Credit hours

Cornell adheres to United States Department of Education, New York State Education Department, and Middle States Commission on Higher Education guidelines pertaining to the definition of a credit hour.

As stated in Courses of Study, under the policy on Defining and Assigning Credit Hours: "Semester hour means a credit, point or other unit granted for the satisfactory completion of a course which requires at least 15 hours (of 50 minutes each) of instruction..."

In general, during the Summer or Winter Session:

  • One-credit classes meet for a minimum of 12.5 instructor contact hours (750 minutes, not including the final exam)
  • Two-credit classes meet for a minimum of 25 instructor contact hours (1,500 minutes, not including the final exam)
  • Three-credit classes meet for a minimum of 37.5 instructor contact hours (2,250 minutes, not including the final exam)
  • Four-credit classes meet for a minimum of 50 instructor contact hours (3,000 minutes, not including the final exam)

Contact hour value for secondary class components LAB and STU is 2:1 compared to the primary component. In other words, every two contact hours spent in these secondary components counts as one contact hour towards your overall requirement.

See the Vice Provost for Enrollment’s web page on credit hours for additional information.

Ideally, longer classes are scheduled for two daily meetings rather than a single meeting.

The contact hours must account for holiday observances.

Online courses at Cornell also comply with polices related to distance education. Regardless of instruction mode or delivery method, the same minimum amount of combined instructional time and supplemental work is required for credit, and faculty must provide regular and substantive interactions with students. However, in an online course, instructional time may take different forms, such as reading/watching synchronous or asynchronous course lectures, participating in faculty-moderated online discussions, and other required academic interactions with faculty.

Summer/Winter schedules

Deviations from the desired schedules below must be approved by a dean of the School of Continuing Education and Summer Sessions.

Three-Week Summer/Winter Sessions

The three-week sessions concentrate on the needs of Cornell undergraduates. We recommend proposing courses expected to have wait lists in the spring term, prerequisites for fall courses, and special interest to majors in a particular field.

This session is made up of 12 to 16 days of classes and two to three study weekends, depending on whether it is in the winter or summer term. Most students are permitted to register for only one course in a three-week session and are expected to work on this course full-time. We recommend that instructors post the initial assignments or books to be read so that students may get a head start if they wish.

Because students take only one course, class meetings may be adjusted at the discretion of the instructor and students at the first class meeting. The SCE office must then be notified of any change made to the published class time.

Online synchronous and on-campus three-week courses usually meet for three hours per day, Monday through Friday, as convenient to the instructor, preferably in two meetings daily rather than a single meeting.

Three-week winter classes

SCE reviews proposals for classes offered online or off campus in the U.S. (No on-campus classes are offered.) For information about offering a short-term international program during Winter Session contact the Office of Global Learning.

Winter Session 2025 final exams will be held on the last day of instruction, January 17, at a time to be arranged by the instructor and announced the first week of classes. Exams may be held on January 18, 2025, if approved, by SCE, prior to the start of classes. See final exams.

Three-week summer classes

Three-week summer courses usually meet for three (3) hours per day, Monday through Friday, as convenient to the instructor, preferably in two meetings daily rather than a single meeting.

Classes are not held on June 19, July 4, or the university holiday in observance of these dates.

In summer, final exams are given on the last day of classes or at a designated time posted at the start of class.

See final exams.

Six-Week Summer Session

The six-week session has the greatest number of course offerings and the largest enrollment of all the sessions.

Two-credit courses meet a minimum of 55 minutes per day, Monday through Friday during the following time periods:

  • 8:30 - 9:25 a.m.
  • 10:00 - 10:55 a.m.
  • 11:30 a.m. - 12:25 p.m.
  • 1:00 - 1:55 p.m.
  • 2:30 - 3:25 p.m.
  • 4:00 - 4:55 p.m.

Three-credit courses meet a minimum of 75 minutes (1 hour, 15 minutes) per day, Monday through Friday, during the following time periods:

  • 8:30 - 9:45 a.m.
  • 10:00 - 11:15 a.m.
  • 11:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.
  • 1:00 - 2:15 p.m.
  • 2:30 - 3:45 p.m.
  • 4:00 - 5:15 p.m.

Four-credit courses meet a minimum of 105 minutes (1 hour, 45 minutes) per day, Monday through Friday, during the following time periods:

  • 8:30 - 10:15 a.m.
  • 10:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
  • 11:30 a.m. - 1:15 p.m.
  • 1:00 - 2:45 p.m.
  • 2:30 - 4:15 p.m.
  • 4:00 - 5:45 p.m.

Classes are not held on June 19, July 4, or the university holiday in observance of these dates.

Final exams are given in the assigned classroom on the Monday and Tuesday following the last Friday of classes. (See final exams for any classroom changes.)

Eight-Week Summer Session

The eight-week session is designed primarily for science and mathematics courses that require more laboratory time than is available in the six-week session.

Three-credit courses meet a minimum of 60 minutes per day, Monday through Friday, during the following time periods:

  • 8:30 - 9:30 a.m.
  • 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
  • 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
  • 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.
  • 2:30 - 3:30 p.m.
  • 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Four-credit courses meet a minimum of 80 minutes per day, Monday through Friday, during the following time periods:

  • 8:30 - 9:50 a.m.
  • 10:00 - 11:20 a.m.
  • 11:30 a.m. - 12:50 p.m.
  • 1:00 - 2:20 p.m.
  • 2:30 - 3:50 p.m.
  • 4:00 - 5:20 p.m.

Classes are not held on June 19, July 4, or the university holiday in observance of these dates.

Final exams are given in the assigned classroom on the Monday and Tuesday following the last Friday of classes. (See final exams for any classroom changes.)