In Summer Session, a normal 16-week course is concentrated into shorter sessions with more meeting times per week. For every hour in class, you can expect to spend another two hours outside class reviewing materials, completing assignments and studying. Summer Session is a full academic semester at UC Merced. Deadlines reflect the condensed nature of the program. All university academic standards, rules and regulations apply. These are specified in the UC Merced General Catalog, available at the UC Merced Campus Store or online.
Things move quickly in the summer and a lot is covered during each class meeting. Failure to attend class for even a single meeting can have dramatic, negative effects on your grade. If you know you are going to miss the first class meeting, contact the instructor or the appropriate school if an instructor has not been assigned.
All grades earned during Summer Session become part of your permanent academic record. In addition, Summer Session grades will be counted in your overall grade point average. Academic standing is not calculated during Summer Session, so UC Merced students will find that Summer Session may be used to improve their academic standing when it is calculated at the end of the subsequent fall semester.
Students are entitled by law and university policy to examine and challenge most of the records the university maintains on them. These records are confidential and in most circumstances may be released to third parties only with the student’s prior consent.
Students are advised to take a maximum of 12 units during Summer Session. Units above the maximum are allowed only with permission of a student's academic advisor.
Students may add courses on MyRegistration through the first day of class. After the first day of class, students may only add courses with instructor permission. Students should visit the Students First Center to obtain Add/Drop forms or click here. The form must be signed by the instructor. A late registration fee of $50 will be assessed for each course registration that occurs after the fee payment deadline.
Because summer courses are condensed, students should pay close attention to all drop and refund dates. The summer drop/withdrawal form can be found here.
All UC Merced courses are approved under the semester system. The result of the student’s work in each course is reported to the Office of the Registrar in one of the following grades: A = excellent; B = good; C = fair; D = barely passing; I = Incomplete; and F = not passing. Courses numbered 099 and below are lower-division; 100 to 199 are upper-division; 200 and above are graduate-level courses.
Grade points are assigned to each grade as follows:
It is always best to consult with your home campus regarding grading requirements before electing a grading option.
An undergraduate student may repeat only those courses in which a grade of D+, D, D-, F, U, or Not Passed was received. Undergraduate courses in which a grade of D+, D, D-, or F has been earned may not be repeated on a passed/not passed basis. Similarly, a graduate course in which a grade below a B, or a grade of U, was received may be repeated only once and may not be repeated on a S/U basis. Repetition of a course requires approval by the appropriate academic advisor in all instances. Degree credit for a course will be given only once, but the grade assigned at each enrollment shall be permanently recorded. For questions contact the Office of the Registrar.
The grade of "I" may be assigned when the instructor determines that a student’s work is of passing quality and represents a significant portion of the requirements for a final grade, but is incomplete for a good cause. (Good cause may include current illness, serious personal problems, an accident, a recent death in the immediate family, a large and necessary increase in working hours or other situations of equal gravity.) It is the student’s responsibility to obtain written permission from the instructor to receive an I grade as opposed to a non-passing grade. The Incomplete Grade form is available from this website and must be filed before the end of the final examination period. If extenuating circumstances exist where submission of the I grade form is not possible before the end of the final examination period, an instructor may submit an I grade; however, the form, including student and instructor signatures, must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar before the first day of instruction of the next semester (which would include the Summer Session). If the form is not received by the Office of the Registrar before the first day of instruction of the next semester, the I grade will revert to an F, NP or U.
All courses offered by Summer Session have been reviewed and approved by the UC Merced Undergraduate Council (unless otherwise noted). This means UC Merced Summer Session students take the same courses offered during the regular academic year and non-UC Merced students will find it easy to transfer their units to other accredited colleges and universities.
These generally take place during the last scheduled class meeting.
Students who are interested in enrolling in directed group study, directed independent study or research must complete and submit the Summer Session Only Independent Study Form. School-specific information for completing this can be found on the back of the form.
In the summer, contact hours are calculated as:
Six-week session: 1 unit equivalent to eight hours research/week
Eight-week session: 1 unit equivalent to six hours research/week
Twelve-week session: 1 unit equivalent to four hours research/week
