Academic term

An academic term' or term is a division of an academic year, the time during which an educational institution holds classes. The schedules adopted vary widely.

• A semester system divides the academic year into two terms, roughly 16–18 weeks each.
• A trimester system divides the academic year into three terms, roughly 14 – 16 weeks each.
• A quarter or quadmester system divides the academic year into four terms, roughly 12 weeks each, and generally counts the summer as one of the terms.

In most countries, the academic year begins with the start of autumn and ends during the following summer. In Southern Hemisphere countries, this means that the academic year lasts from February or March to November or December; in Northern Hemisphere countries, it lasts from August or September to May, June or July instead. The summer may or may not be part of the term system.

Terminology

A 'semester' (from the Latin meaning "six-monthly") has come to mean either of two academic terms, generally excluding the summer or January terms, if any, and so is about 16 to 18 weeks long. The word 'semester' is sometimes used as a synonym for a 'term', as in a 'summer semester'.

A 'trimester' (from the Latin meaning "three-monthly") divides the academic year into three periods. At the University of Michigan, for example, the Fall trimester (informally still called 'semester') operates from September through December; the Winter trimester runs from January through April; and the Spring-Summer trimester operates from May through August, as two half-trimesters. Most Spring-Summer classes either meet double-time for 7 – 8 weeks in May and June or double-time/double-plus-time for 6 – 8 weeks in July and August (with summer half-term classes sometimes starting in the last week of June). In some jurisdictions, "trimester" is used in its original meaning to indicate a quarter system (since three months is exactly a quarter of a year), or a variation of it.

A 'quarter' or 'quadmester' system treats the summer term on an equal footing with the other terms. It divides the academic year into four quarters, each of which is usually 12 weeks long. Three of the four quarters - Fall, Winter and Spring, operating from September through June or August through May, are thus equivalent to two 18-week semesters. Thus, when American academic universities convert academic credits between the semester/trimester and quarter systems, 36 quarter hours convert to 24 semester hours (2/3 conversion factor) while 36 semester hours convert to 54 quarter hours (3/2 conversion factor).

Australia

See also: Education in Australia

In most of Australia, the school year lasts from late January to mid-December, and is split into four terms:

• Term 1 starts in late January and ends just before Easter
• Term 2 starts two weeks after Easter and ends in late June.
• Term 3 starts in mid-July and ends mid-September.
• Term 4 starts in early October and ends mid-December.

The exact dates vary from year to year, as well as between states, and for public and private school. In Tasmania, the school year is split into three terms, the first one being the longest and including an extended Easter holiday. The terms are separated by a holiday lasting two weeks with the Christmas/Summer holidays between the end of a school year and the start of another lasting six weeks.

Most Australian universities have two semesters a year, but Bond University has three. Many universities offer an optional short summer semester. One recent innovation in Australian higher education has been the establishment of the fully distance–online Open Universities Australia (formerly Open Learning Australia) that offers continuous study opportunities of individual units of study (what are called courses in North America) that can lead to full degree qualifications.

Open Universities Australia operates four 13-week study periods each year. Since students study only part-time and off campus these study periods mesh reasonably easily with existing university offerings based on semesters. In some cases, a "semester" is referred to as a "Study Period", for example by Centrelink.

Austria

See also: Education in Austria

The Austrian school year for primary and secondary schools is split into two terms, the first one starts on the first Monday in September in the states of Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland and on the second Monday of September in Upper Austria, Salzburg, Styria, Carinthia, Tyrol and Vorarlberg. Most schools have holidays between the national holiday on October 26 and All Souls Day on November 2, but those are unofficial holidays not observed by all schools in Austria. Christmas holidays start on December 24 and end on the first weekday after January 6. The first term ends in Vienna and Lower Austria on the first Friday of February, in Burgenland, Carinthia, Salzburg, Tyrol and Vorarlberg on the second Friday of February and in Upper Austria and Styria on the third Friday of February.

There is a one-week break between the two terms. In the second term there are the Easter holidays, the Mayday Holiday on May 1 and the long weekends of Pentecost, Ascension and Corpus Christi. The school year ends in Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland on the last Friday of June, in Upper Austria, Styria, Carinthia, Salzburg, Tyrol and Vorarlberg on the first Friday in July.

Barbados

See also: Education in Barbados

The Barbadian school year is fashioned after the British system, and as such, it follows a scheduling with three terms per school year.

The first term begins in the second week of September and continues for 15 weeks, ending in mid-December, excluding one week for mid-term break in mid-October. The second term begins in the first week of January and continues for 12 weeks, ending at the end of March. The third term begins mid-April and continues for 11 weeks until the end of June. The long school holiday period is 9 to 10 weeks from the end of June until the first week of September.

Brazil

See also: Education in Brazil

In Brazil, due to the Law of Directives and Bases of Brazilian Education, the academic year must have 200 days, both at schools and at universities. The school year usually begins during the first week of February. There is a 3-week long winter break in July. The Brazilian school year ends the first week of December, summer in Brazil. In the northernmost tropical areas of Brazil, the school year starts the first week of September and ends the last week of June, following the practice of countries further north.

In Brazilian universities academic terms are defined as periods or semesters (período, semestre). The majority of academic degrees courses are 8 semesters (four years) long or 10 semesters (five years) long.

Bangladesh

See also: Education in Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, the kindergarten, elementary and schools follow the semester system. Most of the public universities follow a yearly system except universities that teach Applied Sciences. Most engineering and agricultural universities follow a semester system with each semester being six months long. Engineering universities describe the academic year system as YEAR-X(1-4), TERM-X(1-4). Most of the private universities follow a trimester system though there are a few exceptions that follow a semester system.

Some of the universities using a two-semester system (using "Term 1" and "Term 2" designations) include: Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology, Bangladesh Agriculture University, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology, International Islamic University Chittagong, Khulna University, Khulna University of Engineering and Technology, Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology, and Shahjalal University of Science and Technology.Jagannath University

Some of the universities follow a trimester system (using "Spring", "Summer" and "Fall" designations) include: American International University - Bangladesh, BRAC University, East West University, North South University, Presidency University, and United International University.

Belgium

See also: Education in Belgium

In Belgium, kindergarten, elementary and secondary schools begin on September 1 and end on June 30.

