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. Monday, September 1, 2025, is a Labor Day Holiday when administrative and academic offices will be closed and no classes will be held.
2. The first day of classes for the Fall 2025 semester is Monday, September 1, 2025.
3. The deadline for the change of program is Tuesday, September 2, 2025.
4. Friday, September 12, 2025, is the last day to add a class and the last day to receive a tuition refund for a class dropped.
5. The course drop deadline for Fall 2025 is Friday, September 12, 2025.
6. October degrees will be conferred on Tuesday, October 7, 2025.
7. The midterm date for Fall 2025 is Wednesday, October 15, 2025.
8. Thursday, October 16, 2025, is an academic holiday.
9. Monday, November 3, 2025, is an academic holiday when administrative offices will remain open, but no classes will be held in observance of Election Day.
10. Tuesday, November 4, 2025, is a University Holiday when administrative and academic offices will be closed and no classes will be held.
11. The course drop deadline is also Tuesday, November 4, 2025.
12. The deadline to elect pass/fail grading is Thursday, November 13, 2025.
13. Registration for the upcoming term will begin on Thursday, November 13, 2025.
14. Registration for the Spring 2026 semester will take place from Monday, November 17, 2025, through Wednesday, November 26, 2025.
15. Wednesday, November 26, 2025, is an academic holiday when administrative offices will remain open, but no classes will be held. Thursday, November 27, 2025, is a University Holiday when administrative and academic offices will be closed and no classes will be held in observance of Thanksgiving.
16. Friday, November 28, 2025, is a University Holiday when administrative and academic offices will be closed and no classes will be held.
17. The last day of classes for the Fall 2025 semester is Monday, December 8, 2025.
18. Monday, December 8, 2025, is also the deadline to elect pass/fail grading.
19. Study days are scheduled for Tuesday, December 9, 2025, through Thursday, December 11, 2025.
20. Final examinations will take place from Friday, December 12, 2025, through Friday, December 19, 2025.

Columbia Academic Calendar Spring 2026

1. Monday, January 19, 2026, is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a University Holiday when administrative and academic offices will be closed and no classes will be held.
2. The first day of classes for the Spring 2026 semester is Tuesday, January 20, 2026.
3. The deadline for the change of program is Tuesday, January 20, 2026.
4. Friday, January 30, 2026, is the last day to add a class and the last day to receive a tuition refund for a class dropped.
5. February degrees will be conferred on Wednesday, February 11, 2026.
6. The course drop deadline is Wednesday, February 11, 2026.
7. The midterm date for Spring 2026 is Tuesday, February 24, 2026.
8. Columbia Spring Break 2026 will begin on Monday, March 9, 2026, and end on Friday, March 16, 2026.
9. Thursday, March 26, 2026, is an academic holiday when administrative offices will remain open, but no classes will be held.
10. The course drop deadline is also Thursday, March 26, 2026.
11. The deadline to elect pass/fail grading is Thursday, March 26, 2026.
12. Registration for the upcoming term will begin on Thursday, March 26, 2026.
13. Registration for the Fall 2026 semester will take place from Monday, April 13, 2026, through Friday, April 17, 2026.
14. The last day of classes for the Spring 2026 semester is Monday, May 4, 2026.
15. Monday, May 4, 2026, is also the deadline to elect pass/fail grading.
16. Study days are scheduled for Tuesday, May 5, 2026, through Thursday, May 7, 2026.
17. Final examinations will take place from Friday, May 8, 2026, through Friday, May 15, 2026.
18. Commencement will be held on Wednesday, May 20, 2026.
19. June degrees will be conferred on Tuesday, June 30, 2026.

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