Although summer enrollment rates vary each year, many students are expected to take advantage of Ohio University’s summer course offerings through both the Athens and regional campus locations.
For the 2021-22 Summer Semester, OU is offering 822 courses through the Athens campus, 57 through the Lancaster campus, 56 through the Chillicothe campus, 51 through the Zanesville campus, 48 through the Southern campus, 25 through the Eastern campus and 378 courses for OU E-campus students.
The university determines which courses to offer by collecting information from program directors, faculty and advisers, Sarah Poggione, the vice provost for undergraduate education, said. Past years’ enrollment rates are also considered when summer schedules are made.
“A lot of students like to focus on certain types of courses over the summer, maybe filling in some of those prerequisites that they need, filling in some required courses, things that they really need to get progression,” Poggione said. “It really is about students either completing their degrees or progressing on in their degrees.”
Having the opportunity to only focus on one class at a time convinced Katie McGrath, a freshman studying biological sciences, to enroll in an online calculus class through OU’s Eastern campus.
“I talked it over with my parents … and we all collectively decided that it would be a lot better to take it now to help with my GPA and to make sure I pass this class because I'm nervous about it,” McGrath said. “I just think it's worth it for the money to have (the) confidence that I will get through this.”
The number of classes that students take during the summer can vary from the standard 15-credit hour schedule many students follow during the fall and spring semesters. However, the number of courses taken will change the price students can expect to pay for tuition.
For current first-year, in-state students attending the Athens campus, one credit hour will cost $598, and each additional credit hour will cost another $598. Once the student reaches a total of 12 credit hours, they are considered to be a full-time student and will pay a flat rate of $6,324 as long as they stay between 12 to 20 credit hours.
Current first-year, out-of-state students attending the Athens campus can expect to pay $1,088 per credit hour for classes taken through the Athens campus. If the student enrolls in courses ranging from 12 to 20 credit hours, they will also be considered full-time students and will pay $11,309 for the Summer Semester.
Brittany Nanda, a freshman studying dance and psychology, decided to enroll in summer classes with a full schedule due to the busyness of her fall and spring semesters.
“This is something I really wanted to do so I wouldn't feel the need to take a ton of credit hours every semester. Being a dance major is actually a lot more work than anyone would think it is, and we have a lot of productions every semester,” Nanda said. “I thought if I (took) these classes over the summer, I won't feel as much pressure to take more credit hours than I need to.”
OU students who enrolled prior to 2021, but following 2018 across all OU’s campuses, will pay less in tuition than the current first-year rate depending on their OHIO Guarantee+ tuition plan.
Tuition costs also vary depending on whether students enroll in classes on the Athens campus or regional campuses.
The cost for students to attend classes through a regional campus is considerably less than what it costs to take classes through the Athens campus. A current first-year, in-state student taking three credit hours at the Athens campus can expect to pay $1,794, whereas the cost of tuition at a regional campus would be $759 for the same number of credit hours.
Professors who teach summer courses are not required to do so because they are only contracted to work nine months a year. However, many professors volunteer to teach or are encouraged to by their departments, Paggione said.
Dan Kline, an assistant professor of instruction in the English Department at the Lancaster campus, chooses to offer summer classes to help students stay on schedule with their degrees, whether their goals are to get ahead or catch up.
Although many summer courses are shorter than regular semester courses, Kline said his courses are just as rigorous as those he offers in the fall or spring semesters.
“The one thing that I'm super cognizant about is maintaining the standards of instruction and assessment and making sure that the class experience is the same as one would get in the spring or the fall in terms of content and assessment,” Kline said.
Summer course enrollment is still open for students through OU’s Athens and regional campuses. The first session of summer courses will begin May 9, and the second session will begin June 27.
