Academic Calendar

Revised Academic Calendar

Anonymous — Tue, 31 Dec 2024 22:05:15 +0000

Revised Academic Calendar Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 12/31/2024 - 15:05 Office of the Registrar

Related Campus Communications

Dec. 20, 2023: CU Boulder announces revised academic calendar
Nov. 6, 2023: Faculty assembly hears 2nd proposal on academic calendar
Oct. 6, 2023: Chancellor addresses successor search, fundraising with faculty assembly

Changes to the Academic Calendar

As announced in December 2023, CU Boulder will follow a revised academic calendar beginning with the Fall 2025 semester.

These revisions were in direct response to feedback from deans, faculty, staff and students and focus on student academic preparedness as well as promoting health and wellbeing.

View Upcoming Key Academic Dates

Revisions to the academic calendar:

Adjusting the Monday-Wednesday-Friday and Tuesday-Thursday class meeting patterns so they both have the same number of instructional days.
Moving the first day of classes each semester earlier to Thursday rather than the following Monday.
Creating a midterm reading day each semester.
Adding another reading day before the final exam period at the end of each semester.
Moving spring break one week earlier to facilitate alignment with Boulder Valley School District’s and St. Vrain Valley School District’s spring breaks.

How these revisions create other differences from the current academic calendar:

The number of instructional days will be reduced from 73 to 70 during a standard fall and spring semester.
The midterm reading day will fall on the eighth Thursday of the semester.
The Friday of the last week of classes will operate as a Monday to equalize Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday-Friday instructional days.
The last day of classes each semester will fall on a Friday; final exam reading days will be on Saturday–Sunday; and the final exam period will be Monday–Friday, ending at 4 p.m. Friday.
After the end of the final exam period (Friday at 4 p.m.), departmental commencement recognition events (fall and spring semesters) and residence hall move out (spring semester) may be scheduled.
Spring commencement, which is held on the day after the final exam period, will fall on a Saturday.

Academic Calendar Working Group Members

Katherine Eggert, vice chancellor for academic planning and assessment
Devin Cramer, associate vice chancellor and dean of students
Andre Grothe, assistant vice provost for academic planning
Sarah Layton, associate registrar
Barbara Marshall, assistant vice chancellor of student financial services
Erika Swain, assistant director for compliance and authorization, academic affairs
Kristi Wold-McCormick, assistant vice provost and university registrar

Frequently Asked Questions

How many instructional minutes would the typical 3-credit class lose during a semester under the new calendar, as compared to the current one?

TTh meeting pattern: -150 minutes
MWF meeting pattern: -50 minutes
MW meeting pattern: -75 minutes
A once-a-week class on M or F: no change
A once-a-week class on T, W, or Th: -150 minutes

Does a shortened semester comply with federal and state requirements?

Yes.

Federal Title 34 definition of the credit hour allows for institutional interpretation of instructional class time as approved by their accrediting agency.
Colorado Commission of Higher Education guidelines define a base contact hour as a standard measurement of consumption of faculty resources by students. One base contact hour equals a minimum of 750 minutes. However, the final examination period may be included in contact hours.

Does a shortened semester comply with campus accreditation or academic disciplinary accreditation?

Yes. Our campus accrediting body, the Higher Learning Commission, makes sure we are in line with federal law but does not interfere with reasonable institutional interpretations of instructional class time. Many of our AAU peers who have 70 instructional days per semester are accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Those same institutions also have accreditations in the same academic disciplines that we do.

What about lab classes that are set up to run the same lab experiment M-Th or M-F? Won’t the midterm reading day mess up a week?

The Office of the Registrar and the Office of the Senior Vice Provost for Academic Planning & Assessment will work with departments to optimize schedules. Other large AAU peers with 70 instructional days per semester (e.g., Michigan, Minnesota, UT-Austin) may serve as models for scheduling and curricular structures.

Why is the midterm reading day a Thursday?

It’s necessary to equalize the number of MTWRF instructional days.

Won’t students just skip classes on Friday to make the midterm reading day into a four-day weekend?

