Columbia Academic Calendar 2025‑2026: Important Dates

The Columbia Academic Calendar 2025‑2026 is your indispensable guide for every key date and deadline from Columbia enrollment and registration windows, tuition payment due dates, and course add/drop periods to campus holidays and final exam schedules.

By consulting the Columbia University academic calendar, Lions can lock in Columbia term dates, navigate the Columbia exam schedule, track Columbia registration deadlines, and never miss the last day to withdraw without a “W”, ensuring seamless academic and financial planning at Columbia.

Columbia University operates on a traditional semester system enriched by short-term and professional sessions:

• Fall Semester: A 15‑week term (14 instructional weeks + one Reading Week and one finals week), beginning in late August and concluding before the winter recess.
• Spring Semester: Mirrors Fall with 15 weeks of instruction plus a Reading Week and finals, kicking off after Martin Luther King Jr. Day and wrapping up in early May with a mid‑semester Spring Recess.
• Summer Sessions: Multiple flexible formats—Session I (6 weeks), Session II (6 weeks), and the Full Summer Session (12 weeks), each with its own registration, add/drop, and fee‑payment deadlines for accelerated study, makeup courses, or lighter fall/spring loads.
• Graduate & Professional Terms: Schools like Columbia College, the School of Engineering, and SIPA maintain specialized calendars for internships, J‑terms, and capstone rotations—linked directly on each school’s academic calendar page.

Keep the Columbia Academic Calendar 2025‑2026 front and center so you can focus on thriving both in the classroom at Butler Library and beyond across Morningside Heights.

Columbia Academic Calendar Fall 2025

1. A University Holiday is observed on Monday, September 1, 2025; administrative and academic offices will be closed, and no classes will be held.
2. The first day of Fall 2025 classes is Monday, September 1, 2025.
3. The Change of Program Deadline is Tuesday, September 2, 2025.
4. The last day to add a class and the last day to receive a tuition refund for a dropped class (Course Drop Deadline) is Friday, September 12, 2025.
5. October degrees are officially conferred on Tuesday, October 7, 2025.
6. The midterm date for Fall 2025 is Wednesday, October 15, 2025.
7. An Academic Holiday, with no classes held, occurs on Thursday, October 16, 2025.
8. An Academic Holiday for Election Day, during which no classes will be held but administrative offices will remain open, occurs on Monday, November 3, 2025.
9. A University Holiday, with both administrative and academic offices closed and no classes held, is observed on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, which is also a Course Drop Deadline.
10. The Pass/Fail Deadline for Fall 2025 is Thursday, November 13, 2025.
11. Course registration for seniors in Columbia College and Undergraduate Engineering runs from Thursday, November 13, 2025, to Friday, November 21, 2025.
12. Course registration for seniors in the School of General Studies runs from Monday, November 17, 2025, to Friday, November 21, 2025.
13. Course registration for continuing students in the School of Professional Studies runs from Monday, November 17, 2025, to Friday, November 21, 2025.
14. Course registration for juniors in Columbia College and Undergraduate Engineering runs from Monday, November 17, 2025, to Friday, November 21, 2025.
15. Course registration for juniors in the School of General Studies runs from Tuesday, November 18, 2025, to Friday, November 21, 2025.
16. Course registration for sophomores in Columbia College and Undergraduate Engineering runs from Wednesday, November 19, 2025, to Friday, November 21, 2025.
17. Course registration for sophomores in the School of General Studies runs from Wednesday, November 19, 2025, to Friday, November 21, 2025.
18. Course registration for continuing students in the School of the Arts runs from Wednesday, November 19, 2025, to Friday, November 21, 2025.
19. Course registration for continuing students in the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation runs from Monday, November 24, 2025, to Wednesday, November 26, 2025.
20. Course registration for continuing students in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences runs from Monday, November 24, 2025, to Wednesday, November 26, 2025.
21. Course registration for continuing students in the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science (Graduate Engineering) runs from Monday, November 24, 2025, to Wednesday, November 26, 2025.
22. Course registration for continuing students in the School of International and Public Affairs runs from Monday, November 24, 2025, to Wednesday, November 26, 2025.
23. An Academic Holiday with no classes held (administrative offices remain open) is observed on Monday, November 24, 2025.
24. An Academic Holiday for Thanksgiving, with no classes held and administrative offices open, is observed on Wednesday, November 26, 2025.
25. A University Holiday, with administrative and academic offices closed and no classes held, occurs on Thursday, November 27, 2025, and Friday, November 28, 2025.
26. The last day of Fall 2025 classes is Monday, December 8, 2025.
27. The final Pass/Fail Deadline for Fall 2025 is also on Monday, December 8, 2025.
28. Study Days are scheduled from Tuesday, December 9, 2025, to Thursday, December 11, 2025.
29. Final examinations for Fall 2025 are held from Friday, December 12, 2025, to Friday, December 19, 2025.

Columbia Academic Calendar Spring 2026

1. A University Holiday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day is observed on Monday, January 19, 2026; administrative and academic offices will be closed and no classes will be held.
2. The first day of Spring 2026 classes is Tuesday, January 20, 2026.
3. The Change of Program Deadline for Spring 2026 is Friday, January 30, 2026.
4. February degrees are officially conferred on Friday, January 30, 2026.
5. The Course Drop Deadline for Spring 2026 is Wednesday, February 11, 2026.
6. The midterm date for Spring 2026 is Tuesday, February 24, 2026.
7. Spring Recess begins on Monday, March 9, 2026. An Academic Holiday, with no classes held and administrative offices open, takes place from Monday, March 16, 2026, to Friday, March 20, 2026.
8. The second Course Drop Deadline for Spring 2026 is Thursday, March 26, 2026.
9. The Pass/Fail Deadline for Spring 2026 is also Thursday, March 26, 2026.
10. Course registration for seniors in Columbia College and Undergraduate Engineering runs from Thursday, March 26, 2026, to Friday, April 17, 2026.
11. Course registration for seniors in the School of General Studies runs from Monday, April 13, 2026, to Friday, April 17, 2026.
12. Course registration for continuing students in the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation runs from Monday, April 13, 2026, to Friday, April 17, 2026.
13. Course registration for continuing students in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences runs from Monday, April 13, 2026, to Friday, April 17, 2026.
14. Course registration for continuing students in the Graduate Engineering program runs from Monday, April 13, 2026, to Friday, April 17, 2026.
15. Course registration for continuing students in the School of Professional Studies runs from Monday, April 13, 2026, to Friday, April 17, 2026.
16. Course registration for continuing students in the School of the Arts runs from Monday, April 13, 2026, to Friday, April 17, 2026.
17. Course registration for juniors in Columbia College and Undergraduate Engineering runs from Tuesday, April 14, 2026, to Friday, April 17, 2026.
18. Course registration for juniors in the School of General Studies runs from Tuesday, April 14, 2026, to Friday, April 17, 2026.
19. Course registration for continuing students in the School of International and Public Affairs runs from Tuesday, April 14, 2026, to Friday, April 17, 2026.
20. Course registration for sophomores in Columbia College and Undergraduate Engineering runs from Wednesday, April 15, 2026, to Friday, April 17, 2026.
21. Course registration for sophomores in the School of General Studies runs from Wednesday, April 15, 2026, to Friday, April 17, 2026.

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