UGA Holiday Calendar 2026-2027: Official Dates for Students, Faculty, and Staff

The UGA Holiday Calendar 2026-2027 covers two separate schedules: the University of Georgia’s official paid holiday list for benefits-eligible faculty and staff, and the official UGA academic calendar of no-class days for students.

UGA observes 13 paid holidays in both 2026 and 2027, while students follow a separate academic calendar that adds Fall Break, Thanksgiving Break, and Spring Break as no-class periods.

This page cross-references the University Human Resources holiday schedule against the Fall 2026, Spring 2027, and Summer 2027 academic calendars and University Housing’s break schedule, so staff and student dates that overlap — and dates that don’t — are both clearly marked.

This page covers the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, and its regional instructional sites; it does not cover unrelated “UGA”-named entities such as hotel properties near campus or travel brands that use the same abbreviation.

UGA Holiday Calendar 2026-2027 at a Glance

The table below lists every official UGA paid holiday and every academic break covered on this page, in chronological order, from January 2026 through December 2027.

UGA observes the same 13 paid holidays in 2026 and 2027, combining six single-day holidays, a two-day Thanksgiving closure, and a Christmas Holidays block that closes campus for five weekdays each year.

UGA Paid Holiday Schedule for 2026

UGA’s 2026 paid holiday schedule runs from Thursday, January 1, 2026 through Thursday, December 31, 2026, and applies to benefits-eligible faculty and staff university-wide.

2026 UGA Paid Holidays (Table)

Independence Day falls on Saturday, July 4, 2026, so UGA observes it the preceding business day, Friday, July 3, 2026. This mirrors the common state-employer practice of shifting a Saturday holiday to the adjacent Friday.

How the 13 Paid Holidays Are Counted

UGA’s 13 paid holidays consist of six single-day holidays, a two-day Thanksgiving closure, and five weekday closures inside the Christmas Holidays block.

The Christmas Holidays period spans Friday, December 25 through Thursday, December 31, 2026 — seven calendar days — but only five of those days (December 25, 28, 29, 30, and 31) fall on weekdays and count as paid holidays; December 26 and 27, 2026 fall on the weekend.

Adding the six single-day holidays (New Year’s Day, MLK Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day) plus two Thanksgiving days plus five Christmas weekdays produces the published total of 13 paid holidays.

UGA Paid Holiday Schedule for 2027

UGA’s 2027 paid holiday schedule also totals 13 days, running from Friday, January 1, 2027 through Friday, December 31, 2027.

2027 UGA Paid Holidays (Table)

What Changes Between the 2026 and 2027 UGA Paid Holiday Schedules

Independence Day shifts from Friday, July 3, 2026 to Monday, July 5, 2027, because July 4, 2027 falls on a Sunday and is observed the following business day.

The Christmas Holidays block also shifts: in 2026 it begins on Christmas Day itself, Friday, December 25, and runs through Thursday, December 31; in 2027 it begins two days later on the calendar, Monday, December 27, and runs through Friday, December 31 — all five weekdays, with no weekend days inside the range. Both versions total five paid weekdays despite the different start dates.

Paid Holiday vs. Academic Break: What UGA Employees and Students Should Know

A UGA paid holiday and a UGA academic break are not the same thing. A paid holiday closes university offices and pays benefits-eligible staff for the day off; an academic break only cancels classes and does not close administrative offices unless the break happens to overlap a paid holiday.

Employee Paid Holidays Defined

UGA’s 13 paid holidays apply to benefits-eligible faculty and staff, close administrative offices university-wide, and are unrelated to the academic class schedule.

Regional instructional sites — Griffin, Gwinnett, Tifton, and Oxford — generally follow the same university-wide paid holiday schedule as the Athens campus; site-specific academic calendars may vary and are published separately.

Student No-Class Days That Are Not Staff Holidays

Fall Break, on Friday, October 30, 2026, is the clearest example: classes are canceled for students, but it does not appear on the UGA paid holiday list, so faculty, staff, and administrative offices operate on a normal schedule that day.

The same distinction applies to the portion of Thanksgiving Break that falls outside the two paid Thanksgiving holiday days, and to Spring Break in its entirety, since neither is listed as a paid staff holiday.

UGA Holiday Calendar 2026-2027 Comparison Table: Paid Holidays vs. Academic Breaks

Fall 2026 Academic Calendar

Fall 2026 classes at UGA begin Monday, August 17, 2026 and end Tuesday, December 1, 2026, spanning roughly 15 weeks including final exams.