Schools also take breaks/holidays:

• Autumn break: One week at the start of November
• Christmas break Two weeks around Christmas and New Year
• Carnival break One week in February.
• Easter break Two weeks around Easter.
• Summer break is always the break from the 1st of July until the 31st of August
• Ascension break Thursday and Friday in early May to mid June
• Labor Day May 1
• Whitsun Monday in mid May to late June
• Armistice Day November 11

Universities and colleges in Belgium use the semester system, dividing the academic year in two equal parts of thirteen weeks of courses. Universities start the first semester in the third week of September, and no 'autumn break'. Colleges start one week earlier, in the second week of September, giving them right to the 'autumn break' of one week. After 13 weeks of courses the 'Christmas break' starts (around December 20), which is used to study for the 3–4 weeks of examinations in January.

After these examinations the universities have one week of vacation, the so-called 'semestrial vacation', while the colleges start the classes of the second semester at the end of January, immediately after the examinations, which week they reclaim with the 'spring break' at the end of February, which the universities do not have. The universities start the second semester in the beginning of February.

Both universities and colleges have the 'Easter break', which again is used to study for the examinations in June. After Easter, the classes start again until the end of May, followed by four weeks of examinations in June, after which three months of vacation is given. The students who failed in passing some of the courses in their curriculum in January and June, the so-called 'first session', have to do the examinations again in the second session at the end of August.

Cambodia

In Cambodia the school year kindergarten sectors in public schools consists of 10 months with a two-month vacation, while in primary, and secondary sectors, it is divided into two semesters and each semester is divided into 2 quarters. The first Monday of October is the start of the academic term. After the 1st semester, a small vacation when the school is halted and at the end of the Second Semester, a 2-month vacation until the start of the new year. In universities, it is divided into 4 years.

Canada

See also: Education in Canada

In Canada the school year for elementary and high school consists of 178 to 200 days, depending on jurisdiction, but several days may be deducted from this total for professional development and administrative duties, resulting in approximately 187 teaching days per year for most jurisdictions. Elementary students receive approximately 950 hours of instruction and secondary students receive approximately 1000 hours per year.

Generally in Canada, high schools run on a two-semester arrangement, also known as fall and spring semester, the first semester starting from the day after Labour Day in September to mid-January and the second running from early February until the Thursday before the last Friday in June. The semesters are often divided into two terms each. Some schools in Canada run on a trimester system, the first running from September to January, the second from January to March, and the third from March until June. The trimester is more common in elementary and middle schools (Kindergarten - Grade 8) than in high schools (Grade 9 - Grade 12). Most universities and colleges usually run from early September until the end of April or early May. Often, this winter session is split into two terms running September to December and January to April. Various forms of summer studies may be offered May to August. Some, such as Simon Fraser University, run a full tri-semester system, providing full courses during summer. There are a few school boards in Canada experimenting with year-round schooling.

Chile

See also: Education in Chile

In elementary school, high school, as well as in universities, Chilean education is divided into two semesters. The first one starts late February or early March and lasts until late June and the second starts in early August and finishes in mid-December; also, some universities offer a summer period from early January to mid-February but just for exceptional courses. These semesters have breaks for public festivities, such as Easter (approx. one week in April), independence commemoration (one or two weeks in September) and some public holidays like labour day, amongst others.

China

See also: Education in China

In People's Republic of China, all schools including elementary, middle and high schools, colleges and universities have two semesters, the first from September to January, and the other from February or March, depending on the date of Chinese New Year of that year, to July.

Czech Republic

See also: Education in the Czech Republic

In the elementary and high schools in the Czech Republic, the school year usually runs from September 1 to June 30 of the following year.

It is divided into two semesters with breaks on public holidays such as Independence day (October 28, two days break), Christmas (7 – 10 days break), Spring break (1 week break), Easter (3 days break on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Monday) and finally Labour day (May 1) and Liberation day (May 8). After the end of school year on June 30, the Summer holidays follow till September 1 when a new school year starts. Sole exception to this is the final year at high schools, which ends with Graduation of students at the end of May.

Denmark

See also: Education in Denmark

In schools in Denmark, the school year runs from August to June. In universities, the academic year runs from around September 1 to June 30, and is often divided into an autumn semester (with January set aside for exams) and a spring semester (with June set aside for exams). Since 2004, some Danish universities and faculties divide the academic year into four quarters, each of which may consist of eight weeks and an exam week, and being separated from the next quarter by a one-week break.

Estonia

See also: Education in Estonia

In Estonia, elementary and high schools begin on 1 September and end in the beginning of June. Universities start on the first Monday of September and usually end in the middle of May or in the beginning of June; though in reality, exam periods may continue until the end of June (e.g. University of Tartu).

Ethiopia

See also: Education in Ethiopia

In Ethiopia, almost all elementary, secondary, and college classes are conducted on a two-semester timetable. The first semester of the year is from mid September to late January or mid February. The second semester usually begins some two weeks after the end of the first and ends in late May or mid June.

Finland

See also: Education in Finland

In the elementary and secondary schools and college, the academic year is divided in semesters. The autumn semester begins in mid August and is suspended a few days before Christmas. The classes continue after the Epiphany with the spring semester which finishes at the beginning of June.

France

See also: Education in France

In primary and secondary schools, the school year begins the first Monday of September, unless September 1 is on Sunday. The school year is divided into trimesters. The first from September to January, the second from January to April, and the third is from April to June. There are the Autumn Holidays beginning on the week of All Saint's Day. They last about a week-and-a-half from midday Saturday before All Saint's Day to the Second Wednesday of holidays. The Christmas Holidays are from the Saturday before Christmas to the first Monday after the New Year, unless New Year's Day falls on a Sunday. The second term begins and the Winter Holidays are two weeks in February depending on region. Easter Holidays are two weeks in April depending on region. The third term begins then, and ends in early July. There is only a half week of school in July.

On Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, pupils have a full day of teaching from around 8:00am until around 4:00pm. On Wednesday mornings, some pupils may have supplementary classes. French pupils used to attend school on Saturdays, but the so-called "four-days week" has been implemented since September 2008, reducing the teaching year from 936 to 864 hours (above the European average of 800 hours, but below the UK minimum of 950 hours for state schools). Additional holidays include Veteran's Day on November 11, May 8, Ascension Day, May Day on May 1, and Easter Monday.

