Summer Session FAQs

Undergraduate courses offered during Summer Quarter and September Term may be three to ten weeks in length and meet for approximately 30 contact hours, as required by the College. Each course, regardless of length, is therefore the equivalent of a full quarter-long course, yielding 100 units of credit.

Some intensive language courses offered as part of the Summer Language Institute, however, are six or eight weeks in length, and yield 300 units of credit. These courses are the equivalent of one full year's worth of language instruction. SLI's Reading and Research courses are 100-units each.

Summer Session courses taught in-person or via remote instruction will provide the same undergraduate credit as the rest of the academic year. Students will receive a quality letter grade on their University of Chicago transcript. 

• Precollege students should contact the Summer Session team at summersession@uchicago.edu to request the Pass/Fail option before the second to last day of class but no earlier than half-way through the class.  Do not approach the instructor; be sure to reach out to Summer Session with your request. 
   
• Visiting Undergraduate, incoming and current College students must approach their instructor to request a Pass/Fail before the second to last day of class. but no earlier than half-way through the class. If the instructor approves, the student should forward the approval (email from the instructor is sufficient) to summersession@uchicago.edu for final approval and processing.
   
  • Current College students are strongly urged to consult with their College Advisers if they are interested in requesting the Pass/Fail option in advance of formally submitting their request to their instructors(s).
     
  • Current College students should also be aware that all general education courses must be taken for quality grades and most courses satisfying requirements in the major must be taken for quality grades. However, some majors permit a limited number of P marks, so students should consult with the relevant department about their Summer Pass/Fail policies before they enroll, especially regarding any course that you plan to use as a major requirement.

Official grades for all Summer Session programs, regardless of course dates, are not available until after the end of Summer Session (mid-September). Once official grades are available, you may log on to myUChicago to view your grades.

No auditing is allowed in any Summer Session program. All students must be fully registered to attend any course or program. 

• UChicago incoming First-Year students and Visiting Students who wish to swap, add or drop a Summer Quarter or Summer Language Institute course should email the student name, student ID number, and relevant course code(s) to summersession@uchicago.edu. 
• Current UChicago undergraduate students can add and/or drop Summer Session courses through Open Enrollment from February 14 through May 31.  Starting June 1, course add/drops must be requested by submitting a request via the Undergraduate Enrollment Change Request form.
• Current UChicago graduate students who wish to add or drop should do so through your division’s Dean of Students office.

Since Summer Session courses are very brief and very intensive, we strongly encourage students to consider their choices very carefully before they register. Students wishing to enroll in a course that has already met (even once) must have the written consent of the instructor. 

Once a course begins, swapping, adding, and dropping courses is more limited. 

See the Summer Quarter page for additional details about refunds and withdrawals.

Undergraduate students (including incoming First-Year students, Visiting Students, and UChicago undergraduate students) who no longer wish to be enrolled in any Summer Session courses should send an email to summersession@uchicago,edu.  Please be sure to include your 8-digit UCID and confirm you do not wish to be enrolled in ANY courses during the Summer Quarter. The Summer Session Office will work with the Registrar to update your Term Record and deactivate your summer term.

Current UChicago graduate students who wish to drop all of their Summer Quarter courses should do so through your division’s Dean of Students office.

See the Summer Quarter page for additional details about refunds and withdrawals.

Sometimes, either because the instructor can no longer teach the class or because an insufficient number of students have enrolled in a class, a course is canceled. If a course you are enrolled in needs to be canceled, you will be notified by the Summer Session office and given the opportunity to enroll in a different course. If a program that requires pre-payment of program fees is canceled, and you do not wish to enroll in another Summer Session program or course, all program fees will be refunded (including the deposit, if you paid one). 

