L&S Summer Term Planning, Implementation, and Budgets

UW Madison's Summer Term budget model encourages departments to offer summer courses that meet student demand, attract new student audiences, and make efficient use of campus resources. It also offers the opportunity for departments to generate summer revenue.

Under this model, departments receive summer revenue based on paid credits (student credits that generate tuition for the campus tuition pool). Department surplus is calculated by subtracting instructional expenses from revenue. Departments retain any surplus and are responsible for covering any losses.

Because departments are responsible for financial outcomes, Summer Term requires careful planning of both expected revenue and instructional expenses. Departments should use realistic enrollment assumptions and develop financially sustainable course offerings. When enrollments fall below expectations, departments may need to adjust plans, including cancelling courses to avoid losses.

L&S Teaching, Learning & Academic Planning (TLA) provides planning assistance and guidance to avoid scheduling courses that risk low enrollment or insufficient revenue. TLA coordinates the review and approval of department plans in the fall, ahead of the Summer Call deadline, and shares recommendations about how to reduce financial risk and the need to cancel courses.

Departments must actively monitor their enrollment trends and notify TLA of significant changes to approved summer plans, including course additions, course cancellations, instructor changes, and appointment changes.

The planning process outlined below provides departments with tools, financial reports, and guidance to build sustainable summer course offerings and estimate costs and revenue.

The primary departmental responsibilities are:

• Complete the Summer Course Preview
• Develop and submit a Summer Budget Proposal
• Review enrollment and financial reports provided by TLA
• Communicate with TLA about changes to approved plans and respond to enrollment concerns when necessary

How to get help:

Help is available at any point in the process. Rob Schultz in TLA is available to answer questions, discuss Summer Term plans, and assist with completing the Summer Budget Proposal exercise. 

• Email: rob.schultz@wisc.edu
• Chat on Teams 
• Office hours for Summer Planning are available Thursdays from 10:00 - 11:00 AM from September 17th - November 12th on Teams.
  • Join Office Hours 

You may also schedule directly with Rob to discuss Summer Term questions and issues: Book Now.

Summer Term General Timeline:

September - October: Planning and Summer Budget Proposal Submission 

• Submit courses for Summer Course Preview.
• Develop and submit Summer Budget Proposal for next summer’s course offerings

October - November: Summer Plans Reviewed and Approved

• Review the Expense Details and Initial Financial Reports that TLA provides and is based on your Summer Budget Proposal.
• Act on TLA’s review of your Summer Budget proposal, adjust plans as necessary for approval.
• Schedule courses by Summer Call deadline (November 13, 2026, at 4:00 PM).

April: Enrollment Review and Financial Monitoring

• Review early enrollment trends; modify plans if there is low enrollment. 
• Review Preliminary Enrollment Financial Report, updated Expense Details Report, and L&S feedback about enrollment, revenue, and expenses. Make adjustments to address projected losses (and notify TLA) when needed.
• Cancel courses by cancellation deadline (May 7th, 2027).

August - November: Final Revenue Reporting and Revenue Transfers 

• Review Final Financial Report with Revenue in early September.  L&S typically completes revenue transfers in November.

Ongoing:

• Notify TLA of changes to approved summer plans, including course additions, course cancellations, instructor changes, and appointment changes.

Careful planning is the most effective way to avoid course cancellations and unexpected financial losses. Departments should use realistic paid credit assumptions based on past performance to develop summer course offerings that are financially sustainable.

Build plans using realistic enrollment assumptions

• Use actual paid-credit data from previous summers as a check for whether your enrollment projections seem realistic. This information is available in the Final Financial Report with Revenue in department summer Box folders.
• Make conservative enrollment and paid credit estimates for new courses, courses that have not been offered recently, and courses where enrollment changes are expected.
• Recommended target: Departments should generally plan for a projected surplus of at least $5,000 per course. This provides a buffer if enrollment is lower than expected and reduces the likelihood of cancellation due to low surplus.
• Careful planning and realistic revenue estimates help reduce course cancellations, which are disruptive to students, instructors, and department operations.