Germany

See also: Education in Germany

Schools

The school year in Germany begins between mid-July and early September, and ends from mid-June to July, with a summer break of similar length to that in the UK (only 6 weeks) but much shorter than in some other countries (with up to 3 months). The summer vacation starts in a different week by state (there are 16 federal states (including Berlin, Hamburg and Bremen)). The school year includes four or five shorter breaks or holidays:

• Christmas Break: Two weeks around Christmas and New Year
• Carnival Break: One week or two weeks (only in a few states) of February or the beginning of March.
• Easter Break: Two weeks of March / April
• Whitsun Break: About one week around Whitsun
• Summer Break: Six weeks, may start as early as mid June (then school starts again in late July in this state) or as late as in the very end of July (then school starts again only in mid September in that state). On the halligs (North Sea islands that are only islands for part of each day, when there is flood) the summer vacations are five weeks.
• Autumn Break: One week or two weeks in October/November

Due to Germany's federal structure, all breaks may differ depending on the state. The exact dates for the beginning and the end of school breaks are kept different state by state and changed every year. This is meant to keep holiday traffic as low as possible.

The school year is divided into two parts (September to February & February to July). There is not necessarily any break between those two parts, but pupils get a semi-year school report (it only displays their current level and is not relevant for promotion).

Universities

German universities run two semesters. The Wintersemester, during which most students start university, goes from the 1st of October till the 31st of March, with lectures starting around the 15th of October and lasting 14 weeks. There is a two-week break around Christmas and New Year (which is not counted in the 14 weeks). The Sommersemester consequently goes from the 1st of April till the 30th of September with lectures starting some time after Easter and lasting 12 weeks. The two lecture-free periods of 12 to 14 weeks between the semesters are for taking exams, doing internships, lab courses and employment.

The University of Mannheim changed their schedule to conform with US standards in Fall of 2006. The semesters there are now from August 1 to January 31 (Herbst-/Wintersemester) and from February 1 to July 31 (Frühjahrs-/Sommersemester).

Universities for Applied Sciences

"Fachhochschulen" start both semester one month earlier than the universities.

Vocational-cooperative universities

"Berufsakademien" have four quarters, January to March and so on. In alternating quarters the students attend the university and intern at the employer (the latter being the "Praxisphase"). The number of lessons per week is significantly higher than at normal universities (equivalent to a full-time job) and the exams cannot be during the "free time" of the year, as that time is spent in the company. Vacation is given according to labor laws, i.e. half of 20–30 days (because only half of the year is worked).

Guyana

See also: Education in Guyana

The school year in Guyana usually begins in September and ends in July of the following year. It has three terms: Christmas (First), Easter (Second) and August (Third), with two to three weeks break for Christmas and Easter and 6 to 7 weeks during the August term.

Hong Kong

See also: Education in Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, the academic year runs from late August to mid-June for most primary and secondary schools. Some secondary schools have three terms, but most have two terms. For universities and other tertiary institutions the academic year usually runs from September or October to April or May, sometimes with an extra summer term roughly from May to July.

Hungary

See also: Education in Hungary

In the elementary and high schools in Hungary, the school year usually runs from September 1 to June 15 of the next year, with variation if these dates fall on Saturday or Sunday. The school year (tanév) is usually split into two semesters (félév). These semesters are also divided, with some schools holding examinations each half-semester. The first semester runs from September 1 till the middle of January and is divided by the fall vacation, which is around All Saints' Day and lasts for a week. The second semester is closed at the end of the school year. It is divided by the Easter holiday, which is just a long weekend. Apart from these vacations and national celebrations, schools often make 'skiing holidays' (síszünet), the date of which varies from the middle of January till February, though some schools hold it in December. Its length also varies from one school to another. The workdays of this vacation are usually held on Saturdays. It is made so that the students of the school who partake in the skiing camp of the school need no verification of absence. In the last school year of secondary education, the examinations of abitur (similar to A-level exams in the UK or high school diplomas in the US) end in July.

Hungarian universities run two semesters. They are typically from the second week of September to the middle of December (őszi félév) and from February to the middle of May (tavaszi félév). Both semesters are followed by an examination period. In addition to the break between the semesters in summer, there is typically a break including Christmas and New Year. Some universities also have a fall and an Easter vacation.

India

See also: Education in India

In elementary and high schools, the school year is usually from June to March, while in Universities it is from August to April. There is a mid–year break during summer, usually from the end of May to the start of July in Universities and in elementary and high schools, the vacations range from the beginning of April and lasts up to the end of May. There is also a winter vacation of 2 weeks at the end of the year. However, in the southern states like Karnataka there will be two breaks, one for Dasara in September/October for 15 days and another for Christmas in December which ranges from 7–15 days. A semester system is being implemented in most of the Universities in India as directed by the University Grants Commission.

Kerala University, MG University and Sri Sankara University have reached a consensus and the other universities are also likely to introduce credit based semester system in Kerala. Delhi University also introduced this system. Credit based trimester system is chosen by Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies (RGUKT), Andhrapradesh.'RGUKT also known as APIIIT.

For Indian administered Kashmir, the school year usually begins in mid-October or the start of November. There are two vacations in a year, Winter holidays last from the start of December till the first of March. A summer vacation usually lasts two weeks from mid-July to the end of July, the dates do vary. For schools, students move from old to the new academic year immediately after the exams for the previous year is over with a small break of a week for compilation of results.

Iran

See also: Education in Iran

In Iran, the academic year runs from September to June. Some universities, however, offer a limited number of courses in summer. Students have a two month summer vacation. All schools are closed during Nowruz from the middle of March till the beginning of April to celebrate the Iranian new year. The first (fall) semester begins on the first day of the Persian Calendar month of Mehr equivalent to the first day of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere and ends in January. The second (spring) semester begins in the winter and ends in June. No mid-term break exists in the academic calendar.

Ireland

See also: Education in Ireland

The primary school year runs from the beginning of September until the end of June. There are breaks for Christmas and Easter and two mid-term breaks at the end of October and mid-February. Secondary schools run a similar schedule but break at the end of May for summer holidays (the Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate examinations take place in June). The academic year for state schools lasts for 167 teaching days in secondary schools and 183 days in primary schools. Third-level institutions run a much shorter calendar, generally from mid to late September, sometimes early October, to December for their first semester. The second semester usually runs from January to mid- or late May with a break for Easter of up to a month.

