Join over 10,000 students at our seaside campus over the summer to explore diverse educational opportunities. With seven sessions and more than 600 courses across all disciplines, Summer Sessions welcome a mix of UC Santa Barbara students, visiting students, high schoolers, and community members. Beyond the classroom, enjoy cultural events, performances, and GRIT Talks--our engaging lecture series featuring groundbreaking faculty research. There's something for everyone to enrich their summer experience.
How can UCSB students benefit from Summer Sessions?
ADVANCE
progress to degree
Accelerate toward your educational goals with 600+ courses offered across seven sessions.
EXPAND
your horizons
Leverage summer to add a major or minor, discover a new discipline, gain hands-on experience, and more.
INVEST
in your future
Capitalize on in-state tuition benefits and other summer savings to reduce your educational expenses.
EXPLORE
innovative programs
Participate in one of our academic or research programs to enhance your toolkit for success.
Visit the Summer Sessions website for details and expand the list below to get answers to the most frequently asked questions.
Summer Sessions FAQs
Summer Sessions operates slightly differently than the regular school year. If you are a current UCSB student, you will need to "Create a Summer Quarter" on GOLD by clicking the button on the Registration tab. After creating your summer quarter, you will be provided registration pass times. For all other types of students interested in taking UCSB Summer Sessions courses, visit the Summer Sessions website for enrollment details specific to you.
Yes. There are typically more online courses offered during the summer than during the regular academic year. The Summer Sessions website has a list of courses that they anticipate will be offered online over the summer.
Sometimes students can receive some financial aid for summer courses if they are enrolled in at least 6 units throughout the summer, but there are many factors that impact whether students can receive financial aid over the summer, so you should contact the Office of Financial Aid for details.
Students can potentially enroll in up to 16 units in a single session, but students are ultimately limited to no more than 16 combined units from any overlapping summer sessions (e.g. 12 units in Session A + 4 units in Session C). However, Summer Sessions courses are typically fast paced, so 16 units of overlapping coursework can be a rigorous course load. We recommend that you talk with an advisor about your plans before undertaking a heavy course load over the summer.