Summer Session Study 2012
Summary of Findings
Enrollment and Credit Hours Carried

Although there have been increases and decreases, undergraduate enrollment was virtually the
same in the summer of 2012 as it was in the summer of 2008; the number of freshmen enrolled
decreased by 28%; the number seniors and doctoral students enrolled increased by 2% and 7%
respectively in the five year span. Overall graduate enrollment has decreased by 12% over five
years.

The College of Applied Science and Technology undergraduate enrollment has increased by 16%
while the College of Education undergraduate enrollment decreased by 13%. Undergraduate
credit hours carried in Mennonite College of Nursing (MCN) increased by 15%.

On the graduate student side, Applied Science and Technology experience significantly lower
enrollment (38%) taking 58% fewer credit hours over the five year period, as did the College of
Education, with 35% fewer graduate students taking 30% fewer credit hours. While Mennonite
College of Nursing showed a 66% increase in graduate enrollment taking 64% more credit hours
from 2008 to 2012.

The majority of students who enroll in summer session take 1-3 credit hours, however there has
been growth in those taking 4-6 hours in the last five years. Specifically, the number of students
who took 1-3 hours experienced a 6% decrease while the number who took 4-6 credit hours
increased by 2% overall and 8% for undergraduate students.

The number of credit hours earned after the spring term, and prior to summer session, show
that students electing to attend summer session earned a higher number of credit hours for all
class levels (except for those who have already attained senior status) than students who did
not attend summer session.

The five year change by racial/ethnic designation shows that the largest decrease was in the
number of Non-Resident Alien graduate students enrolling in summer courses (43%). Another
large decrease was in the number of students with no response, which declined from 271 in
2008 to 100 in 2012. The addition of the option to select two or more race selections in the fall
2010 could be driving that change.
Outcomes

A comparison of Spring End of Term to Summer End of Term Grade Point Averages show that at
every undergraduate degree-seeking class level the overall cumulative GPA increased following
the summer session. In 2012, the overall undergraduate GPA went from 3.05 to 3.08.

A comparison of the distribution of Grade Point Averages from spring to summer show that the
overall cumulative GPA improved after summer sessions for every group of students below the
average GPA of 2.50 over the last 5 years.

For students, in the fall 2005 cohort, who graduated from Illinois State within six years only
26.5% did so without attending a summer session at an institution of higher learning. Out of the
2,250 graduates, 1,663 (74%) attended at least one summer session, compared to 587 who
didn’t attend any summer sessions. The average number of semesters attended by those who
enrolled in summer session was 10 compared to 8.5 for those who didn’t.

A comparison of Time-to-Degree for Baccalaureate Degree recipients between those who
attended a summer session, those who did not attend a summer session, and all graduates of
the 2005 beginning cohort reveals:
o The percent of graduates who attended at least one summer session has increased for
the last six cohorts analyzed. Of the 2000 graduates 80.8% attended at least one
summer session compared to 86.8% of the 2005 graduates.
o For students who attended at least one summer session, 62.2% graduated in 4 years or
less compared to 58.1% of students who did not attend any summer session, 33.3%
graduate in five years compared to 37.8% who didn’t attend summer session, and 4.5%
graduate in six years compared to 4.1% who didn’t attend summer session.
Opportunities

The summer session courses most often transferred back to Illinois State by our students over
the last five years:
o Communication as Critical Inquiry (3,367)
o Writing in the Academic Disciplines (2,008)
o Composition as Critical Inquiry (1,223)
o Applied Calculus (1,142)

The most popular institutions where Illinois State students enrolled for summer courses in the
last five years:
o Heartland Community College (2,790)
o College of Du Page (2,206)
o Illinois Central College (1,989)
o Moraine Valley Community College (1,827)
o William Rainey Harper College (1,752)