About 80% of UCLA students enroll in Summer Sessions during their academic career. Summer provides great opportunities for you to fulfill GE requirements, enroll in impacted courses, complete your graduation requirements sooner, and more. Here are some of the opportunities and reasons you may want to consider taking courses during summer.
Academic Advantages
During Summer Sessions, you get the same high-quality, credit-earning courses offered during the academic year. In the summer, the courses are generally shorter (usually six weeks), and intensive, giving you an immersive educational experience. Summer provides an avenue to enroll in impacted or otherwise crowded courses.
By enrolling in summer, undergraduates can improve their chances of academic success by focusing on only one or two classes at a time. Leverage the summer term to help you lighten your course load during the academic school year and ensure you remain on your academic plan. For students who change majors, summer is a great time to catch up and remain on track to graduate.
Intellectual Opportunities
Summer is a great time to explore interesting classes unrelated to your major or classes usually closed to non-majors during the regular school year. This time can also be used to explore a minor. Summer provides opportunities to study alongside diverse students whom you might not otherwise meet during the academic year.
Financial Opportunities
Students who need just one or two more classes to graduate may be able to take a needed course during the summer and save a full term’s tuition. Financial aid is also available during the summer. Travel Study programs also provide numerous scholarships for qualified students. Additionally, online courses can provide students with the flexibility to work during the summer.
Travel Opportunities
Bruins often use the summer term to travel abroad and experience new countries and cultures. Travel Study programs combine the excitement of study abroad with the academic rigor of classes taught by UCLA faculty.
Pre-College Opportunities
Incoming Bruin freshmen can enroll in the College Summer Institute (CSI). This six-week program is specifically designed to help new students enroll in high-demand classes and make new friends, all while getting to know the campus before everyone else arrives for the Fall Quarter. This early start during the summer helps students adjust to the tempo of college life with one or two classes rather than a full course load, get a jump on GE courses, and explore or pick a major.