Key Fall 2026 Dates (Table)

Fall 2026 Move-In Schedule at UGA

UGA Housing move-in for Fall 2026 runs across two days: Friday, August 14, 2026 is designated “Hunker Down With Housing” move-in, which requires an arrival time scheduled through The Dawg House, and Saturday, August 15, 2026 continues move-in without a required arrival appointment.

Spring 2027 Academic Calendar

Spring 2027 classes begin Monday, January 11, 2027 and end Monday, April 26, 2027, followed by final exams running into early May.

Key Spring 2027 Dates (Table)

Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2027 at UGA

Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2027 falls on Monday, January 18, 2027, and functions as both a paid staff holiday and a no-class day for students, meaning classes are suspended and administrative offices are closed university-wide on this date.

Summer 2027 Sessions and Holidays at UGA

UGA runs five distinct summer session formats in 2027 — May Session, Extended Summer Session, Thru Term, Short Session I, and Short Session II — each with different start dates and different holiday observances, and all five confer degrees on the same date, Monday, August 2, 2027.

Memorial Day, Juneteenth, and Independence Day Observances in Summer 2027

Memorial Day 2027 falls on Monday, May 31, 2027, and cancels classes across every summer session already in progress that week.

Juneteenth Observance 2027 falls on Friday, June 18, 2027, and applies to the Extended Summer Session, Thru Term, and Short Session I.

Independence Day Observance 2027 falls on Monday, July 5, 2027, and applies to the Extended Summer Session, Thru Term, and Short Session II.

Summer 2027 Session Dates (Table)

UGA Winter Break 2026-2027: Full Schedule

UGA’s academic winter recess runs from Fall 2026 commencement on Friday, December 11, 2026 through the start of Spring 2027 classes on Monday, January 11, 2027 — a 31-day academic gap — while University Housing’s winter break window is shorter and separately scheduled.

Academic Winter Recess Dates

The academic winter recess spans Friday, December 11, 2026 (Fall Commencement) through Sunday, January 10, 2027, with Spring 2027 classes resuming the next day, Monday, January 11, 2027.

Residence Hall Closing and Reopening Dates

University Housing residence halls close for winter break on Saturday, December 12, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. noon and reopen on Thursday, January 7, 2027, at 2:00 p.m.

Students in traditional residence halls must move out by 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 12, 2026, while University Village residents have until 12:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 13, 2026.

Halls That Remain Open During Winter Break

Six residence halls remain open during winter break: Brown, ECV, Payne, Reed, UV East, and UV. Students assigned to these halls are not required to vacate for the winter break period, unlike residents of the remaining halls, who must complete a full move-out.

Winter Break Move-Out Checklist

Students vacating for winter break should complete the following steps before leaving:

1. Pack essential items, including medication, passport, and necessary electronics and chargers.
2. Take your UGACard.
3. Clean your room or apartment, including private bathrooms and kitchens.
4. Remove all perishables from the refrigerator and the room.
5. Take all trash to the dumpster.
6. Close and lock all windows and lower the blinds.
7. Unplug everything except the refrigerator.
8. Set the thermostat to heat at 68 degrees or the lowest available setting.
9. Turn off all lights.
10. Lock all doors.

University Housing staff also conduct a health and safety check before the break begins, so rooms — including private bathrooms and kitchens — must be clean before departure.

Christmas and New Year’s Paid Holidays for Staff

The academic winter recess and the residence hall closure both run longer than the paid staff holiday period itself; staff receive five paid weekdays during the Christmas Holidays block (December 25, 28, 29, 30, and 31, 2026), covered in full in the 2026 UGA Paid Holidays table above, and report to work as normal on the other winter recess dates that are not designated paid holidays.

UGA Thanksgiving Break 2026

UGA’s academic Thanksgiving Break for students runs the full week of Monday, November 23 through Friday, November 27, 2026, while the paid staff Thanksgiving holiday covers only two of those five days.

Academic Thanksgiving Break Dates vs. Paid Staff Holiday

Classes are suspended university-wide for the entire academic Thanksgiving Break, Monday, November 23 through Friday, November 27, 2026. Within that same week, only Thursday, November 26 and Friday, November 27, 2026 are paid staff holidays; administrative offices remain open on Monday, November 23 through Wednesday, November 25, 2026, even though no classes are held.

Residence Hall Closing and Reopening for Thanksgiving Break

University Housing publishes two different reopening dates for Thanksgiving Break 2026, and both are marked tentative in the source bulletin.