Perhaps. However, a Thursday midterm reading day will have less impact in this regard, since the campus offers a lot fewer classes on Fridays. For example, in Fall 2023, there were 2,697 Monday classes, 2,834 Wednesday classes and 1,901 Friday classes. In other words, we typically offer a third fewer classes on Fridays than we do on Mondays or Wednesdays.

Does the midterm reading day govern when midterms are scheduled?

No. Faculty may schedule exams and other due dates at any time.

Does the revised academic calendar extend the length of the semester?

No. The revised calendar shortens the calendrical ground covered by the semester by one day. Three days of instruction are removed, and one midsemester reading day and one final exams reading day are added. Put another way: Currently, the semester ends 16 weeks and 2 days after it begins. (Where "end" = the last day of final exams.) Beginning Fall 2025, the semester will end 16 weeks and 1 day after it begins.

Are faculty able to have exams or other due dates on the midterm reading day?

No; the midterm reading day functions like the final exam period reading days. Class sessions or graded assignments of any kind, including papers, lab practicums, presentations, portfolios and projects, may not take place or be due on a day designated in the academic calendar as a reading day. However, unlike the final exam period reading days, the midterm reading day is not a “blackout date” for concerts, sports events or other campus events.

What about common midterm exams? Can they be scheduled on the midterm reading day?

No. Departments and the Office of the Registrar will need to review scheduling of common midterm exams so they do not fall on the midterm reading day.

What will happen with the B81 and B82 “seven-week” sessions, which are currently 37 days?

They will be shortened to 35 days, or a true seven weeks.

What will happen with the Colorado Law calendar, which is already different from the academic calendar for the rest of the campus?

The Registrar’s team is working with the Colorado Law School to preserve the distinctive features of its calendar.

Will we have to make up snow days or other days when campus is closed due to emergency?

There’s no change on this. The chancellor will make a decision if excessive instructional days are lost to weather or other emergency circumstances.

Have BVSD and SVVSD agreed to align their spring breaks with ours?

The Boulder Valley School and St. Vrain Valley School Districts have agreed to align their spring breaks with CU Boulder’s starting in Spring 2026.

Whose decision was it to change the academic calendar?

Former Chancellor Philip DiStefano made this decision in December 2023 after considering input from campus constituents impacted by the academic calendar including faculty, students and staff. The CU system and the Board of Regents have been informed of these changes.

Who decides when spring commencement takes place?

The chancellor makes this decision. Spring commencement is a large-scale public event and thus involves many considerations, not just academic ones.

When will fall and spring departmental/program recognition ceremonies take place?

The events team in the Office of the Chancellor works with departments and programs to schedule recognition ceremonies held in the fall and spring semesters. See Commencement for more information.

As announced in December 2023, CU Boulder will follow a revised academic calendar beginning with the Fall 2025 semester.

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Spring 2025 Continuing Student Enrollment Dates

Anonymous — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Spring 2025 Continuing Student Enrollment Dates Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 10/01/2024 - 00:00 CU-SIS Development Team

Registration Overview

On Monday, Oct. 14, each student's assigned enrollment appointment date and time will appear on their enrollment dates card in Buff Portal and in a registration e-memo from our office. Enrollment appointments are based on total completed cumulative hours for all but law students. If a student has CU or transfer hours added after their enrollment appointment is set, they may be eligible for an enrollment appointment adjustment.

Registration remains open through open enrollment, which begins Monday, Jan. 6, 2025.

Student Enrollment Blocks

Registration opens for each student block at the dates and times below. The time indicated below is the start time of the first appointment within that block. A given block may have several appointment start times. If that is the case, start times occur every 15 minutes.* Numbers in parentheses represent total cumulative credit hours, where applicable.

