Residential Programs

To secure space in UChicago Summer Session, students and their families need to complete all the items on the checklist below. All items are accessible through the Status Page.

• Submit your Reply to Offer of Admission form.

• Pay the non-refundable $1,000 enrollment deposit within a week of receiving your acceptance letter.

• Enrolled students must pay the remaining balance on the program fee within four weeks of receiving your offer of admission.

• Claim your CNET ID and password at cnet.uchicago.edu using the UCID listed on your status page. Your CNET ID will be your email address while you are on campus. You must create your CNET ID before you arrive so that you can upload a current photo for your UChicago Card and also for international students to secure an F-1 visa.

Complete and submit the required forms via your UChicago Account:

• Health and medical information

• Emergency contact information

• Travel information (on status page in April)

• Parental Release Form (to be completed by parent or guardian ONLY)

• Academic, Social, and Residential Policies Acknowledgment

• Student Waiver of FERPA Rights

Within one week of admission, students must accept their offer of admissions and submit a non-refundable deposit of $1,000 via the students' UChicago Account. The deposit holds a student's place in the program and can be paid via credit card. The full remaining balance of the program fee will be due within four weeks of admittance to Summer Session. Students will forfeit their place in the course if we do not receive payment.

Withdrawing

All students who have confirmed their admission will be registered for their course(s); if you decide to withdraw after you have sent in your confirmation form and deposit, you must email summersession@uchicago.edu with an official withdrawal request. Students will be billed for the program fee if they have not officially withdrawn.

Please Note: verbally informing an instructor that you are withdrawing or failing to attend classes does not constitute an official withdrawal.

Refunds

All requests for refunds must be made in writing to summersession@uchicago.edu.

• After receiving the written request for a refund, the program fee (minus deposit) can be refunded until May 5, 2025.

• After May 5, no refunds will be issued.

• Application fees and the enrollment deposit are nonrefundable for all programs.

If you have a 504 plan or IEP at your current school, or otherwise believe that you might need accommodations such as extra time for tests or a dorm room close to an elevator, contact Student Disability Services as soon as possible at disabilities@uchicago.edu or at (773) 702-6000. The review process can take a while, so don’t delay your request if you think you might need it

1 Week and 2 Week Programs. If you are not a U.S. citizen, and you are participating in either a 1 Week or 2 Week Residential programs, then you do not require a student visa, but may require a tourist visa.

3 Week and 4 Week Programs. If you are not a U.S. citizen, and you are enrolled in a 3 Week or 4 Week Residential Pre-Collegiate Summer Session programs, you will need to secure a student visa. If you are already on a visa in the U.S. that permits you to study over the summer, you may not require visa sponsorship from the University of Chicago.

Please refer to this chart to determine which option best describes your situation; this will indicate to you whether you need to request an I-20 from UChicago and subsequently apply for a F-1 visa stamp.

Chicago weather in the summer can fluctuate, but you should, when packing clothes, make sure you’re prepared for the possibility of high heat (as high as 90-95 degrees Fahrenheit) and humidity.

Student rooms are provided with one pillow and a blanket, but students who prefer more than one pillow or a heavier weight blanket (air-conditioned buildings can be chilly at night) will want to pack accordingly. The residential commons has pay-per-use laundry facilities, and Summer Session will provide basic laundry detergent, but you will need to provide your own fabric softener, dryer sheets and clothes hangers.

We recommend that you pack the following items to make your stay at the Residential Commons more comfortable:

• Light clothing

• Sheets and pillowcase for extra-long twin bed (36" x 80")*

• Shower towel*

• Hand towel*

• Extra blanket or comforter*

• Warm layer in case of cooler weather

• Umbrella or rain jacket

• Walking shoes

• Laptop**

• Swimsuit

• Sunscreen

• Notebooks

• Toiletries

• Folders

• Clothes hangers

• Pens and pencils

• Photo ID

• Personal spending money

*The residence hall’s linen service provides a summer-weight blanket, sheets, pillows, and towels, but, if you are particular about your linens, you should bring your own. All beds are extra-long single beds (36” x 80”).