Consider the financial impact of each course

• A course’s contribution to department surplus depends on both paid credits generated (i.e., enrollment) and the instructional costs.
• Courses with higher instructional costs require more paid credits to generate a surplus.
• Pay special attention to courses that are projected to break even or result in a financial loss. 
• Courses intended primarily for graduate students often generate little or no revenue because many graduate students receive tuition remission.
• L&S closely reviews courses with low expected enrollment, low projected revenue, or projected financial losses.

Evaluate your summer offerings as a whole

• Review each proposed course in the context of your overall summer course offerings. 
• Even courses that generate a departmental surplus should be reviewed within the context of the broader schedule. For example, closely related courses that appeal to the same group of students. If courses compete with each other, eliminating one may increase enrollment in the other while reducing instructional costs overall. The overall effect may be an increase in departmental surplus. 
• Avoid offering multiple courses that appeal to the same group of students during the same summer session.

Schedule courses strategically

• TLA recommends using one of the most popular session dates (see Recommended Summer Sessions). 
• Do not use early sessions with session codes beginning in ‘Y’ (beginning before May 17th, 2027). 
• Do not use sessions that extend beyond the standard 8-week DHH session (ending after August 8th, 2027). 
• Consider whether courses scheduled in overlapping sessions may compete for the same students.

Promote summer offerings

• Departments are responsible for promoting their summer course offerings to students. 
• Consider planned communications and marketing efforts to reach students who may be interested in the course or need it to satisfy degree requirements.

Understand modality and scheduling requirements

• Summer offerings are exempt from the L&S Policy on Online and Hybrid Classes. No special approval is required for online offerings. 
• Departments must indicate whether an online course is synchronous or asynchronous when scheduling the course. 
• Course modality cannot be changed after students begin enrolling.

Department Action:

• Review Planning Guidance
• Edit Summer Course Preview
• Submit departmental Summer Budget Proposal

Deadline: October 15, 2026 (end of day)

Details:

Each September, departments complete two planning activities for the upcoming Summer Term:

(1) Update the Summer Course Preview

Update your department’s course list for the Summer Course Preview, which is published in fall and provides students and advisors with an early view of anticipated summer offerings before the official Schedule of Classes is published.

Refer to the KB Early Summer Advertising (Summer Course Guide Preview) for deadlines and detailed instructions.

(2) Submit the Summer Budget Proposal

Complete and submit the Summer Budget Proposal, which serves as the department's detailed summer plan. The proposal includes:

• Planned summer course offerings

• Estimated paid credits and revenue

• Instructional appointments

• Summer instructional expenses

L&S reviews Summer Budget Proposals as part of the summer planning and approval process.

Refer to the KB Summer Budget Proposal for a template, detailed instructions, submission requirements, and deadlines.

Related Guidance

• Summer Term appointments and compensation differ from academic year appointments and are subject to separate policies and compensation rules.
• Review L&S Summer Instructional Appointments: Policy and Guidance when planning instructional staffing and developing Summer Budget Proposals.

Review, Approval, and Financial Reporting

L&S reviews Summer Budget Proposals and may approve plans, request revisions, or make recommendations to reduce financial risk.

TLA will provide:

• Expense Details Report: Instructional appointments, student appointments, and other approved summer expenses.
• Initial Financial Report: Estimated departmental revenue, expenses, and surplus based on the approved summer plan.

Departments should review these reports carefully and discuss questions or concerns with TLA as early as possible.

Changes to Approved Summer Plans

Departments must notify TLA of significant changes to approved summer plans, including course additions, course cancellations, instructor changes, and appointment changes because changes can affect projected revenue, expenses, and departmental surplus.

Examples include:

• Course additions
• Course cancellations
• Instructor changes
• Appointment changes
• Other significant updates to approved summer offerings

Submit changes using the TA, UA, and Summer Change Request Form (instructions). TLA will review the request and update financial reports as needed.