The break-summary text lists closing at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 21, 2026 and reopening at 12:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 29, 2026, while the housing events calendar lists the same closing date but a reopening of Saturday, November 28, 2026. Students should confirm the exact reopening date and time through The Dawg House as the break approaches, rather than relying on either date in isolation.

Halls Remaining Open During Thanksgiving Break

The housing events calendar lists six halls remaining open during Thanksgiving Break: Brown, ECV, Payne, Reed, UV East, and UV.

An earlier summary paragraph in the same bulletin lists five of the six, omitting UV East — another point worth confirming directly with University Housing if it affects a specific assignment.

UGA Spring Break 2027

UGA Spring Break for students runs Monday, March 8 through Friday, March 12, 2027, one week after the last day of classes before the break, Friday, March 5, 2027.

Academic Spring Break Dates

Classes are suspended for the full week of Spring Break, Monday, March 8 through Friday, March 12, 2027. Spring Break is not a paid staff holiday; administrative offices remain open on their normal schedule throughout the week.

Residence Hall Closing and Reopening for Spring Break

Residence halls close for Spring Break on Saturday, March 6, 2027, and reopen on Sunday, March 14, 2027. Five halls remain open throughout Spring Break: Brown, ECV, Payne, Reed, and UV — UV East is not listed among the halls remaining open for this particular break, unlike Thanksgiving and Winter Break.

UGA Fall Break 2026: The One-Day Break Explained

UGA Fall Break 2026 falls on a single day, Friday, October 30, 2026, and cancels classes for students without closing university offices or residence halls.

Why UGA Residence Halls Stay Open for Fall Break

All residence halls and apartments remain open during Fall Break, unlike the multi-day Thanksgiving, Winter, and Spring breaks, which each require move-out from most halls.

Because Fall Break is a single no-class day rather than a paid staff holiday, students are not required to leave campus, and administrative and dining operations continue on a normal schedule.

Campus Services During UGA Holidays

UGA campus services follow three distinct operating patterns around holidays and breaks: full closure on the 13 designated paid staff holidays, modified or reduced hours during multi-day academic breaks when residence hall occupancy drops, and normal hours during Fall Break, since it is not a paid staff holiday.

This page does not publish specific posted hours for Dining Services, Transportation and Parking Services, the University Health Center, or the UGA Bookstore, because those hours change by academic term and by individual break.

Students and staff should confirm exact hours directly through each department’s own published schedule shortly before a given break, particularly for Winter Break and Thanksgiving Break, when hours vary most from the standard academic-year schedule.

Parking Enforcement on Paid Holidays

Parking and transit enforcement typically follows the paid staff holiday schedule rather than the academic no-class calendar, meaning enforcement is generally reduced or suspended on the 13 designated paid holidays listed above and continues as normal on academic-only no-class days such as Fall Break and Spring Break, subject to confirmation with UGA Transportation and Parking Services for the specific date in question.

How to Add the UGA Holiday Calendar 2026-2027 to Your Device

Syncing the UGA Holiday Calendar 2026-2027 to a phone or computer keeps paid holiday and academic break dates visible alongside personal scheduling without manual re-entry.

Sync With Google Calendar or Outlook

Both Google Calendar and Outlook support importing a calendar file (.ics) or subscribing to a published calendar URL; once added, university holiday and break dates appear automatically alongside personal events and update if the source calendar changes.

Printable UGA Holiday Calendar 2026-2027 PDF and Calendar-App Files

A printable PDF version of the tables above, along with an importable .ics file, allows the UGA Holiday Calendar 2026-2027 to be posted physically or loaded directly into a calendar app without manual date entry — useful for staff scheduling paid time off around the 13 designated holidays or for students planning travel around Fall, Thanksgiving, Winter, or Spring breaks.

Multi-Year Trend: How UGA’s Paid Holidays Shift From 2026 to 2028

UGA’s paid holiday dates shift year to year because six of the eight named holidays are tied to a fixed calendar date that falls on a different weekday each year, while two (MLK Day, Memorial Day, and Labor Day) are already fixed to a specific Monday.

Independence Day illustrates the clearest weekend-observance pattern in the data: it falls on Saturday, July 4, 2026 and is observed the preceding Friday, July 3, 2026; it falls on Sunday, July 4, 2027 and is observed the following Monday, July 5, 2027; it falls on Tuesday, July 4, 2028 and is observed on its actual date with no shift needed.

Frequently Asked Questions