In 2019, summer classes were a part of more than 30 percent of UW-Madison undergraduates’ course load — up 10 percent from last year, university data said.
A recent university campaign to increase summer term enrollment set a goal of more than 9,000 summer term students by 2020. Over the summer, the university surpassed this target with 9,226 students taking at least one course.
Larger enrollment in summer term helps students complete their degrees faster and provides additional university funding during the ongoing tuition freeze for Wisconsin residents and funding cuts in state budgets, according to UW-Madison.
Increased summer enrollment over the past two years boosted revenue almost $7 million, from $24.6 million in summer 2017 to $31.4 million in summer 2019, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
Part of this rise can be attributed to increased enrollment in online classes, which allows flexibility with students’ other summer commitments, like jobs, internships or studying abroad, Associate Dean of Summer Term Aphra Mednick told the State Journal.
Online enrollment increased about 25 percent, or by around 1,000 students. Sixty percent of the total summer 2019 enrollment was online — and four out of the top five most popular summer courses were offered online, according to the State Journal.
“We’ve tried to really speak to the demand that students are looking for,” Mednick said.