**Computing facilities (including pay-per-use printers) are available on campus, but we suggest bringing your own if you have one. WiFi is available in all campus buildings.

Residential students should not carry large amounts of cash. Traveler’s checks or an ATM are safer alternatives. You will be able to find CitiBank ATMs on campus. Other banks and ATMs are available throughout the neighborhood. Some banks will provide customers with prepaid debit cards (you choose how much money can be loaded on to it), and some parents have found this option works well. However, you should be aware that students cannot use these cards to get cash (either from an ATM or as “cash back” during a transaction), as they are for purchases only.

Parents often ask us how much pocket money they should give to their student. This varies according to the needs and habits of the individual, so it is difficult to say. Meals taken in the dining hall will be paid for, and the residential staff always plans many low-cost and no-cost activities, but students do go on outings to restaurants, movies, plays, and other destinations, both informally and with their RA groups, so you will want to provide some money for these sorts of activities.

Arrival Day & Orientation

Check-in will take place in the residence hall. Minor students will check in at Woodlawn Residential Commons at 1156 East 61st Street on the University’s Hyde Park campus. Students who are over 18 years old will check into Renee Granville-Grossman Residential Commons at 6031 South Ellis Avenue a few blocks away. Please arrive between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. to check into the residence hall. Students who arrive before 10:00 a.m. will keep their belongings with them until they can check into their room after10:00 a.m.

Orientation will take place on your arrival day, and attendance is mandatory.

Orientation provides information for students to become acquainted with and ask questions about life at UChicago. On arrival day, all students will check in at the residence hall and receive their program materials, attend an orientation session, and connect with their residential House through a campus tour, dinner and an all-House meeting. All students must attend Summer Session Orientation for their session; if you have an unavoidable conflict, and you know in advance that you will not be able to attend, you must contact the Summer Session Office well in advance at summersession@uchicago.edu

Parents should plan to depart campus before orientation on arrival day. Residential students will have their first meal in the dining hall at dinner on arrival day. Commuter students are required to attend your Orientation check-in and Orientation Session on arrival day. All events after 6pm on arrival day are optional for commuter students.

SESSION I

Arrival Day:

Check-in: Saturday, June 15 from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Orientation Session: Saturday, June 15

Campus Logistics Day:

Campus tours, bookstore visits, and more throughout the day on Sunday, June 16.

SESSION II

Arrival Day:

Check-in: Monday, July 8 from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Orientation Session: Monday, July 8

Campus Logistics Day:

Campus tours, bookstore visits, and more throughout the day on Tuesday, June 9.

GETTING TO CAMPUS

Students flying into O’Hare International Airport have the option to transport back to campus with other UChicago Summer Session students. A staff member will meet them at the airport, and lead them to our shuttle service. An additional fee is associated with this service.

Students flying into Midway International Airport must arrange for their own transportation to and from campus. Students can use ride sharing apps, public transportation, or shuttles.

Course Credit and Grades

All multiweek courses open to high school students are graded (A-F) and carry 100 units of credit, and have undergraduate-level course numbers. It’s important to note that, as opposed to many universities that structure their calendars by semesters, the University of Chicago operates on a quarter system. Each University of Chicago 100-unit course is the equivalent of 3.3 semester credit hours.

Students interested in the possible transfer of any University of Chicago credit earned while taking Summer Session courses will have to contact that institution directly. Transferability of credit to another institution is at the discretion of that institution. Please note that a student’s grades will not be sent to a university or any other institution unless a student has requested a transcript. Transcripts for Summer Session courses are available through a student's myUChicago account beginning in late August.

Daily Schedule

Students are in class for the majority of the day. A lot of material is covered every day, as each course covers the same amount of material usually taught over a nine-week quarter. Attendance in class is required. Students who must miss class due to illness or an emergency situation should notify their instructor as soon as possible.

