About Courses
As Stanford's fourth academic quarter, all Summer Session courses carry Stanford University credit—from foundational core courses to options that are unique to Stanford.
You can use your time at Summer Session to go deeper on a favorite topic, explore something new, or try a quintessentially Stanford course.
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Check out our courses from last summer to get a sense of what we offer.
How It Works
- APPLY to attend our eight-week program.
- RECEIVE and accept your admission.
- REGISTER for courses when enrollment opens in April.
- ATTEND as a Residential or Commuter student.
Workload
Summer Quarter condenses the typical 10-week term to 8 weeks and course loads increase proportionally. How much work is a unit? For the average Summer Session student, every unit represents approximately three hours of work each week. Of course, your workload will depend on your circumstances and specific courses. Need some help interpreting your preferred course load? Our advising team is here.
"Next level"
"The standard of education is next level here. The teachers genuinely want to teach and want to see us thrive and be the best version of ourselves."
Helena Phillips
Summer Session 2024
"Amazing"
"Every course that I took was an amazing experience!"
Maki
Summer Session 2024
Academic Support
Summer Session provides academic support every step of the way, from pre-summer through final exams. Our Summer Academic Resource Center offers Academic Advising, Tutoring, and Workshops to ensure you won't be going it alone.
Passionate professors
Summer Session instructors care deeply about their subjects and about helping students learn.
Grading
Academic courses are typically offered for a Letter Grade or for an elected Credit/No Credit grading option. For more information, the Office of the University Registrar maintains a full listing of the General University Grading System. All courses offered as part of Summer Session carry academic credit, regardless of how they are graded.
You can select your preferred grading scale for a specific course in Axess, Stanford's student platform. You may change this option up until the Change of Grading Basis Deadline.
Course Schedule
The majority of summer courses are eight weeks, but a handful of courses follow a slightly different schedule. The start and end date for each course is listed on the searchable Course List. Be sure to review this information as you consider your options and build your schedule.