Israel

See also: Education in Israel

Public education

The school year in Israel starts in elementary and high schools in the last week of August (from 2012), and ends in late June for middle and high schools, or a week earlier for elementary schools. There are no fixed holidays of equal length, with breaks occurring on national holidays, usually lasting two or three days. For Jews, there is a nine day break for Sukkot (autumn); a seven day break for Hannukah (in December); and for Passover (spring) the break is 2–3 weeks long. For the Muslim population, breaks are taken for Eid al-Adha, Eid ul-Fitr and end of semester breaks.

The university academic year typically divides into two semesters which start after Sukkot (typically mid to late October) and end in June or July. Some academic institutions also enable a third semester in the summer.

The short breaks:

• Eid ul-Fitr: the end of Ramadan, three to five day break, according to the lunar calendar (only in Islamic schools).
• Eid al-Adha: the end of Hajj, four day break, according to the lunar calendar (only in Islamic schools).
• Rosh Hashanah: three day break, the break in mid-September or late September.
• Yom Kippur: two days break, the break in late September or early October (see note below from 2012).
• Sukkot: 9 day break in October/ November
• Purim: three day break, the break in late February or early March.
• Yom Ha'atzmaut: one day break, the break in late April or early May. before day, in Yom Hazikaron studying only half day.
• Lag BaOmer: one day break, the break in early May or mid-May.
• Shavuot: three day break, the break in late May or early June.

The school year in Israel is divided into two semesters:

• Semester 1: From 1 September to late January or early February.
• Semester 2: From late January or early February to late June.

Until 2011 the summer break ended on August 31, but in 2011 Israeli ministry of education decided to shorten the summer break by one week and the break now ends on August 25 as of 2012. The period between Yom Kippur and Succoth was added as holiday to compensate.

Yeshivas

In most Yeshivas, the year is divided into three periods (terms) called zmanim. Elul zman starts from the beginning of the Hebrew month of Elul and extends until the end of Yom Kippur. This is the shortest (approx. six weeks), but most intense semester as it comes before the High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Winter zman starts after Sukkot and lasts until just before Passover, a duration of five months (six in a Jewish leap year). Summer semester starts after Passover and lasts until either the middle of the month of Tammuz or Tisha B'Av, a duration of about three months. During the interim periods, which are called bein hazmanim (between the terms), students are on vacation.

Japan

See also: Education in Japan

In Japan, almost all schools run a three-term school year (trimester system), and most universities and colleges have a semester system. Most schools with a trimester system have a first term from early April to late July. The exact date of the beginning of the summer break and its duration vary across regions, but commonly the break lasts for about 6 weeks. The break originated to avoid the heat in summer, so elementary, middle, and high schools in Hokkaidō and Nagano Prefecture tend to have a shorter summer break than the rest of schools in Japan.

A second term lasts from early September to late December with a winter break at the end of the year. The term is followed by a third term from early January to late March and a brief spring break lasting 2 weeks. The graduation ceremony occurs in March, and the enrollment ceremony in early April.

Some universities and colleges accept students in September or October in order to let those students from other semester systems enroll. In recent years a few colleges have begun experimenting with having two semesters instead of the traditional three with the break between two semesters in summer.

South Korea

See also: Education in South Korea

In South Korea, the school year is divided into two terms. The first term usually runs from March 3, unless it is a Friday or the weekend, to mid July with the summer vacation from mid-July to late-August (elementary and secondary schools) and from mid-June to late August (higher education institutions). The second term usually resumes in late August and runs until mid February. The winter break is from late December to late January. There are two weeks of school (elementary and secondary schools) in February. Then there is a two-week-break before the new academic year starts in March. The school hours are approximately from 8:00am to 4:00pm. In high school, the older students are sometimes required to stay until 9:00pm or later studying on their own. For the most part, teachers rotate and the students stay in their classroom except for certain classes such as Physical Education, Music and Science labs. School on Saturday ends at noon. They call Saturdays they do not attend school 놀토 (nol-to), short for 노는 토요일 (no-neun to-yo-il); it means resting Saturday. Until 2011, students went to school on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Saturdays of each month; but from 2012, students no longer go to school on Saturdays.

Lithuania

See also: Education in Lithuania

In Lithuania, elementary and high school begin at September 1 and end in early June.

Schools also take breaks/holidays:

• Autumn break: One week at start of November
• Christmas break: Two weeks around Christmas and New Year
• Additional break: One week of end of February. Only in primary school and primary classes in elementary schools
• Easter break: One week around Easter.
• Summer break: From June to August 31

Malaysia

See also: Education in Malaysia

There are two semesters in each primary and secondary school year in Malaysia. The first semester begins in the first week of January and ends in late May the same year. After the mid-term holidays, which lasts for two weeks, the final semester will commence in June and ends in early November. The following school year will start after a two-month long school holiday in November to early January.

The last day of school is generally Friday, with the first day of a long school holiday being Saturday. School holidays normally begin on Friday in Kelantan, Kedah and Terengganu compared to the rest of the country. This is due to these states observing a Friday-Saturday weekend, instead of the usual Saturday-Sunday weekend.

Schools in Malaysia also take breaks during most national and certain respective state holidays. Government and special schools can apply for additional holidays during Chinese New Year or Deepavali, but they have to replace every school day which is missed, and normally this is done prior to the additional holidays taken.

Malta

See also: Education in Malta

The school year is split in two parts. It starts at the end of September and ends at the end of June the following year.

Mexico

See also: Education in Mexico

The school year in Mexico has a duration of 10 months: it starts in September and ends in the last weeks of June. The calendar is designed by the Secretariat of Public Education Spanish: Secretaría de Educación Pública, SEP), the government department overseeing public education in Mexico with arrangement of the leaders of the National Educational Workers Union (Spanish: Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Educación, SNTE). All public and private elementary schools under the guidance of the dependence observe this year. In the case of universities, normally the school year starts in the last week of July and is divided in semesters, trimesters or semesters. Christmas Break is usually 3 weeks.

