Rutgers Survey Finds All Parties Win When Colleges Offer Winter Sessions

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – With a faltering economy cutting into collegians’ holiday travel budgets, shopping plans and even short-term employment opportunities, many are taking a pragmatic view. They are choosing to invest further in their education and move a step or two closer to graduation by enrolling in Winter Session classes at their hometown colleges and universities, according to a survey conducted by Elizabeth Hough, director of Summer and Winter Sessions on the New Brunswick Campus of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.

Hough surveyed 59 members of the Association of University Summer Sessions and the North American Association of Summer Sessions and found that 24 institutions (41 percent) offered winter programs; 21 of these (88 percent) were run by survey respondents.

Winter Session is a relatively new concept, Hough learned: 75 percent of programs were launched within the past 15 years. Almost as many – 71 percent – were growing, as measured by course enrollment figures. The median number of courses offered at the respondents’ institutions ranged between 25 and 49, and the median enrollment was between 700 and 799 students.

“Nearly all – 95 percent – of Winter Sessions were developed to provide courses students need for their academic degrees,” Hough noted. She added that the between-semesters-session also served students by providing additional sections of overenrolled courses, and offering courses rarely scheduled during fall and spring semesters. Additionally, out-of-state students returning home for holiday breaks often benefit financially from lower in-state tuitions.

Most respondents (82 percent), however, reported that the vast majority of their winter students – more than 90 percent – also attend their institution during the academic year; the remaining participants are most often visiting students from other colleges. While students taking Winter Session courses at their own colleges usually can apply credits earned toward their degree requirements, “visiting students should seek approval from their academic advisers for transfer of credits to their own degree programs prior to enrolling elsewhere,” Hough cautioned.   

Students were not alone in reaping benefits from the extra session, Hough said. “Academic departments can pilot new or experimental courses, and graduate students and teaching assistants can gain valuable classroom experience,” she said. “Winter Sessions also generate revenue for the departments or units sponsoring courses and extra income for faculty.”      

Administrators use a variety of media and methods to recruit Winter Session students, the survey found. All institutions market through their websites and two-thirds rely on e-mail. One-third of those surveyed employ print brochures and print postcards, and about a quarter rely on radio commercials (29 percent), online advertising, print catalogues and marketing events (each 24 percent). Thirteen respondents operate with a budget under $10,000.

Hough said Rutgers’ Winter Session program is entering its 10th year. Last year, 850 students attended 52 courses – 90 percent of those were Rutgers students. They earned from one to four credits.

“Regular” registration (without late fees) for Winter Session in New Brunswick runs through Dec. 15, although Dec. 9 is the deadline for visiting students to register online. Web registration for Rutgers students closes 2 p.m. on Dec. 13. Classes begin Tuesday, Dec. 23 and end Friday, Jan. 16.

For information about Winter Session at Rutgers, visit http://www.wintersession.rutgers.edu/.