When students are not in class, you will have homework to do, but you will also have the opportunity to socialize with your fellow students and attend special activities planned by the residential staff. Please see more information on our Student Life page.

Books

You can see if your course requires a textbook by searching the The University of Chicago Bookstore and The Seminary Co-op Bookstore websites. Many courses have readings that are available entirely online via a UChicago website that you can log into using your cNet ID and password. Residential students are not expected to have your books before you arrive, unless your course instructor reaches out to you via email to tell you otherwise.

The Office of College Admissions welcomes you to Summer Session and invites you to join us for a series of workshops and presentations to help you navigate and prepare for the college admissions process. These are available to every registered pre-college student of Summer Session, and for our online sessions, parents or family members living in the same household are welcome to join! You may participate in as many of the sessions as you would like.

Each Sunday session will be hosted virtually via Zoom for any and all students enrolled in Summer Session. Students will be emailed invitations to register for each session.

All of the sessions provided below are exclusive to our enrolled Summer Session students. Summer Session students are also invited to register for any of our undergraduate information sessions and virtual campus tours, or any of our student life or campus partner sessions, all of which can be found on College Admissions.

Summary of Sessions

Presenting…YOU!: Essay Writing: From the personal statement to institution-specific programs, essays are an integral part of the admissions process at highly selective institutions. We will review some basic do’s and don’ts and share some insight into how essays add an important perspective to the application.

A Look Inside the Admissions Committee: A Case Study Exercise: This is your chance to see what an application looks like and how applications are reviewed. Together we will serve as the admissions committee for a university, review applications, and decide who is admitted, waitlisted, or denied admission.

Holistic Review & Highly Selective Admissions: Nuts and bolts session intended for younger students or family members who may not be as familiar with the application process to U.S. colleges and universities, especially regarding what the different components of the application are and how are they considered in a holistic review process. There will also be Q&A time.

The schedule for sessions will be updated in Spring of 2025.

Students will be emailed invitations to register for their desired sessions.

Student Health Services

Summer Session students have access to medical resources at UChicago Student Wellness, which supports primary and acute health care needs and routine medical services in their on-campus offices. Urgent or emergent medical care will be provided at Comer Children’s Hospital.

Students are encouraged to maintain contact with their ongoing mental health resources while in their Summer Session program. While urgent mental health crises can be supported by on-campus Student Wellness resources, Summer Session students do not have access to non-emergent therapy or medication management.

Student Health Insurance

The University of Chicago will be providing “blanket” accident, injury and sickness insurance coverage for Summer Session students who are enrolled in 3 Week and 4 Week Residential Programs. Students will be automatically covered by this blanket accident, injury and sickness insurance. This coverage will be in addition to any primary health insurance they may already have. The cost of this coverage will be included as part of the program fee.

Injury, Illness, or Other Emergent Situations

Students in 3 Week and 4 Week Residential programs have access to medical facilities, including the Student Health Services and an on-call physician for after business hours care. If a student requires immediate medical attention, the University of Chicago’s Medical Center is on campus.

Residential staff members will be available 24/7 to help in the case of any emergency and will contact the parent or guardian. All parents of minors are required to submit a release form authorizing necessary medical treatment in the case that the parent/guardian cannot be reached. This release is provided to parents after their student has been accepted to the program.

Class attendance is required, as our courses are very intensive and catching up can be very difficult for a student who has fallen behind, but we understand that emergencies arise. Students who must miss 1-2 days of class should notify their instructor immediately to let them know that they will not be in class, and to learn what course work must be completed.

Students who miss 3 or more days of class must contact the Summer Session Office for withdrawal counseling. Students who have completed the majority of the requirements in their course may petition the Summer Session Office for the option to take their course for an Incomplete. Our office will consult with the course instructor(s) about the feasibility of completing the coursework off-campus and how and when the remaining requirements would be fulfilled if granted. All requests for Incompletes in pre-college courses must be made through the Summer Session Office, not through the instructor(s), and the decision of our office is final. Students who are granted an Incomplete must complete their remaining requirements in the stipulated timeframe or they will receive an F in the course; they also are responsible for payment of their entire program fee. Students who are not granted an Incomplete must withdraw from the program; depending upon their withdrawal date, they will receive a partial refund of their program fee.