New Zealand

See also: Education in New Zealand

The New Zealand school year runs from the beginning of February to mid-December, and since 1996, has been divided into four terms. By law, all state and state-integrated schools are required to be open for instruction for 380 half-days in a year (390 half-days for schools with only Year 8 students or below), meaning that the start and end of the school year is not nationally fixed to a particular date, as schools take different teacher-only days and anniversary days off during the year. Schools can be exempted from opening the required number of half-days in some cases, such as in Christchurch in 2011 when many schools closed for up to a month after the 2011 Christchurch earthquake. The breaks between terms have fixed start and end dates, and the break length is fixed at two weeks.

In general, terms run as follows if Easter falls in early-to-mid-April:

• Term 1: Begins no earlier than the Tuesday closest to 30 January and no later than 7 February; ends Maundy Thursday (day before Good Friday)
• Term 2: Begins second Monday following Easter Monday; ends beginning of July
• Term 3: Begins mid-July; ends mid-September
• Term 4: Begins early October; ends no later than 20 December

If Easter falls in March or late in April, Term 1 usually ends in mid-April and Term 2 begins at the beginning of May. If Easter is in March, a 5-day half-term break then exists, with school ending on Maundy Thursday and resuming on the Wednesday. The start of term two may be delayed if Anzac Day (25 April) falls on the Monday or Tuesday directly following the Easter break.

Private schools are not required to adhere to the Ministry's term structure, but by law they may not be open for instruction on Saturday or Sunday, the ten national public holidays, the school locations's relevant anniversary day, and the Tuesday immediately following Easter Monday.

Senior secondary students (Years 11, 12, and 13) in many state schools have examination leave from mid-November, on the Thursday or Friday before the first NCEA external examinations begin. Officially, however, the term still does not end until mid-December.

Oman

See also: Education in Oman

The school year in Oman is divided into two semesters. The first starts in early September and runs to early/mid January depending on the level. The second semester runs from early February to late May Usually there are exams at the end of each semester. Students get a number of breaks throughout the year: National Day on 18 November, New Higri year break, Prophet Mohammed birthday break, Eid Al-Fitr break and Eid Al-Adha break. As most of these breaks depend on the Higri year which is 10 days shorter than the Solar year, there is a gradual change on the date of these events in relation to the school year.

Pakistan

See also: Education in Pakistan

In Pakistan, the school year runs from August to May (10 months). Students have a two month summer vacation and a two-week winter vacation. In Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Kashmir and some areas of Balochistan, where heavy snow paralyzes life in the winter, the schools close for two months and there are two weeks of summer vacation.

Schools and universities are off on national holidays: Pakistan Day (March 23), Independence Day (August 14), Defence of Pakistan Day (September 6), Pakistan Air Force Day (September 7), the anniversaries of the birth (December 25) and death (September 11) of Quaid-e-Azam, Allama Iqbal (November 9) and the birth (July 30) and death (July 8) of Madar-e-Millat.

Labour Day (also known as May Day) is also observed in Pakistan on May 1. Both Eid festivals are also public holidays.

In the University of Engineering and Technology Lahore, the holidays are for two and half months during summer.

For the government universities, the students of bachelors are given 1-1.5 month of summer vacation and 1-1.5 weeks of winter vacations.

Philippines

See also: Education in the Philippines

The Philippine school year runs for 10 months, and a school year must be at least 200 days as prescribed by law. The school year begins in either the first, second or third week of June and runs until the last week of March. In most schools, summer break usually lasts for two months, from the first week of April to the last week of May. Most schools end the school year before Holy Week. Christmas break usually begins in the third week of December, and class resumes the Monday after New Year's Day. Commencement ceremonies are often held in late March or early April.

For primary and secondary schools, an academic year is divided in quarters. Each quarter consists of two and a half months, and there is a one-week break between the second and third quarters. The one-week break commonly coincides with All Saints' Day.

For universities and colleges, an academic year is divided into two semesters. The first semester is followed by a break consisting of two to four weeks before the second semester. The semestral break for all universities and colleges usually occurs between the second week of October to the first week of November, normally including the All Saints' and All Souls' holidays). Private schools also use the semester system which has one-week semestral break to coincide with All Saints' Day.

Other schools such as the De La Salle University and Far Eastern University - East Asia College operate under a trimestral system. Classes start in the fourth week of May and ends in the third week of April. Under this system, students are typically able to finish their academic studies a year earlier than those from other universities with a semestral programme. Mapúa Institute of Technology began using the quarterly system with eleven weeks to a term after its acquisition by the Yuchengco Group. This allows their engineering programmes to be completed a year ahead of schools running on a semestral schedule.

Exceptions to this schedule are international schools operating in the country, which normally follow the September to June schedule.

Poland

See also: Education in Poland

In Poland, the academic year begins on September 1 and ends on the first Friday after June 18. There is a Christmas break in December which lasts until after New Year's Day. There is also a winter holiday break lasting two weeks in January or February but the exact date is different for each province and the dates usually change each year. Winter break is also the dividing line between the two semesters of the school year.

Most universities start their courses on October 1 (at some institutions late September), and ending in January. The first semester of the academic year is commonly referred to as the "winter term". In February or March, the second term (the "summer term") starts. It finishes in June. Each semester is usually 15 or 16 weeks long. After each of them there is an "examination session", when no courses are taught, which lasts up to one month. Summer break starts after the exams and lasts until the start of the next academic year. In September there is an extra examination session during which students can retake failed exams.

Portugal

See also: Education in Portugal

The school year in Portugal runs from September to June and is divided in three Terms (Períodos, in Portuguese):

• 1st Term: From mid-September until mid-December.
• 2nd Term: From the beginning of January until Easter (March–April).
• 3rd Term: From the week after Easter (April) until the end of June (except for 9th, 11th and 12th grades, which finish early due to exams).

During the school year there are several breaks or holidays (interrupções or férias, in Portuguese):

• Christmas Break: Usually beginning in the 3rd week of December and lasts for two weeks including Christmas and New Year holidays. The 2nd term then begins, often in the first Monday of January.
• Carnival Break: Three days (Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday) during Carnival. This break used to be one week long but in recent years it has been reduced.
• Easter Break: Two weeks including Easter. It varies form year to year, but it is usually around late March or middle April.
• Summer Break: Usually known as "Férias Grandes" (Big Holidays) it lasts during the summer from late June to middle September and it separates one school year from another.

