(Last revised April 2022)

The Academic Calendar at American University is published five years in advance on the Office of the University Registrar's website. The Academic Calendar is constructed around several basic principles: Spring Commencement occurs on Mother's Day weekend; the Spring semester classes run for 16 calendar weeks (15 instructional weeks plus 1 week for spring break); Fall semester classes run for 15 calendar weeks plus one week for final exams; and Summer Sessions begin on the Monday following Mother's Day.

In order to accurately calculate the dates of the academic calendar for any given future year, you must determine if it is a leap year, what the date of the first Monday in January is, and the date of the second Sunday in May (Mother's Day). With that information, the guidelines below can be applied. While the Academic Calendar begins with Fall, calculating the dates is logically accomplished beginning with the Spring term, understanding that the Fall semester would be the start of the following academic year.

First Day of Classes

Spring classes begin the Monday 17 weeks prior to Mother's Day, unless that day is Martin Luther King Day, then classes begin on that Tuesday. Another way to calculate this date is to determine if the first Monday in January is on the 1st or 2nd. If the date of the first Monday in January is greater than 2, classes begin on the second Monday of January. Otherwise, classes begin on the 3rd Tuesday of January.

Summer sessions begin the Monday immediately after Spring commencement weekend (Mother's Day weekend). The 7-week (A) and Online Learning I (E) sessions begin on the first day of the summer sessions. The first 6-week (B) and 3-week (C) sessions begin on the second Monday of the summer sessions. The second 6- week (D) and Online Learning II (F) sessions begin on the eighth Monday of the summer sessions.

If Mother's Day falls on the 8th or 9th of May, Fall classes begin the Monday 17 weeks after Mother's Day. Otherwise, Fall classes begin the Monday 16 weeks after Mother's Day. Another way to calculate the first day of fall classes is to determine what day of the week December 25th is. If the 25th is a Saturday, Sunday, or Monday, the last day of classes is the second Friday in December. Otherwise, the last day of classes is the first Friday in December. From there, simply count back to the Monday 15 weeks prior to establish the first day of classes.

Registration and Refunds

Priority registration begins in October for Spring semester classes and in March for Summer and Fall classes. General registration is open from the end of priority registration through the last day to drop a class.

During the first 10 business days of a standard fall or spring semester, previously registered students may make registration changes (drop and/or add a course, change sections or change the grading option) without financial penalty.

• First 10 business days of classes is the 100% refund period - drop without "W"
• Third week of classes is the 50% refund period - withdraw with final grade of "W"
• The fourth week of classes is the 25% refund period (no refunds after end of fourth week of classes) - withdraw with final grade of "W"
• The end of the eighth week of the semester (fall and spring) is the last day students may withdraw from a course without permission of the academic unit- withdraw with final grade of "W"

Programs and classes that are offered on a non-standard schedule (including Summer Sessions), will follow the formula outlined below based on last date of attendance:

Refund Schedule for Classes with Non Standard Length

Class Length (Days)	Days to Drop with 100% Refund	Days to Withdraw with 50% Refund	Days to Withdraw with 25% Refund	Last Day to Withdraw with W
1-14	1	No Refund	No Refund	0
15-34	2	4	5	12
35-42	5	8	11	26
43-49	6	9	12	31
50-65	7	11	15	36
66-80	9	14	19	47
81-96	12	19	26	63
97-110	14	21	28	70
111+	15	22	29	75

Early warning notices are due to the Registrar's Office by the end of 5th week of classes in fall and spring semesters.

Commencement and Degree Dates

During the fall and spring semesters the week designated for the giving of final examinations shall be preceded by a weekend or by one or two study days.

Final grades are due 72 hours after the final exam.

Commencement ceremonies for spring applicants are held on the weekend of Mother's Day (the second Saturday and Sunday of May).

Commencement ceremonies for summer graduates and fall applicants are held in December as determined by the President's office.

The order in which the College and Schools participate in Commencement activities may vary each year, and should be coordinated with the President's office.

The Official Degree Award Date is the last day prior to the first day of classes in the subsequent term, except for the fall semester when the degree date is the last day of the year.

Additional Important Dates

Fall Welcome Week begins the Saturday nine days prior to the start of fall classes and runs through Sunday prior to the first day of fall classes. Spring Welcome begins on Thursday and continues through Sunday before classes begin.

All-American Weekend (formerly Family weekend) is the Friday-Sunday after Fall Break (the weekend after midterms).

The Mathematics Equivalency Exam is held on the second Wednesday of the fall and spring semesters.

The Writing Proficiency Exam is held once in the fall, twice in the spring, and once in the summer, per dates established by the department.

Theses and dissertations are due in deans' offices four weeks before last day of classes, and to the Registrar's Office on the last day of classes (spring and fall). For summer graduates, theses and dissertations are due to deans' offices three weeks before the end of summer sessions and to the Registrar's Office at the end of summer sessions.

Admissions and financial aid deadlines remain the same calendar day each year - September 1, November 1, November 15, January 15, February 15, March 1, May 1, and July 1. The day of the week will vary from year to year.

Holidays and Student Breaks

The academic calendar includes the following university holidays and vacations: Labor Day, Fall Break, Thanksgiving, winter break (Christmas-New Year's holiday schedule per memo of November 2, 2010 from Provost Scott Bass and CFO Donald Myers), Inauguration Day (every four years), Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Spring Break, Memorial Day, and Independence Day.

Winter Break - Beginning in 2011, the University will close between Christmas and New Year's. Below is the new closing schedule:

University Closings for Christmas

If Christmas falls on a...	The University is closed...
Sunday	Dec 24 - Jan 2
Monday	Dec 24 - Jan 1
Tuesday	Dec 24 - Jan 1
Wednesday	Dec 23 - Jan 1
Thursday	Dec 24 - Jan 2
Friday	Dec 24 - Jan 1
Saturday	Dec 24 - Jan 1

 

Also consult the US Office of Personnel Management.

Each fall semester, on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving: "Tuesday classes are cancelled; Friday classes meet."

Spring break is the week following midterms (generally after 8 weeks of classes). Fall Break (no classes, university office open) is the Friday of the 7th week of classes.