Reed Academic Calendar 2026-2027: Important Dates

Reed academic calendar 2026-2027 outlines the official timetable of instructional periods, registration windows, thesis submission deadlines, campus traditions, and examination schedules for students and faculty at Reed College.

Navigating this schedule is essential for managing your coursework, tracking course add/drop cutoffs, preparing for junior qualifying exams and senior oral boards, and planning around institutional recesses throughout the academic year.

Reed College operates on a rigorous semester-based academic calendar divided into two primary 14-week instructional terms: the Fall Semester (running late August through mid-December) and the Spring Semester (spanning late January through mid-May).

Rather than traditional credit hours, Reed measures course load in Reed units, where one full unit represents approximately four standard semester credit hours.

A standard full-time student enrollment typically ranges from 3 to 4.5 units per semester, maintaining steady progress toward the 30-unit bachelor’s degree requirement.

Between semesters in January, Reed also hosts Paideia, an annual weeklong festival of non-credit workshops and student-led classes, before spring instruction resumes.

This comprehensive overview provides quick access to critical administrative deadlines and enrollment milestones across both terms.

You will find verified timelines for initial course registration through the SOLAR portal, the schedule of classes Reed College releases each term, syllabus review periods, four-week and eight-week grade assessment cutoffs, and the final deadlines to withdraw from a class or switch to credit/no-credit grading.

Keeping track of these dates ensures that your degree audit, major requirements, and course prerequisites from the official Reed College course catalog remain fully aligned.

In addition to lecture schedules and registration dates, this resource details campus breaks—including fall break, Thanksgiving recess, and the official Reed College spring break 2027—as well as milestone spring traditions like the Reed College Renn Fayre 2027 schedule marking the completion of senior thesis submissions.

You will also find designated reading periods, senior oral exams, the complete Reed College finals schedule 2027, and end-of-year events leading up to Reed College graduation 2027.

Reed Academic Calendar Fall 2026

1. Remote new student advising week takes place from Monday, August 10, 2026, through Thursday, August 13, 2026.
2. First-choice registration day for new students takes place on Monday, August 17, 2026.
3. New student registration runs from Monday, August 17, 2026, through Friday, August 21, 2026.
4. Residence halls open for new students on Monday, August 24, 2026.
5. New student orientation takes place from Monday, August 24, 2026, through Sunday, August 30, 2026.
6. Convocation and the first faculty meeting occur on Tuesday, August 25, 2026.
7. New student academic adviser meetings take place on Thursday, August 27, 2026.
8. Residence halls open for returning students on Friday, August 28, 2026.
9. Reed Fall 2026 classes start for the full semester, yearlong courses, and the first quarter on Monday, August 31, 2026.
10. The academic add deadline and the physical education add deadline for the first quarter fall on Friday, September 4, 2026.
11. No classes are scheduled on Monday, September 7, 2026, in observance of the Labor Day holiday.
12. The academic add deadline to add classes or change sections for the full semester, yearlong courses, and the second quarter, the deadline to reduce unit values for the full semester and yearlong courses; and the drop deadline for the first quarter fall on Friday, September 11, 2026.
13. The withdrawal deadline to withdraw from classes or change to credit/no-credit for the first quarter is Friday, September 18, 2026.
14. Four-week assessments are due on Friday, September 25, 2026.
15. The drop deadline to drop classes without a recorded withdrawal for the full semester is Monday, October 5, 2026.
16. The last day of classes for the first quarter is Friday, October 16, 2026.
17. Reed Fall break 2026 takes place with residence halls open and limited food service from Saturday, October 17, 2026, through Sunday, October 25, 2026.
18. Classes resume for the full semester, second-quarter classes begin, and eight-week grades are due by 5:00 PM on Monday, October 26, 2026.
19. The physical education add deadline for the second quarter is Friday, October 30, 2026.
20. The drop deadline to drop classes without a recorded withdrawal for the second quarter is Friday, November 6, 2026.
21. The withdrawal deadline to withdraw from classes or change to credit/no-credit for the full semester and the final deadline to take a leave of absence or withdraw from the college occur on Monday, November 9, 2026.
22. The drop deadline to drop yearlong classes without a recorded withdrawal is Monday, November 9, 2026.
23. The withdrawal deadline to withdraw from classes or change to credit/no-credit for the second quarter is Friday, November 13, 2026.
24. Registration for the spring semester resumes on Monday, November 23, 2026.
25. Reed Thanksgiving Break 2026 takes place with residence halls open and limited food service from Thursday, November 26, 2026, through Sunday, November 29, 2026. Classes resume on Monday, November 30, 2026.
26. Senior theses are due to the Registrar by 3:00 PM on Friday, December 4, 2026.
27. Thursday classes meet on Tuesday, December 8, 2026.
28. Friday classes and any Wednesday evening classes that did not meet on November 25 meet on Wednesday, December 9, 2026.
29. The last day of classes for the full semester, yearlong courses, and the second quarter is Wednesday, December 9, 2026.
30. The reading period and oral examinations take place from Thursday, December 10, 2026, through Sunday, December 13, 2026.
31. Final examinations take place from Monday, December 14, 2026, through Thursday, December 17, 2026, marking the end of the semester and the final deadline to submit coursework.
32. Residence halls close, and final senior theses are due to the Library by 12:00 PM on Friday, December 18, 2026.
33. Final grades for the full semester, yearlong courses, and the second quarter are due by 9:00 AM on Monday, December 28, 2026.
34. Divisional grade reviews take place at 10:00 AM; the final fall faculty meeting to approve candidates for graduation occurs at 1:00 PM, and the Grade Review Committee meets in the afternoon on Monday, January 4, 2027.
35. All coursework for Fall 2026 incomplete grades is due to instructors on Friday, January 15, 2027.
36. Final grades for Fall 2026 incomplete courses are due on Friday, January 22, 2027.

