Under the heading of dj vu all over again, Chico State University will be running a summer school program that will be funded entirely by student fees, just like it used to be.

For the last two summers Chico State has been among the California State University campuses that ran "state-supported" programs, which meant the cost of the program was subsidized with state money, in the same way courses offered in the fall and spring semesters are.

However, with the state finances in chaos, and the State University system budget being slashed, the state won't be funding summer school this year, so the cost falls back onto the shoulders of the students who take the classes.

Debra Barger, the university's dean of regional and continuing education who oversees the summer session, said even without the state subsidy, the course offerings will be a bargain.

The dean explained the fee for summer classes is calculated at a fraction of the regular fall-spring state tuition, and for this summer undergraduate students will pay $146 per class unit.

That means the average three-unit class will cost $438, plus a flat $8 campus fee that all students pay regardless of units taken. There is also a cap of $594 for up to six hours. That is compared to the flat rate of $969 charged this spring semester for any California resident undergraduate who took six credits of classes or less.

If the price is good for resident undergraduates, for out-of-state and foreign students it is practically a fire sale.

Non-resident students not only had to pay the $969 fee for six hours or less this spring, they also had to pay another $282 per class unit.

However, for summer session the non-resident students pay exactly the same $146 per unit as the locals, with no additional charges.

Summer classes will be offered in three- and six-week sessions, running from June 1 to Aug. 13. Barger said it would not be particularly challenging for a student to take six units of classes during the summer.

The majority of summer school students take only one, three-unit class, according to the dean.

In the years when Chico State ran a self-supported summer school, about 3,000 individuals took summer classes.

The mix of summer school courses this year spotlights a new set of fears among some campus administrators. The university gets it's state funding based on what is called FTE, or "full-time equivalent" students. The total number of FTE at the university is calculated by taking all of the class units enrolled in during a semester and that total is divided by 15, since 15 class hours are considered a "full-time" load of classes.

In order to get all of the money available, the university has to hit its state-mandated FTE target.

There is a fear that rising fees and a sluggish economy could lead to a reduced enrollment this fall, which could also mean fewer dollars coming to the university.

Self-support summer school classes are not counted as FTE for state funding purposes.

As a result some colleges at Chico State are limiting their summer school offerings to make sure students will show up in the fall to get those classes, and provide the FTE totals needed for full state funding.

"We have to make (FTE) target or we will lose money," said Barger.