Universities and colleges follow a different academic year, which consists of two semesters.

Russia

See also: Education in Russia

The school year in Russia traditionally starts on 1 September (The Knowledge Day) and lasts until 25 May, which is also known as The Last School-Bell day for the graduates. The school year is divided into four terms, or 'quarters', separated by one- or two-week holidays (the first week in November, the first two weeks in January, and the last week of March). The school summer holiday lasts three months: June, July, and August.

The academic year at universities also starts on 1 September and usually consists of 42 educational weeks and 10 weeks of holidays. It is divided into two terms. The first term runs from 1 September to 24/25 January (21 weeks, including 3-5-week exams session at the end) followed by a two-week holiday. (25 January, Tatiana Day is traditionally celebrated as Russian Students Day). The second term runs from 8/9 February - 15/30 June (21 weeks, including 3-5-week exams session) followed by an eight-week summer holiday. Some Russian universities do not use a traditional scheme: they exclude exams sessions, and the academic year is divided in a 2:3 proportion - 17 educational weeks (followed by a two-week holiday) and 25 educational weeks (followed by an eight-week summer holiday).

Singapore

See also: Education in Singapore

Schools

The school year coincides with the calendar year, and the first term begins on January 3 (unless it is a public holiday, Friday, or the weekend). The school year comprises four terms of approximately 10 weeks each.

• Term 1: January to March (Term 1 holidays: one week)
• Term 2: March to May (Term 2 holidays: four weeks)
• Term 3: July to September (Term 3 holidays: one week)
• Term 4: September to November (Long holidays: seven weeks)

Terms 1 and 2 are known as Semester 1, and terms 3 and 4 as Semester 2. The first year of Junior College begins in February to accommodate the release of the O level results.

International schools in Singapore operate on a different system, often similar to the system in their home countries.

Polytechnics

Polytechnics and universities operate on a different calendar from schools. There are two semesters in a year in polytechnics.

• Semester 1: April to August (with a break period in June)
• Semester 2: October to February (with a break period around Christmas)

Universities

The university calendar was influenced by the academic year in India. It has since evolved to match the northern hemisphere calendar more closely.

• Semester 1: August to December
• Semester 2: January to May

Slovakia

See also: Education in Slovakia

The school year for elementary, grammar and high schools begins on September 2 (September 1 is Constitution Day) and ends June 29 of the following year. The start and end for every day is usually 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in most schools. It is split into two halves, with the first half ending on the last day of January.

Universities starts in second half of September or 1 October. Academic year consist of 2 semesters (winter /until December/ and summer /until May/).

Slovenia

See also: Education in Slovenia

The school year in Slovenia for elementary and grammar schools begins on 1 September and formally ends on 31 August, although classes and exams are finished by 25 June. July and August thus constitute summer holidays. There are also four one-week breaks during the school year, occurring around All Saints Day, between Christmas and New Year, at the end of February, and around the May Day.

Universities and colleges follow a different academic year. It consists of two semesters—the winter semester starting on 1 October, which ends around 15 January. It is followed by a one-month break, during which students take the exams for subjects they have read in the semester. The summer semester begins on 15 February and lasts until 31 May, followed by the exam period, which ends on 30 June. Students who have not passed the necessary exams have a chance to do so during the autumn exam period in September. Students and faculty are free during in July and August. New classes are held again in October.

South Africa

See also: Education in South Africa

All South African public schools have a four-term school year as determined by the national Department of Education. Each term is between 10 and 11 weeks long. The terms are roughly structured as follows:

First Term

• Begins mid-January and ends before Good Friday (Usually in March or April).
• Followed by the Easter Holidays, which usually lasts 10 days.

Second Term

• Begins mid-April and ends June
• Followed by the Winter Holidays, which usually lasts 21 days.

Third Term

• Begins mid-July and ends September
• Followed by the September Holidays, also sometimes called the Spring Holidays, and usually lasts 10 days.

Fourth Term

• Begins early October and ends early December
• Followed by the Christmas Holidays, also sometimes called the December or Summer Holidays, and usually lasts approximately 40 days.

The academic year is approximately 200 school days in duration and runs from January to December. Private schools follow a similar calendar, but slightly alter it according to their academic and religious needs. The dates of the school year for coastal schools is slightly different to that for inland schools.

The National Education Department proposed a five-week long school break in June–July 2010 for the 2010 Soccer World Cup-hosted in South Africa-to avoid pupil and teacher absenteeism and a chaotic transport system.

South African universities have a year consisting of two semesters, with the first semester running from early February to early June, and the second semester from late July to late November. Each semester consists of twelve or thirteen teaching weeks, interrupted by a one-week short vacation, and followed by three or four weeks of examinations. In the first semester the short vacation often falls around the Easter weekend, while in the second semester it occurs in early September.

Thailand

See also: Education in Thailand

There are two semesters in the Thai academic year with an optional summer semester. From kindergarten to high school, the first semester opens in mid May and continues until the end of September. The second semester lasts from November until the end of February (or early March). The university academic year is slightly different, lasting from June to October and mid November to mid March.

United Kingdom

See also: Education in the United Kingdom

The school year in the United Kingdom is generally divided into three terms running from autumn to summer. For state schools, the school year consists of 195 days of which there are 190 teaching days and 5 INSET teacher training days. For independent schools, the school year can be as short as 175 days. The structure of the school year varies between the constituent countries of the United Kingdom with school holiday dates varying between local education authorities.

England and Wales

In England and Wales, the school year generally runs from early September until mid to late July of the following year. Most schools operate a three-term school year, each term divided in half by a week-long break known as ‘half term’, and are structured as follows:

• Autumn term: Early September to mid December (half term: late October)
• Spring Term: Early January to Easter (half term: mid February)
• Summer Term: Easter to mid July (half term: late May/early June)

The terms are separated by two holidays each consisting of approximately two weeks: the Christmas holidays separating the autumn term and spring term and the Easter holidays separating the spring term and the summer term. The period between the end of one school year and the start of the next is known as the summer holidays consisting of six to eight weeks.

