Harvard Academic Calendar 2025‑2026: Important Dates

The Harvard Academic Calendar 2025‑2026 is your central hub for every crucial deadline from enrollment and course registration windows, tuition payment due dates, and add/drop cut‑offs, to university holidays and final exam periods.

By reading the Harvard University academic calendar, students can plan around Harvard term dates, lock in their course selection during Registration Period, and never miss the last day to withdraw without “W” or the start of Summer School.

Harvard College and the School of Arts & Sciences operate on a two‑semester system:

• Fall Semester (mid‑September to mid‑December; roughly 14 weeks of instruction + a one‑week Reading Period and finals)
• Spring Semester (mid‑January to early May; 14 instructional weeks + one Reading Period and finals)

Harvard Extension School and Harvard Summer School run Summer Sessions (June through August) with multiple accelerated modules ideal for makeup courses or accelerated study.

Harvard’s terms are governed by NECHE accreditation rules requiring at least 62 instructional days per term, with a minimum of 12 Mondays, 12 Tuesdays, etc., resulting in an approximate 15‑week semester (14 instructional weeks plus Reading Period and finals).

Fall term starts the week of Labor Day: if Labor Day falls later, classes begin the Wednesday before (on a Monday schedule); if earlier, they start the Tuesday after.

For continuing Griffin GSAS students, fall term officially begins on July 1. The Reading Period is flexibly 5–7 days, and the exam period spans about 9 days (excluding Sundays), ending before winter move‑out and never on a Monday.

Spring term kicks off on the fourth Monday of January, concluding roughly 18 weeks later with Thursday Commencement.

Whether you’re mapping out your full 15‑week semester, scheduling around variable holidays like Veterans Day and Thanksgiving, or planning GSAS summer work, the Harvard Academic Calendar 2025‑2026 is your authoritative guide to every date and deadline.

Harvard Academic Calendar Fall 2025

1. Course registration for returning students begins on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, for Fall 2025.
2. The course‑registration deadline for returning students (minimum 8 credits) is Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
3. Course registration for incoming students begins on Tuesday, August 12, 2025.
4. The course‑registration deadline for incoming students (minimum 8 credits) is Thursday, August 14, 2025.
5. Labor Day (university closed) is Monday, September 1, 2025.
6. Check‑in deadline for all students is Tuesday, September 2, 2025.
7. The first day of Fall Term classes is Tuesday, September 2, 2025. The 2025-2026 academic year begins at Harvard on the same day.
8. Indigenous Peoples’ Day (Cambridge City holiday) is Monday, October 13, 2025.
9. Veterans Day (classes held) is Tuesday, November 11, 2025.
10. Harvard Thanksgiving Break 2025 (university closed) begins Wednesday, November 26, 2025, and ends on Sunday, November 30, 2025. Classes resume on Monday, December 1, 2025.
11. The last day of Fall Term classes is Wednesday, December 3, 2025.
12. Harvard Fall reading period runs from Thursday, December 4, 2025, to Tuesday, December 9, 2025.
13. Fall Term final examinations run from Wednesday, December 10, 2025, to Friday, December 19, 2025.

Harvard Academic Calendar Winter 2026

1. Harvard Winter Break 2025 begins (university closed) on Saturday, December 20, 2025.
2. Limited campus opening for pre‑approved students is on Friday, January 2, 2026.
3. January @ GSAS (graduate winter session) begins on Monday, January 12, 2026.
4. Winter Session for undergraduates begins on Friday, January 16, 2026.
5. January @ GSAS ends on Friday, January 23, 2026.
6. Winter Session for undergraduates ends and winter recess concludes on Sunday, January 25, 2026.

Harvard Academic Calendar Spring 2026

1. The check‑in deadline for all students is Monday, January 26, 2026.
2. Course registration for the spring term begins on Wednesday, November 5, 2025.
3. The registration deadline for the spring term (minimum 8 credits) is Wednesday, November 19, 2025.
4. Martin Luther King Jr. Day (university closed) is Monday, January 19, 2026.
5. The first day of spring‑term classes is Monday, January 26, 2026.
6. President’s Day (university closed) is Monday, February 16, 2026.
7. Harvard Spring Break 2026 begins on Saturday, March 14, 2026, and ends on Sunday, March 22, 2026. Classes resume on Monday, March 26, 2026.
8. The last day of spring‑term classes is Wednesday, April 29, 2026.
9. The spring reading period runs from Thursday, April 30, 2026, to Wednesday, May 6, 2026.
10. Spring‑term final examinations run from Thursday, May 7, 2026, to Saturday, May 16, 2026.
11. Harvard University commencement exercises are on Thursday, May 28, 2026.
12. Memorial Day (university closed) is Monday, May 25, 2026.
13. Juneteenth Holiday (university closed) is Friday, June 19, 2026.

Harvard Academic Calendar Summer 2026

1. Harvard Summer School begins on Monday, June 22, 2026.
2. Independence Day (university closed; observed) is on Friday, July 3, 2026.
3. Summer School ends on Friday, August 7, 2026.

For more on the Harvard Academic Calendar, visit the Harvard University Faculty of Arts and Sciences Registrar’s Office, which is part of the FAS Office of Student Services, serving Harvard College, Harvard Griffin GSAS, and SEAS.