Monday, Nov. 4, 2024

8:30 a.m. – Priority registration students**
8:30 a.m. – Graduate BAM & concurrent degree students
9:30 a.m. – Veteran seniors
9:30 a.m. – Seniors (90+ credits)*

Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024

7:30 a.m. – Graduate students*
3:00 p.m. – Undergraduate and graduate transfer exchange students

Monday, Nov. 11, 2024

8:30 a.m. – Veteran juniors
8:30 a.m. – Juniors (60–89.99 credits)*

Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024

11:30 a.m. – Veteran sophomores
11:30 a.m. – Sophomores (30–59.99 credits)*

Monday, Nov. 18, 2024

8:30 a.m. – Freshmen (0–7.99 credits)
8:30 a.m. – Veteran freshmen
9:30 a.m. – Freshmen (8–29.99 credits)*

Friday, Nov. 22, 2024

9:00 a.m. – Law students

*Staggered enrollment appointment start times.

**Student athletes and students with special accommodations as identified by Disability Services.

Starting Monday, Oct. 14, continuing students will be able to view their assigned Spring 2025 enrollment dates and begin adding classes to their shopping cart. Enrollment appointment dates will occur from Nov. 4–22, 2024.

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Fall 2024 Continuing Student Enrollment Dates

Anonymous — Tue, 27 Feb 2024 07:00:00 +0000

Fall 2024 Continuing Student Enrollment Dates Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 02/27/2024 - 00:00 CU-SIS Development Team

Registration Overview

On Wednesday, March 6, each student’s assigned enrollment appointment date and time will appear on their enrollment dates card in Buff Portal and in a registration e-memo from our office. Enrollment appointments are based on total completed cumulative hours for all but law students. If a student has CU or transfer hours added after their enrollment appointment is set, they may be eligible for an enrollment appointment adjustment.

Registration for continuing undergraduate students remains open through June 13 and reopens for open enrollment, which begins Monday, Aug. 19. Registration for continuing graduate and law students remains open through open enrollment.

Student Enrollment Blocks

Numbers in parentheses represent total cumulative credit hours, where applicable.

Monday, April 1

8:30 a.m. – Priority registration students**
8:30 a.m. – Graduate BAM & concurrent degree students
9:30 a.m. – Veteran seniors
9:30 a.m. – Seniors (90+ credits)*

Thursday, April 4

7:30 a.m. – Graduate students*
3 p.m. – Undergraduate and graduate transfer exchange students

Monday, April 8

8:30 a.m. – Veteran juniors
8:30 a.m. – Juniors (60–89.99 credits)*

Wednesday, April 10

11:30 a.m. – Veteran sophomores
11:30 a.m. – Sophomores (30–59.99 credits)*

Monday, April 15

8:30 a.m. – Freshmen (0–7.99 credits)
8:30 a.m. – Veteran freshmen
9:30 a.m. – Freshmen (8–29.99 credits)*

Friday, April 19

9 a.m. – Law students

*Staggered appointment start times.

**Student athletes and students with special accommodations as identified by Disability Services.

Continuing students will be able to view their assigned Fall 2024 enrollment dates and begin adding classes to their shopping cart starting Wednesday, March 6. That day, our office will send a registration e-memo to current degree-seeking students with their assigned enrollment appointment dates, which occur April 1–19.

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Summer 2024 Continuing Student Enrollment Dates

Anonymous — Mon, 12 Feb 2024 07:00:00 +0000

Summer 2024 Continuing Student Enrollment Dates Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 02/12/2024 - 00:00 CU-SIS Development Team

Registration Overview

On Wednesday, Feb. 14, the summer shopping cart will become available, assigned summer enrollment dates will post, and our office will send an e-memo to continuing students that includes their assigned summer enrollment start date and time.

Students are assigned a single appointment for the Boulder Main Campus Summer Session term, which was created exclusively for this purpose. To view a student's enrollment information:

Log in to Campus Solutions.
Navigate to the student services center page (Campus Community > Student Services Ctr (AdminVw)).
Enter the student's information and locate their record.
Once you're in the student center, you'll see the student's enrollment information listed under "Enrollment Dates" (right side of the page).