Northern Ireland

The school year in Northern Ireland generally runs from early September to late June or early July of the following year. Most schools operate a three-term school year similar to England and Wales; however, there is no half term during summer term due to the province's longer summer holidays. The terms are structured as follows:

• Autumn Term: September to December (half term: late October)
• Spring Term: January to Easter (half term: mid-February)
• Summer Term: Easter to June or early July

The terms are separated by two holidays each consisting of approximately two weeks: the Christmas Holidays separating the autumn and spring terms, and the Easter holidays separating the spring and summer terms. The summer holidays in Northern Ireland last nine weeks, from the start of July until the end of August, due to the Twelfth of July bank holiday.

Scotland

The school year in Scotland generally runs from middle or late August to late June or early July of the following year (usually in eastern council areas from the third Monday in August to the first Friday in July and in western council areas from the second Monday in August to the last Friday in June). Most schools operate a three-term school year, each term divided in half by a break known as ‘mid-term’, lasting a week or two in October, a few days to a week in February, and a few days in May. The terms are structured as follows:

• Autumn Term: August to December (mid-term: middle to late October)
• Spring Term: January to Easter (mid-term: mid-February)
• Summer Term: Easter to June or July (mid-term: late May)

The terms are separated by two holidays each consisting of approximately two weeks: the Christmas Holidays separating the autumn and spring terms, and the Easter holidays separating the spring and summer terms. The period between the end of one school year and the start of the next is known as the summer holidays and consists of six or seven weeks.

Alternative arrangements for English and Welsh schools

The academic year was originally designed for the pre-industrial era when all able-bodied young people were needed to help with harvesting over the summer. It is thus designed around a long holiday in July and August, placing the rest of the year into three terms arranged around Christmas and Easter, which constrain things still further. The long terms then require a half-term break to give pupils and teachers time to recharge.

The long summer holiday has often been criticised by educationalists who say that the long breaks delay academic progress. Even a House of Commons Education Select Committee recommended in 1999 that schools switch to a five-term academic year, abolishing the long summer holidays. Each term would be eight weeks long with a two-week break in between terms, and a minimum four-week summer holiday, with no half terms—the idea being that children can keep up momentum for eight weeks without a break. The proposals were introduced at a small number of schools nationally.

In 1999, the Local Government Association set up a commission to look at alternative proposals for a more balanced school year. In partnership with Local Authorities and teachers unions, they were unable to agree to a suitable alternative arrangement for terms, but by 2004 came to an agreement with the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers for a standardised arrangement of school terms. Since 2004, around one third of English local authorities have signed up to the proposals which see a standard academic year agreed between the authorities, including slight variations on the traditional schemes, based on the following principles:

• start the school year on a September date as near as possible to 1 September;
• equalise teaching and learning blocks (roughly 2×7 and 4×6 weeks);
• establish a two-week spring break in early April irrespective of the incidence of the Easter bank holiday. (Where the break does not coincide with the bank holiday the date should be, as far as practicable, nationally agreed and as consistent as possible across all local authorities);
• allow for the possibility of a summer holiday of at least six weeks for those schools which want this length of break.
• identify and agree annually designated periods of holiday, including the summer holiday, where head teachers are recommended not to arrange teacher days.

Universities

There are a lot of differing practices that use confusingly similar terminology. Many universities run ten-week autumn, spring and summer terms, though some use different names or a semester system, with the new semester beginning halfway through the second term. Many other universities run unevenly lengthened terms, with the autumn term usually the longest. Even within individual institutions practice can vary from year to year to accommodate factors such as the changing date of Easter. Some universities also have a "reading week" in which no teaching takes place at all, the equivalent of a school half term. At other universities "reading weeks" are not uniform and may be in different weeks in different faculties, departments, modules or even seminar groups. Some reading weeks cover only seminars whilst lectures continue; others suspend both for the week.

Examples include:

• University of Bath: Semester 1 (October - December with exams in January), Semester 2 (February - April with 3 week Easter break followed by exams until the end of May)
• University of Birmingham: Autumn, Spring and Summer Semesters (each eleven weeks)
• University of Cambridge: Michaelmas, Lent, Easter (eight-week terms)
• Durham University: Michaelmas, Epiphany, Easter (ten, nine and nine weeks respectively)
• King's College London: Michaelmas, Lent, Summer
• University of Wales, Lampeter: Michaelmas, Lent, Easter (twelve, ten and eight weeks respectively)
• Lancaster University: Michaelmas Term, Lent Term, Summer Term (ten-week terms)
• London School of Economics (LSE): Michaelmas, Lent, Summer
• Queen Mary, University of London: Term 1, Term 2, Exam term (twelve-week terms)
• School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS): Term 1, Term 2, Term 3
• University of Nottingham: Autumn, Spring and Summer Terms
• University of Oxford: Michaelmas, Hilary, Trinity (eight-week terms)
• University of St Andrews: Martinmas, Candlemas (Traditionally Martinmas, Candlemas and Whitsunday)
• University College London (UCL): First, Second, Third
• University of Warwick: First,Second,Third (each ten weeks,the sixth week of the first and second term is 'Reading Week' for Arts and Social Science students.)
• University of Kent: Autumn Term, Spring Term, Summer Term (Autumn and Spring are both twelve weeks, whereas the Summer Term is six weeks long and is the exam period.)

Exceptions include the Open University and the University of Buckingham where undergraduate courses do not coincide with the academic year used by universities in Britain and elsewhere. Instead, they largely coincide with the calendar year—they typically start in January or February, with examinations in autumn.

In England, academic and judicial institutions traditionally organised their year approximately as follows into four terms:

• Hilary: January–April
• Easter: April–May
• Trinity: June–July
• Michaelmas: October–December

In Scotland, academic and judicial institutions traditionally organised their year into four terms:

• Candlemas: 2 February, Candlemas, which fell forty days after Christmas, marked the presentation of the infant Jesus in the temple and the purification of the Virgin Mary.
• Whitsunday: originally a moveable term day, coming the seventh Sunday after Easter, was fixed in Scotland at 15 May in 1693. Whitsunday was originally the feast of Pentecost, around which a great many christenings would occur, so it became associated with the color white.
• Lammas Day: 1 August, feast of St. Peter ad Vincula was a corruption of loaf-mass, the Sunday on which the first fruits of harvest were offered, first corn ground, and first loaf made. In Scotland it was associated with hand-fasting and some fairs on this day were called handfasting fairs. (Originally synonymous with betrothal, handfasting became a contract binding a man and woman to live together for a year and a day before they decided on permanent marriage.)
• Martinmas: 11 November, was known as St. Martin in Winter or St. Martin of Tours to distinguish this from another feast of St. Martin in July.

