Guidelines For the Structure of the Academic Year
The following Guidelines apply only to those faculties, schools and colleges which operate on a 26-week teaching term, i.e., they do not apply to the Faculties of Education, Graduate Studies, Law, the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry or the Richard Ivey School of Business.
1. Scheduling the Start Date of Classes and Length of the First and Second Terms
- Classes in the first term will begin on the Thursday following Labour Day.
- Classes in the second term will begin on the first Monday following January 2. Second term classes will begin no earlier than twelve days following the last day of the mid-year examination period.
- The last day of registration for either the Fall or Winter term will be seven days from and including the start date of the session (excluding weekends).
- Each term will be thirteen weeks in length, comprising at least 62 "lecture days."
- The first day of classes in the fall term in all teaching divisions should not be scheduled on the first or second day of Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish new year) or on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), unless the cancellation of classes on those days results in a term of less than 62 “lecture days.” In that case, classes will proceed as usual.
2. Scheduling Study Days and Examinations
- There will be at least one study day (including Saturdays and Sundays) between the completion of lectures and the first scheduled final examination.
- The final day of examinations will be no later than December 22 in the first term and April 30 in the second term.
- The final examination period will be at least 12 days in the first term and at least 17 days in the second term.
- No examinations are to be scheduled on Good Friday or Easter Sunday.
- No examinations are to be scheduled on the first two days of Passover unless the avoidance of those dates would extend the final examination period beyond the end of April. In years where examinations are scheduled on the first two days of Passover, affected students are required to request accommodation and arrange with their instructor(s) and/or Dean for an alternative examination.
3. Scheduling Reading Week
- Reading Week will be scheduled to begin the third Monday in February.
4. Scheduling Convocation Ceremonies
- The in absentia February Convocation will be scheduled for the last Friday in February.
- June Convocation ceremonies will be scheduled from Tuesday to Friday in the second full week in June and from Monday to Wednesday in the third week of June.
- October Convocation ceremonies will be scheduled on the fourth Thursday and Friday in October. [If October 1 is a Friday, it will not count as week 1.]
Remembrance Day Policy
That two minutes of silence be observed on November 11 at 11:00 a.m. throughout the University and that, where this is not possible, two minutes of silence be observed between 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon.
That students be permitted to be absent from class to attend a Remembrance Day Service, provided the instructor is informed in advance of the intended absence.
Trois-Pistoles Sessional Dates
As a guideline, the Trois-Pistoles Intersession start and end dates will coincide with those of Campus and Off-Campus Intersession (starting the second week of May), with both the add and drop deadlines set as the third day of the session. The Summer Day Session will commence two weeks following the end of Intersession, and both the add and drop deadlines will be set as the third day. The sessions will begin on Mondays in order to ensure weekend arrivals of students and to facilitate orientation in Trois-Pistoles.
Guidelines SR.08-214
Remembrance Day Policy SR.10-28
Trois Pistoles SR.96-160a
ACADEMIC INFORMATION 