Student Enrollment Blocks

Continuing Student Blocks	Start Date	Start Time
Priority registration* (approved students)	March 6, 2024	8 a.m.
Seniors (90–999.99 predicted cumulative hours)	March 6, 2024	8 a.m.
Law	March 6, 2024	8 a.m.
Graduate	March 7, 2024	8 a.m.
Juniors (60–89.99 predicted cumulative hours)	March 7, 2024	8 a.m.
Sophomores (30–59.99 predicted cumulative hours)	March 8, 2024	8 a.m.
Freshmen (0–29.99 predicted cumulative hours)	March 8, 2024	8 a.m.

*Student athletes and students with special accommodations as identified by Disability Services.

Note: Faculty and staff using the tuition assistance benefit for themselves may register seven days before the start of the semester of the first day of the class, whichever comes first. See CU Employee Services' Tuition Assistance page for details.

On Wednesday, Feb. 14, the summer shopping cart will become available, assigned summer enrollment dates will post, and our office will send a registration e-memo to continuing students.

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Fall 2021 Enrollment Dates & Deadlines

Anonymous — Thu, 26 Aug 2021 06:00:00 +0000

Fall 2021 Enrollment Dates & Deadlines Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 08/26/2021 - 00:00 Registrar Network

Please make note of these upcoming enrollment deadlines:

Monday, Aug. 23 (past) – Last day for a student to request an official deferral through the Office of Admissions. First-semester students who withdraw before Sept. 8 are not eligible for a leave of absence.
Wednesday, Sept. 1 – Last day for a student to add or join a waitlist for a full-semester class.
Wednesday, Sept. 8 – Last day for a student to drop a full-semester class without penalty.
Friday, Sept. 10 – Last day for departments to submit a graduate program change request for Fall 2021. Requests received after this date will be processed for Spring 2022.
Monday, Sept. 13 – Full-semester class waitlists are purged. Students who remain on a waitlist through the purge date may be eligible for course reservation when the course is offered next.

Please make note of these upcoming enrollment deadlines.

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Academic Calendar Webpage Improvements

Anonymous — Tue, 22 Jun 2021 19:04:16 +0000

Academic Calendar Webpage Improvements Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 06/22/2021 - 13:04 Registrar Network

Based on feedback from our campus partners, we recently completed a full redesign of our academic calendar webpages to improve usability. Changes included:

Making key dates more prominent on the academic calendar landing page. Now, instead of a tabbed list of upcoming dates, this page displays key dates at a glance for the next nine semesters.
Enhancing calendar views by topic. New academic calendar subpages (e.g., registration, withdrawal) provide calendar dates for the upcoming fall, spring and, if applicable, summer semesters, as well as quick links and guidance on the selected topic.
Providing prominent links to other CU Boulder calendars (e.g., partnership programs, Summer Session) at the top of each calendar page.

Our next step is to make similar improvements to our faculty and staff calendar section.

If you have feedback about these changes or ideas for future enhancements, we'd love to hear them! Please email your thoughts to regnetwork@colorado.edu.

Based on feedback from our campus partners, we recently completed a full redesign of our academic calendar webpages to improve usability.

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Now Available: Fall 2021 Academic Calendars

Anonymous — Tue, 30 Mar 2021 06:00:00 +0000

Now Available: Fall 2021 Academic Calendars Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 03/30/2021 - 00:00 Registrar Network

PDF versions of the Fall 2021 full-semester calendar and special session calendars are now available on our website. We'll be adding these dates to our online calendar feeds in the coming days.

PDF versions of the Fall 2021 full-semester calendar and special session calendars are now available on our website.

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Revised Fall 2021 Student Registration Dates

Anonymous — Tue, 02 Mar 2021 07:00:00 +0000

Revised Fall 2021 Student Registration Dates Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 03/02/2021 - 00:00 Registrar Network

Related Announcements

General

"From the Provost and COO – Summer planning, plus a fall 2021 preview," Provost Moore & COO O'Rourke, 2/24/2021

Faculty & Staff

"Office of the Provost – Fall 2021 course registration postponed to prepare for a more comprehensive on-campus experience," Provost Moore, 3/1/2021
"Fall 2021 Update," Office of the Registrar's academic scheduling team, 3/1/2021

Students

"Fall 2021 registration postponed to prepare for more comprehensive on-campus experience," CU Boulder Today, 3/2/2021

As previewed by campus leaders (see "Related Announcements" at right), CU Boulder will move forward with planning for a more comprehensive on-campus experience this fall. Based on the latest pandemic projections and anticipated vaccine availability and uptake in our community, the goal is to offer the majority of classes in person.

