Registration for summer courses at West Virginia University is up over this time last year, but most courses still have plenty of openings, officials say.

Students have until Tuesday, May 25, to register or add most courses for Summer Session I, while several Extended Learning courses offered throughout the summer will accept students up to the first day of class.

WVU is offering thousands of summer courses ranging from classes on campus to Web-based courses. Summer Session I begins Thursday, May 20, and continues through June 29; the second session is July 1 through Aug. 10.

Our pre-registration numbers are up over last year, meaning the instructors are offering what students want to take during the summer,said Sue Day-Perroots, dean of Extended Learning.

That said, most courses still have openings, so students should take advantage of the summer offerings to fulfill core curriculum requirements, earn more hours toward graduation or improve their grade-point averages,she added.

Some 6,127 students have registered so far for Summer Session I, up from 4,839 at this time last year, according to figures from Admissions and Records. Registration to date for both sessions is 10,260, an increase from 8,114 at the same time in 2003.

Registration for Extended Learning courses is up by 68 percent, reflecting an increased demand for Web courses, Day-Perroots said.

This summer’s online offerings include courses in advertising, business, child development, computer science, journalism, political science and public relations.

The University is also offering several three-credit courses in three weeks. These include courses in law and the legal system, introduction to mass media, introduction to theater, families and society, and more than 30 physical education classes.

On the Web:http://www.wvu.edu/~summer/