Sami Rapp photo: Students like sophomores Tonya Lenhart and Jordan Strange may be seen studying all year around, thanks to changes in the coming summer’s tuition.
In an attempt to reduce costs for students needing to take extra classes, Mercyhurst has discounted tuition for traditional students for the 2014 summer sessions.

The effort is consistent with the school’s efforts to help focus on the needs of their students.

Mercyhurst will charge $810 per credit plus a $65 registration fee, a decrease from previous fees of $947 per credit.

According to Michele Wheaton, assistant vice president for academic services-academic affairs, the summer program has also been slightly redesigned to accommodate summer schedules.

The Pre-Summer session, from May 19 to June 12, and the Mini-Summer session, from June 23 to July 17, will both be similar to the J-term system, with classes Monday through Thursday.

Classes will be offered in the mornings and evenings for both sessions.

There will also be a nine-week session from June 1 through August 3. Courses offered during this session will mostly be online and evening classes, along with a few morning classes.

Course offerings are geared to fit students’ needs. “We looked into what students usually take during summer sessions, as well as courses we don’t offer enough of during the year,” Wheaton said.

Students should contact Student Financial Services, as aid may be available for summer courses.

For students staying in Erie, campus housing can be rented through Residence Life at a rate of $75 a week.

Course offerings are accessible through WebAdvisor, but updates will show as more courses are added to the catalog.

Students can only take two courses during summer sessions, at which point they are considered full-time students.