The following fall registration dates have been adjusted to allow time for campus experts to make recommendations for expanded classroom capacities, and for departments to adjust the Fall 2021 schedule of classes accordingly:

Fall 2021 Event	Previous Date(s)	Current Date(s)
Schedule of classes available (without room assignments)	March 3	March 29
Course reservation requests accepted & processed for current students	March 15–25	March 29–April 2
Registration for current degree-seeking undergraduate & graduate students (by assignment)	March 29–April 16	April 5–23
Registration begins for readmitted graduate & undergraduate students, and for new graduate students	April 26	April 26

A revised registration schedule is now reflected on the academic calendar and in the Spring 2021 academic calendar PDF. Students will also see a Buff Portal notice about this change starting Wednesday, March 3.

The full Fall 2021 academic calendar is still under development; we'll let you know as soon as it's available.

For updates related to class scheduling, see the March 1 academic scheduling email.

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Reminder: Classes to Follow Wednesday Schedule This Friday, Jan. 15

Anonymous — Tue, 12 Jan 2021 21:33:21 +0000

Reminder: Classes to Follow Wednesday Schedule This Friday, Jan. 15 Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 01/12/2021 - 14:33 Registrar Network

The first Friday of the semester will follow a Wednesday class meeting schedule (excludes law). This means that classes with a Wednesday meeting pattern will meet on Friday, Jan. 15, while Friday-only classes won't meet until Friday, Jan. 22.

We've been coordinating with campus partners to ensure this information is communicated effectively to both students and faculty through the following communication channels; we also appreciate your help providing clarification to any of your students who may have questions about this date.

All audiences

In an announcement from the provost & COO (Oct. 22 announcement)
In the Spring 2021 academic calendar (published Oct. 23)
In class notes for affected classes (Campus Solutions & CU Boulder Class Search)
On our website (Dec. 9 article)
In Canvas (on Canvas dashboard, Jan. 1–16)
Global RAVE alert website banner (live on Jan. 15)

Faculty & staff only

In the Registrar Network newsletter (Oct. 27 edition)
In academic guidance for instructors (Edition #7, Oct. 30, Edition #8, Dec. 7)
In CU Boulder today's faculty & staff edition (Nov. 2 edition and Jan. 12 edition)

Students only

On our website (Nov. 2 article)
In CU Boulder Today's student edition (Nov. 2 edition and Jan. 12 edition)
In CU Boulder Today's graduate student edition (Nov. 2 edition and Jan. 12 edition)
In Buff Portal (on class schedule card, Dec. 14–Jan. 16)
In direct e-memos (Dec. 28 e-memo)
On the Buff Bulletin Board (Jan. 8 article)

We've been coordinating with campus partners to ensure this information is communicated effectively to both students and faculty. We also appreciate your help providing clarification to any of your students who may have questions about this date.

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Changes to Summer & Fall 2021 Academic Calendar Dates

Anonymous — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 22:46:52 +0000

Changes to Summer & Fall 2021 Academic Calendar Dates Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 11/10/2020 - 15:46 Registrar Network

The following Summer and Fall 2021 academic calendar dates have moved up by one week (revised dates shown):

Summer 2021
- March 3 – Registration begins for current degree-seeking students
- March 8 – Registration begins for new & readmitted students
Fall 2021
- March 3 – Schedule of classes available
- March 15 – First day to reserve a course

The revised dates are published on our academic calendar page and in our Spring 2021 academic calendar PDF.

The following Summer and Fall 2021 academic calendar dates have moved up by one week (revised dates shown).

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