College students in the Sacramento region are heading into one of the busiest summer school sessions ever, signing up for classes in record numbers to beat tuition hikes and fee increases expected this fall.

At the University of California, Davis, and at campuses in the Los Rios and Sierra community college districts, officials say enrollment will easily exceed numbers from last summer. At California State University, Sacramento -- where summer school opens Monday -- enrollment is on par with last year.

Demand for classes is on the rise as California's estimated $38.2 billion budget shortfall forces state and university officials to raise student fees, cut services and scale back course offerings. UC and CSU officials approved 10 percent increases for undergraduates earlier this year and are poised to raise tuition again this summer. Community college costs are certain to rise this fall.

In an effort to beat even higher costs, students are signing up for summer classes when they otherwise might opt for vacations, internships or full-time work, according to college administrators.

"I think the fee increases are wrong, but I guess they are going to happen," said Douglas Washington, a 35-year-old student at Sacramento City College who had been out of school 17 years when he enrolled last spring. "That's why I have to get some classes out of the way this summer."

UC Davis students -- more than 9,100 already have registered for the session beginning June 23 -- could be getting the best summer school deal in the nine-campus UC system.

"Students see this as their last chance to get a bargain of some sort," said Dan Wick, director of summer sessions at UC Davis, where summer school enrollment is shaping up to be the largest ever.

UC Berkeley, UCLA and UC Santa Barbara, for example, all raised summer school costs, but Davis is leaving fees unchanged from spring quarter -- $85 per unit. Fees at other UC campuses vary but are generally higher than at Davis, UCLA, Berkeley and Santa Barbara because they don't receive state funding for summer school.

Last week, UC Berkeley officials announced that undergraduates will pay a $160 flat fee this summer on top of a $127 per-unit cost. For graduate students, the flat fee is $182 and the per-unit price is $167. UCLA and Santa Barbara raised per-unit fees from $85 to $103.

Students wanting to take a heavy load will benefit from UC Davis' policy to only charge fees for up to six units -- anything more is free, Wick said. That offer has prompted students to sign up for more classes than usual.

As of Monday, 9,187 students had registered for one or more of three summer sessions, and enrollment continues through July. Last year's summer session peaked at 8,284.

At CSUS, however, students this summer will pay slightly more than last year to account for the 10 percent undergraduate tuition increase approved by CSU trustees in December, said Larry Glasmire, director of special programs at the campus.

The combination of higher fees and an emphasis on upper-division courses is expected to keep enrollment about the same as last summer, he said.

Under a two-tier fee system, undergraduates taking six or fewer units will pay $583. More than seven units will cost $913.

Those numbers spurred 21-year-old Seetha Moorthy to sign up for the summer session at Sacramento City College, where fees are much lower. An engineering student at CSUS, Moorthy figures she will save nearly $800 by taking three general education classes at Sacramento City College.

For $99, Moorthy will get her history, political science and biology course requirements out of the way. Taking those classes at CSUS this summer would have cost her $913. "I have financial aid and I work, but I need to save where I can," she said.

"Students at UC and CSU like our fees," said Susie Williams, spokeswoman for the Los Rios district. "Our own students are also thinking they need to take classes now, because who knows what it will cost in the fall."

At Sierra College, enrollment as of Friday was up 15 percent over last summer, said Morgan Lynn, vice president for educational programs. Sierra is offering more classes than usual.

"We're doing that to serve students ... to give them one last chance to get the low rate," Lynn said.

Summer school students like Moorthy will probably be the last to benefit from the $11-per-unit price tag at the state's 108 community colleges. Gov. Gray Davis has proposed raising the cost to $18 per unit, down from his proposal of $24 in January.

Though community colleges have managed to keep fees low for summer school, some have slashed classes to help offset budget cuts. Los Rios cut course offerings 15 percent -- or 270 fewer sections than the 1,800 usually offered in summer, Williams said.

Washington, the Sac City student returning after 17 years, hit that snag when he tried to sign up for two child development classes. He is among more than 19,000 students who had signed up for summer school at a Los Rios campus as of Thursday. By this time last year, roughly 18,000 students were enrolled for summer session at Los Rios.

Washington hoped to complete two of the last three courses he needs to finish an associate's teaching program before fees go up. "I'll get on the waiting list and hope the instructor lets me in," he said.

Still, Washington figures, the delay might give him more time to save money for a transfer to CSUS, where the price tag will be even higher.