Reed Academic Calendar Spring 2027

1. Student residences open with limited food service on Friday, January 15, 2027.
2. Paideia takes place from Saturday, January 16, 2027, through Sunday, January 24, 2027.
3. The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday occurs on Monday, January 18, 2027.
4. Classes begin for the spring semester, yearlong courses, and the first quarter on Monday, January 25, 2027.
5. The academic add deadline and the physical education add deadline for the first quarter fall on Friday, January 29, 2027.
6. The academic add deadline to add classes or change sections for the spring semester and the second quarter, the deadline to reduce unit values for the spring semester, and the drop deadline for the first quarter fall on Friday, February 5, 2027.
7. The withdrawal deadline to withdraw from classes or change to credit/no-credit for the first quarter is Friday, February 12, 2027.
8. Four-week assessments are due on Friday, February 19, 2027.
9. The withdrawal deadline to withdraw from yearlong classes or change to credit/no-credit is Monday, March 1, 2027.
10. The drop deadline to drop classes without a recorded withdrawal for the spring semester is Monday, March 1, 2027.
11. The last day of classes for the first quarter is Friday, March 12, 2027.
12. Second-quarter classes begin; eight-week grades are due by 5:00 PM, and final grades for first-quarter courses are due on Monday, March 15, 2027.
13. The physical education add deadline for the second quarter is Friday, March 19, 2027.
14. Reed Spring Break 2027 takes place with residence halls open and limited food service from Saturday, March 20, 2027, through Sunday, March 28, 2027. Classes resume on Monday, March 29, 2027.
15. The drop deadline to drop classes without a recorded withdrawal for the second quarter is Friday, April 2, 2027.
16. The withdrawal deadline to withdraw from classes or change to credit/no-credit for the spring semester and the final deadline to take a leave of absence or withdraw from the college occur on Monday, April 5, 2027.
17. The withdrawal deadline to withdraw from classes or change to credit/no-credit for the second quarter is Friday, April 9, 2027.
18. Registration opens for the following academic year on Monday, April 19, 2027.
19. Senior theses are due to the Registrar by 3:00 PM, and classes conclude for the spring semester, yearlong courses, and the second quarter on Friday, April 30, 2027.
20. The reading period and oral examinations take place from Monday, May 3, 2027, through Sunday, May 9, 2027.
21. Final examinations run from Monday, May 10, 2027, through Thursday, May 13, 2027, marking the end of the semester and the final deadline to submit coursework.
22. Final senior theses are due to the Library by 12:00 PM; senior pass/no-pass grades are due by 3:00 PM; the faculty meeting for approval of candidates for graduation meets in the afternoon; and residence halls close for non-graduating students on Friday, May 14, 2027.
23. Commencement rehearsal takes place at 2:00 PM on Saturday, May 15, 2027.
24. Commencement exercises take place on Monday, May 17, 2027.
25. Graduating seniors must complete move-out from campus housing by 12:00 PM on Tuesday, May 18, 2027.
26. All final grades for the spring semester, yearlong courses, and the second quarter are due by 9:00 AM on Wednesday, May 19, 2027.
27. Divisional grade reviews take place in the morning, and the Grade Review Committee meets in the afternoon on Friday, May 21, 2027.
28. All coursework for Spring 2027 incomplete grades is due to instructors on Friday, June 11, 2027.
29. Final grades for Spring 2027 incomplete courses are due on Monday, June 21, 2027.

For more information on the Reed College Academic Calendar 2026-2027, visit the Reed College Office of the Registrar website.