If a residential Summer Session student must depart campus due to physical or mental health concerns, an approved parent or guardian must retrieve the student within 48 hours of being notified of the student’s situation. Any associated costs are the responsibility of the student’s family. This policy also applies to Stones and Bones students during the field work portion of the program in Wyoming.

Immunizations

The State of Illinois and the University require students to provide proof of immunization. Students enrolled in 3 Week and 4 Week Residential Programs will need to provide proof that they have received the required immunizations via the my.WellnessPortal.

On my.WellnessPortal, students can download the immunization form, upload documentation, and view compliance status. Students who have not received the required immunizations, can be vaccinated when they arrive on-campus.

We will email admitted students further instructions on immunizations in the spring.

All pre-college students residing on campus will check-in nightly with their residential staff members. This required nightly curfew sign-in period, which is reviewed with students during Orientation, is another opportunity for students and staff to connect through occasional study break snacks, games and activities. Although we do not conduct bed checks or enforce a “lights out” in the residence halls after curfew, quiet hours after 10:00 p.m. ensure that all can study and sleep. There are no exceptions to the nightly curfew policy, unless parents or family request to bring their students home (or elsewhere off campus) on a specific evening, and have submitted a Parental Curfew Release Form more than 24 hours before the student departs from campus.

Parents must complete a Parental Curfew Release Form if:

• They authorize an adult (including themselves) who is not a Summer Session participant, to accompany their student outside the dormitory after curfew hours, or

• They authorize an adult (including themselves) who is not a Summer Session participant to accompany their student off-campus overnight and/or for a weekend.

This online form is to be completed by the parent or guardian for every date the student will be outside the residence hall during designated curfew hours: after 10:00 p.m. and before 6:00 a.m. daily. This form must be received at least 24 hours prior to the release date. Please allow 24 hours for a staff member to acknowledge approval of your request. Students without approved Curfew Release Forms on file and who are not present for curfew sign-in will be considered in violation of the curfew policy and disciplined accordingly.

The form should be used if the student will be continuously out of the residence hall during curfew hours: for example, a late dinner one night or staying with family off-campus overnight or for the weekend. Curfew Release Forms are not necessary for students who will only be off-campus before curfew hours, although students must inform the residential staff if they plan to leave campus. Blanket releases that would allow students to come and go throughout the program without regard to curfew will be rejected.

All residential students must check out of the residence hall by 9:00 AM on the day after their classes end. Students who wish to leave on the evening of the day that their courses end may do so, but please note that courses do not end until 3pm.

In addition, for students in the 3 Week Immersion program, we will host a farewell reception on Friday evening.

If you intend to check out early, please let your RA know, and make sure your parents submit a Curfew Release Form.

To order transcripts, please log in to your myUChicago to view and request a transcript from the Registrar's Office. The Summer Session Office cannot issue transcripts; only the Registrar's Office can act in this capacity.

On your my.uchicago account, you should be able to request an official transcript by following these directions:
Students should select Academics (on the top left of the page) --> Academic Records --> Request Official Transcript

If you do not have access to your CNET ID, you can request transcript through Parchment here: https://registrar.uchicago.edu/records/transcripts/.

Starting fall 2024, students who have completed either a UChicago residential or online UChicago Pre-College Summer Session program, and who are in their final year of high school, are eligible to apply to UChicago for undergraduate admission through our binding UChicago Summer Student Early Notification option under the Early Decision I plan. Eligible students may apply using this option from September 1 to October 15, and will receive an admissions decision three weeks (or prior to November 1) after completing their full application during this time frame.

Rising seniors who have completed a Summer Session program will be notified of their eligibility via email and provided detailed instructions on how to complete their application. Interested students will then have the opportunity to opt into being considered for admission through this early notification option. For more information on this option and admissions process, please review the detailed FAQ resource.