UF’s Summer A and Summer C sessions kicked off with a record number of students enrolled: 26,703.
Tammy Aagard, UF’s associate vice president for enrollment management, said total enrollment increased from the last Summer sessions by 1,407 students.
The enrollment number does not mean these students are physically in Gainesville, Aagard said. Total enrollment includes being involved in a variety of experiences UF has to offer, including studying abroad, internships and online programs.
Aagard said the increase in student enrollment over Summer could be because of the increasing freshman class sizes.
She said UF’s Class of 2019 and 2020 were two of the largest incoming freshman classes, which lead to more students enrolling in Summer sessions.
Although undergraduate students are required to take nine credit hours over Summer to graduate, Aagard said this does not have to be a burden for students.
“I think that the University of Florida has done a good job in helping students have lots of options that would still meet the spirit of the requirement, but would do things that would enhance their experience,” she said.
Aagard said students have more time over Summer to expand their horizons. Studying abroad, interning or taking online classes allow students to meet the requirement while gaining experience outside the university, she said.
She said she believes the overall number of total enrollment will not continue to grow, but rather level out during the next few years.
Luc Adeclate, a UF psychology junior, said while he is taking classes during his second Summer in Gainesville, he enjoys how relaxing it is.
“I wouldn’t really do anything in the Summer anyway if it wasn’t for school,” the 20-year-old said. “Even though it’s a faster pace, it’s not as much work, it seems.”
Contact Catie Wegman at cwegman@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter: @catie_wegman.
