Florida Students Pack Summer Sessions

The St. Petersburg Times reports that a growing number of Florida college students are using summer classes to catch up on degree requirements and to shorten the time they need to complete their programs.

Over 176,000 students are enrolled in summer classes this year at Florida's 11 state-supported universities. Three schools -- the University of South Florida, the University of Central Florida, and the University of Florida -- have over 27,000 students on campus this summer.

Florida officials see summer sessions as a way of coping with the rapidly growing enrollment at Florida's universities. A state law already requires students to take at least nine credit hours during a summer session in order to receive a degree.

Source: "College in Summer," by Shannon Collevecchio - the St. Petersburg Times, July 24, 2006