Specific dates varied between institutions, and all except Michaelmas were determined by the date of Easter.

Over time, Cambridge dropped Trinity term and renamed Hilary to Lent, Oxford also dropped Trinity term and renamed Easter term as 'Trinity' thus establishing the three-term academic year.

United States

See also: Education in the United States

Primary and secondary schools

In the United States, the academic year for most K–12 institutions typically consists of two 18-week semesters, each divided into two nine-week marking periods (or quarters) or three six-week marking periods, and constituting 170 to 186 instructional days (with an average of 180). An instructional week is five instructional days, measured Monday–Friday at all public and most private schools; Sunday–Thursday at Jewish private schools; Saturday–Wednesday or Sunday–Thursday at Muslim private schools; and so on. Grades are usually reported per marking period, but major examinations are given per semester or per year.

The traditional start date for the school year has been the first Tuesday in September (the day after Labor Day). Though some schools still keep this tradition, many schools now start in the last two weeks of August and some schools (especially private ones) may start as late as the end of September or the first week in October. There are also some schools, especially in the southern tier of the United States, that begin at the end of July and early August. The school year ends 42 instructional weeks after it begins. Also, some schools are now moving to the first Wednesday in September (usually two days after Labor Day, unless it falls on September 1 or 2) to allow a short week as students adjust to being in school again.

School holidays, which are not counted as instructional days, typically include Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving Friday (two days although many systems take the Wednesday and/or the following Monday off as well, mostly the whole week in most schools), a winter break beginning a few days before Christmas, though sometimes as late as the day before Christmas Eve, through to about 2 days after New Year's Day (about 2 weeks), Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, spring break during the Western Christian Holy Week and the week after Easter (2 weeks), and Memorial Day. Most schools also observe one or more of Columbus Day, Veteran's Day, Lincoln's Birthday, and other state or local holidays. Some schools have additional holidays for students that are workdays for the staff, such as parent–teacher conference days, though other schools have short school days. The aggregate of school holidays typically amounts to more than 70 weekdays, so an academic year that starts the last week of August or first week of September (usually the day after Labor Day in September) will typically finish the first week of June. Schools that start in late July or early August end in late May.

Community colleges

Many community colleges originated as extensions of the primary and secondary school system. These colleges often continue to follow the K-12 schedule.

Collegiate calendars

Three calendar systems are used by most American colleges and universities: quarter system, semester system, and trimester system. These are ways the calendar year, measured September–August or August–August, is organized into a formal academic year. Some schools, particularly some business schools and community colleges, use the mini-mester or mini-semester system.

The quarter system divides the calendar year into four quarters, three of which constitute a complete academic year. Quarters are typically 10 weeks long so that three quarters amount to 30 weeks of instruction. Approximately 20% of universities are on the quarter system. Most colleges that use the quarter system have a fall quarter from late September to mid-December, a winter quarter from early January to mid-March, a spring quarter from late March or early April to mid-June, and an optional summer session. Notable users of the quarter system include the University of California system (excluding Berkeley and Merced) and the University of Chicago.

The semester system divides the calendar year into two semesters of 15 weeks each, plus summer sessions of varying lengths. The two semesters together constitute 30 weeks of instruction, so that three academic quarters equal two academic semesters. Thus, academic credit earned in quarter hours converts to semester hours at 2/3 of its value, while credit earned in semester hours converts to quarter hours at 3/2 of its value. Put another way, 3 quarter hours is 2 semester hours. Most universities on the semester system have a fall semester from the day after Labor Day in September to mid-December, a spring/winter semester from late January to early May, and an optional summer session.

In practice, the average quarter course is four or five units and the average semester course is three units, so a full-time student graduating in four years would take five courses per semester and three or four courses per quarter.

Some colleges and universities have a 4-1-4 system, which divides the year into two four-month terms (September to December and February to May) as well as a single one-month term in January in which students can do independent study, study abroad, internships, activities or focus on one or two classes. The one-month term is sometimes called a mini-mester, winter session, inter-term/interim/intersession or J-term. Examples of schools using this system include: Whittier College, Williams College, Bethany College in West Virginia, Berea College, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Johns Hopkins University, New College of Florida, Calvin College, Augustana College (Illinois) Gustavus Adolphus College, Linfield College, Luther College, Oberlin College, Middlebury College, Erskine College, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Eckerd College, Wofford College, Austin College, Saint Olaf College, Samford University, Hofstra University, University of Delaware, Saint Mary's College of California, Colby College, Chapman University, Pacific University, and Pacific Lutheran University.

Some schools have a similar format but ordered as 4-4-1, with the short term in May after the conclusion of the spring semester. The term is sometimes called either "Maymester", a portmanteau of "May" and "semester", or "May term". Examples of schools using this system include Bates College, Chatham University, Clemson University, Elmira College, Purdue University, Transylvania University, the University of Redlands, and Washington and Lee University's 12-12-4 undergraduate calendar.

The trimester system evolved out of the semester system. It divides the academic year into three equal portions of 10–11 weeks each. Institutions that use the trimester system include Union College, California Institute of Technology, Carleton College, Knox College (Illinois), Augustana College (Illinois), Lawrence University, and the United States Merchant Marine Academy. The fall and winter and spring trimesters constitute an academic year of 30–32 weeks. The reduced maximum course load that accompanies the shortening from the traditional semester makes the trimester system compatible with the semester system. Academic credit is thus measured on the trimester system in semester hours; there is no such thing as a "trimester hour" of credit.

A number of colleges have adopted the "one course at a time" or "block schedule" calendar. Academic years consist of a number of terms lasting roughly four weeks each, during which a full semester's worth of work is completed in one and only one class. Colorado College first began their "Block Plan" in 1970, followed by Maharishi International University in 1971, Cornell College in 1978. Quest University in Squamish, British Columbia; Tusculum College in Tusculum, Tennessee; and The University of Montana - Western are the only other colleges operating under this academic calendar.

See also

• Year-round school
• Academic analytics
• Financial year
• School holiday