More students looking toward ‘off-season’ enrollment

Saint Rose students aren’t just fitting their education into fall and spring semesters. The number of undergraduates taking a summer or winter session course has grown 59% since 2016-17.

In the 2019-2020 academic year, 346 undergraduates took a summer or winter session course, and although that doesn’t reach the pinnacle “off-season” enrollment during the last decade of 458 students in 2013-14, we’ve shown steady year-over-year growth. Winter session as we know it today just started at Saint Rose in 2018.

“In the last few years, we’ve expanded the number of online course offerings during summer session and added a winter session,” said Dr. Margaret McLane, interim provost and vice president for academic affairs. “This allows students to get ahead in their degree programs or stay on track because they can take a course during what would normally be a break. Our students come from all over, so online options in the summer and winter make it possible for students to take Saint Rose courses, rather than picking up courses elsewhere during the breaks and then transferring them back to Saint Rose.”

The College has worked to make summer and winter session affordable by offering an undergraduate course discount of 25%, which brings the final cost down to $446 per credit. Enrollment for winter session, which will run from December 14 to January 8 this year, is now open, and 29 undergraduate classes are being offered.

The length of summer session courses varies, but winter session stretches only four weeks and the courses are intensive. For that reason, McLane said, students would likely want to limit the number they take.

Undergraduate students aren’t the only ones interested in off-season enrollment. Graduate students at Saint Rose continue to step outside of a traditional fall start with more than 40% of new graduate students beginning programs in the spring or summer.

“This is about flexibility and creating more options for students,” McLane said. “We’re pleased that so many students are choosing to take courses at Saint Rose, no matter what time of year they pursue their studies.”