Summer school is an option for students who have varying circumstances, but the question of its affordability remains the same.

Tyrene Hubbard, a biochemistry and anthropology senior, is taking two courses this summer at the UA. One course is a technical writing course and the other is graduate research.
Hubbard said she took these courses because she wanted to further her education, but not out of necessity. The course material during summer sessions is condensed and at a faster pace, Hubbard said.

The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Consortium is funding Hubbard’s summer education. Without it, she would not be able to pay for these courses, she said.

Many athletes who are training at the university over the summer are also enrolled in summer school. Thane Maudslien, a pre-business sophomore and member of the men’s swim and diving team, is taking a nutrition class and business calculus class.

Maudslien said his athletic scholarship covers the cost of his summer classes, on the condition that he stays in Tucson during the summer for training. Taking summer classes allows him to have a lighter courseload during the school year when he is focused on competing in his sport.
For those students who enroll in summer school without the financial assistance of scholarships, the cost of summer school quickly adds up.

According to the UA Bursar’s Office website, the cost of one unit of credit during the second summer session for undergraduate Arizona residents is $392. Consider that many courses are three units of credit and the cost of one class is now $1,176.

The cost of each individual unit of credit during the fall 2014 term for an undergraduate Arizona resident is $684, according to the UA Bursar’s Office website. Again, taking the example that a single course is three units, the cost for that course during the fall term is $2,052. If an undergraduate student takes a full-time courseload of 12 units, as defined by the UA catalogue, the cost rises to $8,208.

According to the Pima Community College website, summer tuition for an Arizona resident is $65.50 per individual unit of credit. Ashlee Linares-Gaffer, nutritional sciences academic adviser, said summer school through the community college is not an option for students who need certain requirements, such as 300 or 400-level courses.

Linares-Gaffer said that on an individual per unit basis, summer courses at the university are less expensive compared to the regular academic year.

“Sometimes a couple of heavy summers can make the difference and allow somebody to graduate a year sooner,” Linares-Gaffer said.

Linares-Gaffer said the alternatives of not taking summer school classes outweigh the financial cost of attending summer school.