Enrollment figures for on-campus students this summer are expected to stay relatively steady, according to early estimates from the OU Institutional Research and Reporting.

While numbers will not be finalized until early July, this comes as a welcome sign for a university that has seen decreased enrollment in summer courses dating back to 2005, said Cheryl Jorgenson, assistant provost and Institutional Research and Reporting director.

University records show that 6,688 students were enrolled on campus for the summer 2009 semester.

“Basically, the numbers are very similar for the on-campus students,” Jorgenson said. “These [numbers] are the only ones I have information on at this point.”

There was a 16-percent decrease in on-campus student enrollment between 2005 and 2009, according to figures from the Institutional Research and Reporting office.

With the economy still at a point of slow job recovery, many students are finding that staying busy and focusing on school is the best path.

Jessica Irick, elementary education senior, said she is taking classes this summer in order to stay on course with her plan to graduate in four years. Summer classes provide many students the opportunity to stay on top of their degree plan, she said.

“If I did not take summer school I would have to be at OU for four years and one semester,” Irick said. “Last summer’s class and this summer’s class are both only four weeks so I will have the whole month of July to relax.”

The eight-week summer session lasts June 7 to Aug. 2, with two shorter four-week sessions in June and July, according to the OU academic calendar.