Registration for summer classes in 2006 will be completed through the Web Portal and tuition will be paid through the university, not the College of Extended Learning, among other changes, according to university officials.

Officials said online registration for summer will be one of the most noticeable changes for CSUN students in 2006 as the university finishes its transition to Year-Round Operations.

“There would be no in-person registration,” said Eric Forbes, director of Admissions and Records. “Students need (a) permission number and it’s going to be like (a) regular term.”

Unlike regular semesters, however, Admissions and Records will not make an appointment for a registration date for students, he said.

“The difference between regular registration and YRO registration period is students make an appointment,” Forbes said.

According to Jerry Luedders, assistant provost at CSUN, YRO will make summer its own full academic term, just like the fall and spring semesters, with some logistical exceptions.

Next summer there will be almost the same number of classes offered as last summer, and the College of Extended Learning will also offer special session classes, according to Harold Hellenbrand, vice president for Academic Affairs and provost at CSUN. The university will offer one 12-week session from June 5 to Aug. 25, and two additional six-week sessions, Luedders said.

Hellenbrand said one change students will notice next summer is where their fees are paid to. Instead of making payments to Extended Learning, students will do so through normal regular term methods, such as at Cash Services or online.

The change in how much is actually owed by students, however, will affect non-resident and international students’ tuition, who will have to pay more for summer classes starting in 2006, according to Forbes.

“The biggest impact for international students might be registration fees,” he said.

Non-resident and international students currently pay about $340 more per unit than resident students during the fall and spring semesters, according to the CSUN Schedule of Classes. Historically, international students have not had to pay the extra “per unit” fee for summer classes, but that will change when the university switches to full YRO. Those students will for the first time need to pay the per-unit fees they do during regular semesters.

Some international students expressed annoyance at CSUN’s transition to YRO because of how it has affected the amount they pay for summer classes.

“I think this shows that (the) CSU doesn’t regard international students as a part of all CSU students, and also students from out of state,” said Masahiko Nakashima, senior CTVA major and an international student. “It seems like CSU tells us to go home the whole summer.”

“(YRO) will cause us some serious financial damage,” Nakashima said.

Hellenbrand said CSUN officials are trying to clarify both the registration and financial aid process for students interested in taking classes next summer.

Financial aid and scholarships for next summer will be available for students on a limited basis, said Kevin O’Leary, senior associate director in Financial Aid and Scholarships at CSUN.

“The department is working on ways in which a summer student will be identified and then awarded,” he said.

The process will be ready for the start up of summer registration in February.

According to Forbes, students will register for the summer and fall terms at the same time, which is why administrators need to “make sure everything is in place,” he said.

Luedders said deans from each college will propose courses to be offered next summer and the schedule for Summer 2006 will be provided on Feb. 27 through the CSUN Web Portal.

A paper-version of the schedule for the summer term will not be produced, Luedders said.

Forbes said the transition to YRO is not a small project for school officials, and there have been many developments and projects to work with during the transition.

“We’re hoping to communicate with students about YRO once the definition gets established,” Forbes said.

Aya Oikawa can be reached at aya.oikawa.73@csun.edu.