BU Academic Calendar 2025‑2026: Important Dates & Deadlines

The BU Academic Calendar 2025-2026 serves as your essential roadmap, ensuring you never miss important milestones that could impact your academic success and financial planning.

Important dates like the last day to withdraw without a “W” on your transcript, campus holidays, and semester breaks are all clearly outlined to help you plan ahead.

Boston University operates on a traditional semester system designed to provide comprehensive learning experiences with flexible options:

Fall Semester: A robust 15-week term consisting of 14 instructional weeks plus one finals week. The semester begins in late August with new student orientation and move-in, continuing through mid-December just before the winter recess.

Spring Semester: Mirroring the Fall semester structure with 15 weeks of instruction plus finals week. Spring semester kicks off after Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January and concludes in early May, featuring a refreshing mid-semester Spring Break to help students recharge.

Summer Sessions: BU offers flexible summer learning opportunities to fit diverse academic needs and schedules:

• Session I: Approximately 6 weeks of intensive coursework
• Full Summer Session: Around 12 weeks for comprehensive study
• Session II: Another 6-week intensive option

Each summer session maintains its own registration periods, add/drop deadlines, and fee payment schedules, making them ideal for accelerated study, makeup courses, or lightening your regular-term course load.

Keep the Boston University Academic Calendar 2025-2026 easily accessible and refer to it regularly. This simple habit will empower you to thrive both in the classroom and across BU’s dynamic, vibrant campus community.

BU Academic Calendar Fall 2025

1. Labor Day holiday occurs on Monday, September 1, 2025; classes are suspended.
2. BU Fall semester classes and the First Seven-Week Session begin on Tuesday, September 2, 2025.
3. Indigenous Peoples’ Day holiday occurs on Monday, October 13, 2025; classes are suspended.
4. A Monday schedule of classes meets on Tuesday, October 14, 2025.
5. The First Seven-Week Session ends on Friday, October 17, 2025.
6. The Second Seven-Week Session begins on Monday, October 20, 2025.
7. BU Thanksgiving Break 2025 runs from Wednesday, November 26, 2025, through Sunday, November 30, 2025; no classes are held. Classes resume on Monday, December 1, 2025.
8. The last day of fall semester classes and the end of the Second Seven-Week Session is Wednesday, December 10, 2025.
9. The Study Period occurs from Thursday, December 11, 2025, through Sunday, December 14, 2025.
10. Final examinations begin on Monday, December 15, 2025, and end on Friday, December 19, 2025.
11. Fall degrees are officially awarded on Friday, January 16, 2026.

BU Academic Calendar Spring 2026

1. Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday occurs on Monday, January 19, 2026; classes are suspended.
2. Spring semester classes and the First Seven-Week Session begin on Tuesday, January 20, 2026.
3. Presidents’ Day holiday occurs on Monday, February 16, 2026; classes are suspended.
4. A Monday schedule of classes meets on Tuesday, February 17, 2026.
5. The First Seven-Week Session ends on Friday, March 6, 2026.
6. BU Spring Break 2026 runs from Saturday, March 7, 2026, through Sunday, March 15, 2026; no classes are held. Classes resume and the Second Seven-Week Session begins on Monday, March 16, 2026.
7. Patriots’ Day holiday occurs on Monday, April 20, 2026; classes are suspended, according to the BU Academic Calendar.
8. A Monday schedule of classes meets on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, substituting for the Patriots’ Day holiday.
9. The last day of spring semester classes and the end of the Second Seven-Week Session is Thursday, April 30, 2026.
10. The Study Period occurs from Friday, May 1, 2026, through Sunday, May 3, 2026.
11. Final examinations begin on Monday, May 4, 2026, and end on Friday, May 8, 2026.
12. Commencement celebrations take place from Thursday, May 14, 2026, through Sunday, May 17, 2026.
13. The All University Commencement ceremony is held on Sunday, May 17, 2026, and spring degrees are officially awarded on this date.

For more on the BU Academic Calendar 2025-2026, visit the Boston University Calendar website.