University of Iowa Academic Calendar Principles

The University of Iowa has established certain guidelines that determine the start/end date and length of each session.

Policy effective fall 2021. Any adjustments or exceptions to the Academic Calendar Principles requires prior approval. 

Fall Session

  • Must have 15 weeks of instructional time.
  • Start fall semester on the latest day possible given the following constraints:
    • No classes on Labor Day.
    • A full week for Fall Break. Fall Break/Thanksgiving will begin on the fourth Sunday in November and run from Sunday to Sunday.
    • The last date of the final exam period is no later than Dec. 20.

Spring Session

  • Must have 15 weeks of instructional time.
  • No classes on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
  • Must start four weeks from the end of the fall semester (should start the fifth week after the close of finals).
  • A full week for Spring Break. Spring Break will begin on the 11th Monday of the calendar year and run from Sunday to Sunday.
  • The last date of the final exam period is no later than May 17.

Winter Session

  • Must occur during the four weeks between the end of the fall semester and the beginning of the spring semester.
  • There cannot be more than four weeks between the end of fall and the beginning of spring.

Summer Session

  • Must have 12 weeks of instructional time.
  • No classes on Memorial Day.
  • No classes in observance of Independence Day (adjustments made if it falls on a weekend).

Summer Subsessions

  • 4-week, 6-week I, and 12-week sub-sessions will start the first Monday after spring commencement weekend.
  • 8-week sub-session will begin on the Monday after the 4-week sub-session ends.
  • 6-week II will begin on the Monday after the 6-week I sub-session ends.
  • Close of sub-sessions on Thursdays; final exam days on Friday.

Religious Holidays

The University is prepared to make reasonable accommodations for students whose religious holy days coincide with their classroom assignments, test schedules, and classroom attendance expectations.

Statement on Religious Diversity and University Holidays

The policy on Religious Diversity and the University Calendar can be found in the University of Iowa Policy Manual.

Absences for Religious Holy Days

The policy outlining Absences for Religious Holy Days can be found in the University of Iowa Policy Manual.

BMindful Calendar

BMindful is an initiative that seeks to meet the needs of diverse communities by providing event and conference planners with the dates of holy days of major religious faiths for five years into the future.

Calendar Combiner

The Office of the Registrar and Information Technology Services have partnered to create a portal for syncing the Academic Calendar directly to an Outlook account. Anyone with a HawkID and password can log into the system and select which date categories they would like to appear on their Outlook calendar.

Users can select and then deselect categories, and changes will occur to their Outlook calendars approximately 1 p.m. the following day.

View Calendar Combiner help for more information.

Date Categories

Student Dates
  • Core University Dates - Opening and closing of classes, commencement, final exams week, holidays, and student breaks.
  • University Classes Closed - Holidays and student breaks.
  • Distance and Online Education - Registration deadlines, holidays, student breaks, and other dates geared towards online students.
  • Graduate Students - Deadlines geared towards graduate students. Degree application, thesis, plans of study, and final exam reports.
  • Housing and Dining - Move-in and move-out, dining dates at University Housing and Dining.
  • Registration Dates and Deadlines - Add/drop, withdrawal, prerequisite, and early registration dates.
  • Graduation and Commencement - Degree application deadlines and commencement weekend dates.

Faculty and Staff Dates
  • Core University Dates - Opening and closing of classes, commencement, final exams week, holidays, and student breaks.
  • University Offices Closed - Holidays when university offices are closed.
  • Course Offerings / Classroom Scheduling - MAUI planner and classroom submission deadlines, final exams, prerequisite deadlines, and other dates geared towards staff who work with course sections.
  • Departmental Admin - Attendance, grade, and midterm submission periods. MAUI Offerings Planner and Course Library deadlines.
  • Grades and Attendance - Dates geared towards faculty and staff who submit final grades, attendance, and midterm lists.
  • Registration Admin - Student add/drop, withdrawing, prerequisite, early and late registration deadlines. Session creation, registration set-up, and more.