Three holidays will take place during Summer 2023:

• Juneteenth holiday is on Monday, June 19, 2023
• Independence Day is on Tuesday, July 4, 2023
• Labor Day is on Monday, September 4, 2023

In general, if a holiday falls on a weekday, classes will not be held and University administrative offices will also be closed. The University will not be closed on any other days surrounding the holiday, and you should expect to be in class on these days unless your instructor tells you otherwise. If the holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the University will be closed on either Friday or Monday, respectively, in observance of the holiday, and you should consult your course syllabus to see how your class schedule will be affected.

The refund schedule for UChicago and visiting undergraduate students in Summer Quarter undergraduate courses and programs can be found on the Summer Quarter page.

For pre-college course policies, visit summer.uchicago.edu for more information. 

No housing is available for Visiting students. More information about current UChicago students will be available shortly. UChicago students enrolling in September Term may be able to arrange for a housing assignment; please see the September Term page for details.

Application and registration processes vary depending on the program as well as your student status. Refer to the Current UChicago Students page for the most accurate information.

Ordinarily, students may not enroll in courses whose class time overlaps given the expectation that all students attend courses for which they receive credit. However, in 2023, simultaneous enrollment may be permitted in remotely taught courses with the permission of both instructors and the approval of the Summer Session office. Please find directions and a survey to submit a request at 2023 Undergraduate Simultaneous Enrollment Request.

Because Summer Session courses are on a more intensive schedule, it is not feasible to take the same number of courses as you would during a normal academic quarter. We strongly encourage students not to enroll in more than two regular undergraduate courses in the same session; two Summer Quarter courses are the equivalent of a full-time course load. Summer Language Institute courses are 300 units and, therefore considered full-time by themselves.  While it is not recommended, students can take up to five total courses in the summer, as long as you are enrolled in no more than two courses at the same time.  

The current UChicago students summer page has instructions on getting on waitlists.

If a Visiting Student would otherwise be accepted but a course is full, their place on the waitlist will be managed by Summer Session staff.

The application opens on May 2, 2022 and closes on May 12, 2022. Students who have submitted an application will be notified on May 25 of which course they have been assigned to. Students will need to confirm within 3 days that they would like to be enrolled into their assigned course.

• May 2: Application opens on your UChicago status portal (click access Submitted Application)
• May 12: Application closes
• May 20: Decision notification
• May 25: Confirmations due

Before submitting your form, please be sure to review the information above regarding adding and dropping courses, and the deadlines for withdrawing from Summer courses. 

For Summer 2022, incoming College students may take one remote Summer Quarter undergraduate courses on a space-available basis. Although we hope we will be able to accommodate all interested students, we cannot guarantee that every student will receive a course assignment as demand for courses is at an all-time high. You can learn more here. 

All Summer Quarter courses are for credit.

For incoming College students, any course taken in Summer 2022 will count towards the overall number of credits needed to graduate as general elective credits. Courses taken in Summer 2022 cannot be used to meet Humanities, Social Science, or Civilization Core requirements; however, a number of courses in the Arts, Biological Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, and Physical Sciences may be taken in Summer 2022 and count towards your Core requirements; please consult with your Academic Adviser.

Additionally, all 100-unit Heritage Language courses and 300-unit intensive Summer Language Institute courses will fulfill the College's general Language Competency requirement. 

Incoming College students taking Summer Session courses are assessed tuition and the following are the estimated rates for Summer 2022:

The costs for Summer College courses are not covered by any financial aid you’ve been awarded. Financial aid awards do not apply to Summer College courses taken prior to Autumn Quarter of the first year.

For more information on Summer Session, please review the above Summer Session FAQs or reach out to the following contacts:

• Financial aid for current UChicago students: college-aid@uchicago.edu or 773.702.8666
• Academic advising for current UChicago students: collegeadvising@uchicago.edu or 773.702.8615
• Late registration: summersession@uchicago.edu
• Summer Session Tuition Benefit: summersession@uchicago.edu (general information) or benefits@uchicago.edu (eligibility questions)
• General Summer Session inquiries: summersession@uchicago.edu