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Amid a weak economy and tuition increases across the country, schools in multiple states are experiencing increases in summer session enrollment.  

The recession has meant that fewer students can find jobs during the summer and that competition for resume building internships is tough.  That means more students are left with time to add a few credits during the summer and an incentive to finish school as quickly and cheaply as possible.  At the same time, Pell Grants are now available year-round, providing added incentive to take summer classes.

While summer enrollment is not up across the board, it is up at many campuses.  At the University of Texas-Dallas enrollment is up by 5.3 percent and at the University of Missouri-St. Louis enrollment is up by 4.6 percent.  

In California students have even more incentive to take as many credits this year as possible. The 32 percent tuition increase that sparked protests around the state doesn’t fully kick in until the fall.

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