UC Davis Summer Sessions launches June 13 and features more for everyone this year with more students, more virtual courses and more co-curricular activities.

Nearly 14,400 undergraduates are currently registered for summer courses, about 9% more than the 2024 enrollment at the same time. Enrollment is also up for other students, including high school students, community college students, community members and other UC undergraduates.

With more than 700 courses provided over two six-week sessions and a variable Special Session, Summer Sessions are designed to support current students by decreasing the time to receiving a degree while increasing both retention and graduation rates.

“We offer this number of courses, along with guaranteed general education courses and even one- to three-credit courses, to give UC Davis students the options and flexibility they need to graduate on time or even graduate early,” said Omega Lee, Summer Sessions executive director.

More virtual courses

This summer’s offerings include more virtual course offerings, too. Last year, Summer Sessions partnered with faculty who sought to create and teach high-quality virtual courses that were of greatest student demand in summer and that promote equitable outcomes.

“Chiefly, we did this to provide undergraduates with greater and more equitable access to coursework in the summer. Students, especially lower-income students, face major challenges to participating in Summer Sessions,” said Matt Traxler, associate vice provost for student success in Undergraduate Education. “Students expressed much greater interest in virtual coursework in the post-pandemic period. Providing more high-quality remote learning opportunities helps us reach more students who couldn’t previously reconcile competing needs to be home, work and perform family responsibilities along with their desire to further their educations.”

This initiative expanded UC Davis virtual course offerings from 33 online courses in 2024 to 59 online courses in 2025.

UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education partnered with faculty to transform these courses into a virtual format.

“Our work with Summer Sessions demonstrates the value and efficacy of online learning at UC Davis,” said Julie Greenwood, dean of UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education, or CPE. “This kind of cross-campus partnership accelerates the advancement of our students while ensuring the academic rigor that’s the standard at UC Davis. Now more than ever, we need innovative solutions and new approaches to address the challenges facing the university. I’m excited to work with Undergraduate Education in taking this crucial first step.”

Lee said Summer Sessions plans to continue the virtual course initiative. Faculty interested in participating in this effort should contact Lee by email to learn more.

More co-curricular activities

Summer Sessions also provides undergraduates other resources to support them throughout the summer months. Fun activities, such as movie and game nights, provide students with opportunities to experience summer campus life.

The Summer Sessions team collaborated with the UC Davis Writing Center to offer the first-ever Summer Scholars Writing Academy to enhance students’ creative and academic writing skills. The free program includes six sessions, each an hour long, focused on improving writing skills for students in any major. The Summer Scholars Writing Academy is available to current or incoming students during either Session I or Summer Session II. Registration is now open for the Summer Session I academy.

Registration closes June 27 for Summer Session I and Aug. 8 for Session II. Visit the Summer Sessions website to explore all the course offerings and learn more about summer fees, financial aid and registration details. Summer Sessions is a unit of UC Davis Undergraduate Education.