU has a lot more to offer in its classrooms as well this summer, with amplified course offerings and benefits for students who stay on for the summer semester.

In years past, the summer semester has been a largely untapped resource for SUU students; in years past, roughly just 10 percent of the student body has stayed on for the summer. There are added benefits of summer study that are certainly worth a second look before finalizing upcoming plans.

In addition to taking the faster track toward graduation, the summer semester comes at a smaller sticker price for non-resident students, who will receive resident tuition rates — reducing non-resident tuition for full-time summer enrollment by 67 percent.

All students can also access unused financial aid; those students who didn't attend fall or spring semester as a full-time student (taking at least 12 credits) can use financial aid from the 2012-2013 school year, which concludes August 2013.

Students who stay over the summer also receive enhanced attention and support from professors in even smaller classes than SUU's already stand-out fall and spring sizes. And they also enjoy more job opportunities on campus and across the community, and better access to University resources. In general, student housing across the city also comes at a reduced rate compared to the fall and spring semesters.

Courses for Summer 2013 span every major and include many of the most popular traditional classes as well as online courses. The total number of courses, by college, this summer includes:

• School of Business: 56
• College of Education and Human Development: 105
• College of Humanities and Social Sciences: 121
• College of Performing and Visual Arts: 27
• College of Science and Engineering: 84

Beyond more classes and greater benefits for all students, Bruce Tebbs, director of academic budget and support, points out a few unique circumstances in which summer classes are an even smarter choice, particularly for students just starting college or about to leave for an LDS mission. The more classes completed early on, the faster a student's track to a successful transition.

For soon-to-be missionaries, Tebbs explains “SUU Student Services and our academic offices have worked closely with the Cedar City LDS Institute, pairing classes together that these students can choose from that will compliment their mission and also help their education when they return.”

Students who are planning to defer their studies and/or financial aid and scholarships to serve a mission can receive a full list of class pairings from an academic advisor, to ensure they take the best classes for their future success in school in these summer months leading up to their departure. Strategic class selection can also help prepare these students for their upcoming endeavors. For example, classes such as intro to communication and personal finance can be taken as a pair and better prepare them for their missions.

And for students who are new to college or still preparing for this next big step, the summer semester offers opportunities that many may not know about. For example, On-campus and online summer courses are available for high school juniors and seniors. Students can earn credit towards an associate’s degree alongside their high school studies. Students who study in high school and at the associate level concurrently may also be eligible for additional scholarship benefits upon college enrollment.

The 2013 summer semester includes four different sessions of varied length, with various start dates:

• Maymester - May 6–24
• First Session - May 28–June 28
• Second Session - July 1–August 5
• Regular Session - May 28–August 5.

This gives students a greatly increased flexibility; rather than taking five classes all at once to be enrolled full-time, all courses taken during any of the four sessions are combined to reach a full-time student plateau of 12 credits. For example, many students enjoy the shortened class length with additional time for focused attention to studies and access to support resources for challenging courses that may otherwise be hard to manage with the workload of a traditional semester's full-time study all at once.

Registration for the summer semester is now open for all students through the MySUU portal.

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