The UVU Review is excited to announce their new Academic Underground BEAT, full of academic news and inside scoops. However, before the newest 2025-2026 academic year in the Fall, let’s take an in-depth look at UVU during the summer.
Summer at UVU enrolls fewer students than the fall or the spring semesters, but enrollment doesn’t drop entirely. In fact, 85% of UVU students who graduated from the University with a bachelor’s degree in the past 5 years have registered in and attended at least one summer class. With a total of 50,944 students graduating in the last five years, this means approximately 43,000 students took at least one summer class during their college careers. And that number is only found when using the official graduation numbers-it does not include current UVU students.
Plenty of classes that are required for graduation also take place during the summer semester. In 2021, 4 years ago, 57% of students who registered for summer classes did so in upper division courses in their major. That accessibility remains today with half-block and full-semester classes, offering hybrid, online and in-person options.
With these statistics in hand, the Review took to the halls of UVU to gather students’ opinions and experiences as they take their summer classes. Students were asked about the classes they took during the summer, and how their experience may have changed from the fall or the spring to the summer. They were asked why they took the classes they did, and the benefits they saw for doing so. The Review also talked to students who aren’t taking summer classes and asked them similar questions about their experiences and any foreseeable benefits for them in not taking summer classes.
Staff also gathered information about the summer academic climate at UVU, including the various summer camps and programs that take place on campus throughout the semester. The students gave consent for the use of their names (or nicknames) and experiences, as reflected in the direct quotes provided in this article.
One student who participated in the survey, nicknamed Skyguy, decided not to take summer classes. He stated, “I feel like summer, for me, should be a time to hang out with friends and work to save money for the next semester.” When asked if he perceived an effect on his academic performance going into the fall and spring semester schedule, he answered, “I feel like the only classes that have a negative effect on my return are classes such as math. Besides that, it’s just hopping back into the groove of things. That’s something I’ve never struggled with.” This perspective is shared by many, as casual conversations with students further reveal how the desire for a break causes them to not take summer classes.
Another UVU student who isn’t taking summer classes, Dance Therapy major Josie Winder, shared her perspective on why she isn’t taking summer classes, honestly stating, “It’s too much money, [and] I always have to save as much money as possible in the summer so I can hopefully afford the next two semesters of college.” When asked about her summer schedule, she followed up by saying, “I work a lot in the summer, and the breaks [from school] that I do have actually feel really nice to have because it feels like a great balance in the summer.”
When asked to follow up on that last statement, in conjunction with the final question asked to Skyguy on whether the summer break affected the return to classes in the fall, Winder gave her own refreshing take. “I feel rejuvenated coming into the next semester of college and it’s really nice. By the end of the summer, I’m usually super ready to start [school] again.” This sentiment was once again emphasized by larger groups of students asked in more casual conversations.
Other students, such as soon-to-be senior Julia Henika, have a different perspective. Henika is taking a full semester of classes this summer, and says that she is having a good time, and is learning a lot. When asked about the academic workload, she shrugged, “homework loads are honestly about the same as if I took these classes in the fall or the spring, except for my class about Women in Forensic Science and Criminal Justice, since it’s a block class. Homework seems like it’s always coming, and we do multiple units a week.”
Henika expressed that while the homework load does feel intense, especially with the full class load and her second-block class, she feels good about the summer academic semester and does not regret taking the classes she is enrolled in this summer. “It also helps that I’ve got people around me who are supporting me in every step of the way, and all of the events that UVU puts on to help me get out of my apartment.” Henika finished with that statement, talking about the fun things that happen at UVU during the summer.
Another UVU student taking summer classes is freshman Mikayla Billings, and when asked about it, said “I’m trying to get ahead on my generals. I just started English 2010, and so far, it’s going great!” When asked more about her academic experience, she mentioned that she was nervous when her midterms came up, and would likely also stress about her finals, but that like Henika, it wasn’t anything she hadn’t also experienced in the spring semester with her classes. Billings then mentioned that while she was having fun getting ahead with her generals and anticipated the classes she’d be able to take earlier because of it, she was ready for the music classes and other courses that only occur during the fall and spring. “I’m in the orchestras on campus, and while there is a lot of change due to graduations and whatnot, I’m excited to get started with the new year.”
Billings also talked in depth about the many happenings on UVU campus that aren’t academic that are occurring this semester, with her own honest and fresh perspective. Check out the article on UVU during the summer to learn more about some of the fun activities and Henika’s and Billings’ social experiences and perspective of non-academic happenings at UVU during the summer.
UVU is the largest university in Utah and has a sizable student population from a variety of backgrounds. 41% of UVU students are first-generation, 18% are adult learners (25+), 7% are out-of-state students, 76% work while attending school, and 12% support at least one child. 30% of UVU students are married, and approximately 47% have been awarded some form of financial aid. This includes the students interviewed, with all of them working in some way, whether on campus, off-campus, or both. Some of the students interviewed even hold more than one job or position during the school year.
With this variety in the student body, academic experiences differ. The professors and staff at the University also hail from diverse backgrounds. The UVU Review will continue their exploration and research into academics at and around the University and its 7 different schools and colleges in their Academic Underground beat. Stay tuned for more updates on UVU’s academic landscape in the months to come.