Department Action:

• Beginning in late March or early April, monitor course-level enrollment on an ongoing basis. Consider whether enrollment trends indicate a need for changes to the summer plan.
• Consult with TLA regarding courses with projected losses, low surplus, or other concerns.
• Review the Preliminary Enrollment Financial Report and updated Expense Details Report provided by TLA.
• Submit approved changes to summer plans as needed.

In late April, TLA provides the Preliminary Enrollment Financial Report and updates the Expense Details Report based on current enrollment data. These reports help departments evaluate whether enrollment and revenue are developing as expected and identify courses that may require additional adjustments. 

Addressing Projected Financial Losses

Departments should proactively review courses with projected losses or low surplus and determine how to address these issues.

L&S reviews enrollment and financial data in late April and may consult with departments regarding courses or programs that present significant financial risk.

General principles:

• If a department's projected overall summer surplus is negative, L&S will work with the department to develop a plan to address anticipated losses.
• Courses with projected losses may be reviewed even when the department's overall projected surplus remains positive.
• L&S may recommend adjustments to course offerings, instructional expenses, or other aspects of the summer plan to reduce financial risk.

Careful planning during the fall planning process remains the most effective way to avoid losses and course cancellations.

Cancelling a Summer Course

Departments occasionally need to cancel approved summer courses for a variety of academic, staffing, operational, enrollment, or financial reasons.

Course cancellations require review and approval before implementation. When a department determines that a summer course should be cancelled:

• Notify TLA as early as possible.
• Submit the appropriate request form based on the timing of the cancellation.
• Before publication of the Schedule of Classes, cancellations should be communicated directly to TLA as summer plan changes.
• After the publication of the Schedule of classes, departments must use the Course Cancellation and Non-Standard Times Request Form (instructions). 
• Work with TLA to review the impact on students, enrollment, instructional staffing, and departmental finances.

If students are enrolled in the course, TLA will work with the department to review the impact on students, identify appropriate alternatives when possible, and provide guidance regarding student communication and next steps. (See: L&S Class Cancellation: Policy & Procedures.)

Important: Course cancellations must occur before the Course Cancellation Deadline (May 7th, 2027). This deadline is the last day to cancel summer instructional appointments for faculty and renewable academic staff. Necessary cancellations after the deadline must be made in consultation with HR.

Each September, TLA provides departments with the Final Financial Report with Revenue. This report includes actual instructional costs, enrollment data, student credit hours, paid credits, revenue, and departmental surplus for the completed summer term. Departments should use this report to review final financial outcomes, compare actual results with planning assumptions, and inform planning for future Summer Budget Proposals. Because some expenses may not yet be posted in Workday when the report is generated, final instructional costs and departmental surplus may change slightly even after the report is distributed.

L&S typically transfers revenue to departments’ Summer Sessions Programs  in October, and final transfers to Mission Reinvestment Programs occur in November.

Department Action:

• Review your department’s Final Financial Report with Revenue.
• Discuss questions about instructional costs, paid credits, revenue, or departmental surplus with TLA.
• Compare actual results with planning assumptions used during the budget proposal process. This information can also be used when developing future Summer Budget Proposals.

Summer Sessions Program

The funding source used for summer instructional expenses included in the Summer Term budget model. Specific Workday cost allocations are listed on the Expense Details Report. 

Actual Costs

Instructional expenses charged to the department's Summer Sessions Program. Summer planning materials use estimated fringe rates when projecting costs. Final financial reports include actual fringe charges and actual instructional expenses. 

Paid Credits

Paid credits are student credits that generate tuition revenue for the campus tuition pool.

• Paid credits are not affected by residency status (resident/nonresident) or student level (undergraduate, graduate, or special student).
• Students in non-pooled programs (for example, capstone or professional master's programs) and students who receive full tuition waivers (e.g., graduate students with tuition remission, or students with veteran’s benefits) do not generate paid credits.
• See the Planning Guidance section for recommendations on estimating paid credits when developing Summer Budget Proposals.

Department Surplus

Department surplus is the difference between revenue generated by paid credits and actual instructional expenses charged to Summer Sessions funding.

Department Surplus = (Revenue per Paid Credit × Paid Credits) − Actual Costs