A survey was conducted to study selected operational characteristics of summer programs at the 107 land grant colleges and universities in the United States and also at 15 selected private institutions. Respondents (N=82) indicated that their summer programs included all or part of their traditional academic load plus some special options. The five private institutions which responded indicated that financing and compensation were based on student enrollment and special fees. Forty-one of the land grant respondents indicated that their summer schools were self-supporting. The 36 land-grant institutions receiving external support provided higher compensation for their faculty and allowed greater programmatic freedom. These institutions tended to use percentages of salaries in determining faculty compensation, while self-supporting programs utilized funds per credit hour. Self-supporting programs tended to have more restrictions and paperwork. Management patterns of the summer school programs varied, with most being directed by the academic vice president, provost, or dean and some having part-time summer sessions directors. Thirty-one different combinations of summer session times were reported, with four basic patterns predominating. Most institutions reported a maximum number of credits a student could take during the summer. Eighty percent of the institutions indicated that faculty were limited to teaching a certain number of courses or credits per session. Four references. (JDD)