The School of Continuing Education (SCE) is working with Cornell leadership to monitor the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and help ensure the health and well-being of our students, faculty, staff, and community. We are dedicated to helping you continue your education during this difficult time.

Please visit the Cornell coronavirus website regularly for updates, information, and resources for students.

Update on Summer Session 2020

  • Due to COVID-19, the 2020 Cornell University Summer Session will be held entirely online.
  • No classes will be held on campus before August 16.
  • All regular Summer Session online courses will proceed as scheduled and the Prefreshman Summer Program, Veterans' Summer Bridge Program, Engineering Cooperative Education Program, and Cornell in Washington summer term will be delivered online.

  • In addition, with guidance and support from the provost’s office and in collaboration with college academic units, SCE is working as quickly as possible to convert a number of formerly on-campus courses to online offerings and to identify and mount additional summer online courses to help ensure continuity of education for undergraduate and graduate students.

    We expect that this summer’s additional offerings will be vetted by Cornell’s Center for Teaching Innovation, and some will feature content from eCornell.

    Please check the online course roster frequently for additions and updates.

To register for online summer courses

Contact us

Please know that the Cornell community will support you in any way possible if you choose to study with us this summer. Contact us with any questions.

To learn more

To learn more about Cornell's response to the coronavirus, visit the university's health update web site for the most up-to-date news, resources, and FAQs.

Summer online learning FAQs

For a more information, see the complete list of online learning FAQs.

Who is eligible?

Summer Session online classes are open to Cornell and visiting students in the U.S. and abroad. You must be at least a high school sophomore, junior, or senior to take an online class.

Will I have to log on at certain times of day for online courses?

Most online courses are delivered asynchronously via Canvas. You view class lectures on your own schedule and complete assignments within a scheduled time frame. You may be required to meet at set times with the faculty member. In a few select cases, courses are taught synchronously, which will require you to attend lectures at a set time.

The course I want says it is "under review." When will a decision be made?

Your course will appear on the online course roster if approved. Please bear with us as it may take several weeks to update our roster. We suggest you check the online course roster frequently for updates.

Cornell students: Please note that, after the course has appeared on the SCE online course roster, it may take an additional day or two for it to be listed in the Student Center.

Is there a limit to how many online courses I can take?

You are allowed to take up to 15 credits in the summer session. Please review the credit limits by session before enrolling in multiple courses.

How will summer online courses be graded?

All summer courses will follow standard grading basis policies. The grading basis for each course is listed with the course information.

Do online courses cost the same as on-campus courses?

Yes. Tuition is $1,520 per credit.

Cornell’s summer online classes are regular, credit-bearing Cornell courses. As with fall/spring classes, the grades and credits earned through these courses are recorded on an official Cornell transcript. As such, these classes — and all credit-bearing summer offerings — are subject to the Cornell tuition rate set by the university's Board of Trustees.

I need to drop a class. What's the deadline for receiving a refund?

See the summer academic calendar and the refund schedule for information about drop/refund deadlines. See course changes for information about how to drop a course.

For students already enrolled in an in-person course

You will remain enrolled in your on-campus course until a decision has been made to cancel it or move it online. At that time, we will notify you via email of this decision. You'll automatically be enrolled in the online course but may drop it after that, if you choose.

Cornell students

Tuition charges will remain on your bursar account until you drop the course or it is cancelled.

If your course is cancelled, a full refund will be generated and returned to you by the bursar. If you have not done so already, please set up direct deposit through the bursar website.

If you do not want to take your class online, you may drop it via your Student Center any time before the course begins and receive a full refund. If you drop a course after if begins, your refund amount will be based on the SCE refund schedule.

Visiting students

If you wish to drop your course, please email a completed change-in-enrollment form (PDF) to our office at cusce@cornell.edu for processing.

Upon receipt of this form, we will process a refund for you via the same method as your original payment, per the SCE refund schedule. We will work as quickly as we can to issue your refund. Please bear with us as the process may take several weeks. We appreciate your patience.