All Stanford Summer Session courses carry Stanford University credit. Grades are recorded on an official Stanford transcript along with the course name and credit earned. Transcripts are available upon request from the Registrar. Stanford’s calendar is based on the quarter system. The unit of credit is the quarter unit.

Course Load

Every unit for which credit is given represents approximately three hours of work each week for the average student. In a lecture- or discussion-based course, for each unit of credit, one hour each week will be allotted to the lecture or discussion and two hours for preparation or subsequent reading and study. Studio, field, or laboratory courses require three hours of class time for each unit of credit. During the Summer Quarter, the typical 10-week term is condensed to 8 weeks; course load requirements increase proportionally.

Course Schedule

Students should refer to the Courses page and filter by their audience to review the courses being offered this summer. To be eligible to enroll in courses, you must have been offered admission to Stanford Summer Session and been issued a Stanford ID number. 

The majority of summer courses are taught within the eight-week Summer Quarter; however, there are a handful of courses that follow a slightly different schedule. The start and end date for each course is listed within the online course description. It is important that students review this information as they consider their options and build their summer schedule. Although not common, it is possible to enroll in a schedule of courses with overlapping finals, so students should view Stanford’s Final Exams website for the Summer Quarter exam schedule before enrolling in courses.

Grading

Academic courses taught during the Summer Quarter are typically offered for a Letter Grade or for an elected Credit/No Credit grading option. Non-academic courses are offered on a Satisfactory/No Credit basis. For more information, the Office of the University Registrar maintains a full listing of the General University Grading System. Please note that all courses offered as part of Summer Session carry academic credit, regardless of how they are graded. Stanford does not offer courses for audit during the Summer Quarter.

When enrolling in a specific course, you have the ability to select their preferred grading scale from the options provided within Axess. You may change this option in Axess up until the Change of Grading Basis Deadline.

Credit Transfer

Undergraduate and Graduate Students

If you wish to receive credit at your home institution for work completed at Stanford, you are encouraged to obtain pre-approval for your summer courses and should determine the correct procedures for credit transfer with your home institution. You should also plan on taking all courses for a letter grade. In many cases, the transfer process will require the review of course materials, including a course overview or syllabus. When available, course syllabi are available on the Courses page or on syllabus.stanford.edu.

High School Students

If you wish to transfer credit to your future institutions, you should also plan on taking all courses for a letter grade. In many cases, the transfer process will require the review of course materials, including a course overview or syllabus. When available, course syllabi are available on the Courses page or on syllabus.stanford.edu.