During Summer Quarter, tuition and fees work differently than they do during the academic year. Students pay by unit enrolled, making fees variable based on the experience you choose. Summer fees are posted to BARC, UC Santa Barbara’s billing and receiving system.
Below are some frequently asked questions we receive regarding paying for summer courses. If you don’t see your question below, feel free to get in touch with us and a member of our team will be happy to help you.
NOTE: The following information does not apply to Pre-College programs. If you are in a Pre-College program and have payment questions, please email us at precollege@summer.ucsb.edu.
Payment FAQ
Students who enroll in summer courses prior to June will see their summer fees posted to BARC during the first week of June. After that, summer fees will be posted to BARC roughly 24 hours after you make changes to the number of units you are enrolled in.
During summer, fee payment deadlines are dependent upon the specific session(s) that you are enrolled in. Visit our Deadlines page to view the fee payment deadline for each session. Please note that your fee payment deadline will correspond with the earliest session you are enrolled in (i.e., if you are enrolled in both Session A and B courses, all of your summer fees are due by the Session A fee payment deadline).
The SS Undergrad Unit fee is the fee for each in-person or remote unit you are enrolled in during the summer. Each unit is $279 for undergraduates, with no additional unit fees charged after 10 units (UC undergraduates only). This fee is referenced on our Cost of Attendance page, where you can also access a fee estimator tool to better understand the costs you may incur based on the type of student you are and the unit load you are planning.
The SS-Online Course Unit fee is the fee for each online unit you are enrolled in during the summer. Each unit is $279 for undergraduates, with no additional unit fees charged after 10 units (UC undergraduates only). This fee is referenced on our Cost of Attendance page, where you can also access a fee estimator tool to better understand the costs you may incur based on the type of student you are and the unit load you are planning.
The SS UG Campus Based Fee is a mandatory fee that is charged regardless of the method of course instruction and cannot be waived. It is voted in by student referendum and funds co-curricular programs, activities, and services that directly benefit students. These services include, but are not limited to, counseling, advising, tutoring, student information systems, and programs. Click to view a full breakdown of student fees.
If you make changes to the number of units you are enrolled in after your fees have been posted to your BARC account, you will see several transactions that appear similar. For example, if you were initially enrolled in 5 units and later added a 2 unit course for a total of 7 units, you would see three transactions. Rather than having a separate charge for the additional 2 units, your 5 unit charge would be reversed and a 7 unit charge would be added. This will be displayed as the following:
- SS UG Campus Based Fee $1395 (The initial 5 unit charge)
- SS UG Campus Based Fee $1395- (This transaction reverses the original charge)
- SS UG Campus Based Fee $1953 (The new 7 unit charge)
A refund is only sent to a bank account if you set up E-Refund and you don’t owe a balance on your BARC account. If you owe a balance, your refund will by default be applied to your outstanding balance.
You can view the steps to set up E-Refund on BARC.
If a course is added to your schedule after the payment deadline, you will need to pay the courses fee as soon as your MyBARC is updated to avoid being lapsed. Typically, your billing account will update within 24 hours of making changes to your schedule. Note that your billing statement is generated on a monthly basis, and changes will not be reflected until your next statement is issued.