The reasons for taking summer courses are as varied as the students who take them. Students can complete general University degree requirements, fulfill prerequisites, explore a secondary interest, focus on pre-health courses, and work on accelerating or even completing their degrees.  Yes, some students attend summer classes to make up courses, though the Summer School supports the recommendation long-held by Academic Services that time away is often the better option for students who are experiencing academic or health challenges.

There are lots of resources for planning your summer:  Academic Services, faculty advisors, and the Summer School staff are ready to help you.

So who takes summer classes?

Brandeis undergraduates make up 72% of the students taking courses in our five-week and extended session courses.  Visiting students from other colleges and universities, who return to the Greater Boston area for the summer, are another 18% of our summer audience.  Adults, high school students and University staff round out those enrolled in our 60+ courses.

With an undergraduate population of just over 3600, 73% of the Brandeis’ U.S. students live outside of Massachusetts while another 15% of the undergraduate population have international origins with China, Korea, India, Canada and Israel yielding the highest numbers of students. By the time a Brandeis class is ready to graduate almost a third of our seniors have attended a Summer School program at least once.