UMBC Academic Calendar 2026-2027: Important Dates

UMBC Academic Calendar 2026-2027 provides the essential operational roadmap for undergraduate, graduate, and non-degree students navigating their academic goals at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Whether you are mapping out your semester course schedule on myUMBC, monitoring critical schedule adjustment windows, or planning travel around university breaks, having accurate date tracking ensures you maintain good academic standing.

Managed directly by the UMBC Office of the Registrar, this schedule governs administrative and instructional timelines across the College of Engineering and Information Technology, the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, and the Graduate School.

The University of Maryland, Baltimore County operates on a semester-based academic calendar structured around a primary Fall and Spring semester, complemented by a fast-paced 4-week Winter Session in January and flexible multi-term Summer sessions (ranging across 4-, 6-, 8-, and 12-week tracks).

Standard fall and spring semesters span 15 weeks of structured instruction, built-in reading days, and a comprehensive final examination week.

Full-time undergraduate status requires an enrollment load of at least 12 credit hours per semester—with 15 credits per term generally recommended to complete degree requirements in four years—while full-time graduate status is benchmarked at 9 credit hours.

Understanding the complete sequence of the UMBC academic calendar 2026–2027 allows students to effectively manage rigorous STEM coursework, research laboratory hours, and registration timelines.

Key administrative checkpoints—such as advising clearance availability, the waitlist purging date, schedule adjustment deadlines, Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) grading change options, and course withdrawal cutoffs—directly influence academic progress.

Staying informed on these dates from the first day of classes through Commencement week gives Retrievers the clarity needed for a balanced and successful academic year.

UMBC Academic Calendar Fall 2026

1. Registration clearance is available on Monday, March 2, 2026, allowing advisors to begin granting advising clearance to their advisees.
2. The schedule of classes is published on Monday, March 23, 2026, making the class schedule available to view online.
3. Advance registration for degree-seeking students begins on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, based on each undergraduate degree-seeking student’s registration appointment time.
4. General registration for degree-seeking students begins on Monday, April 27, 2026, and is open to all continuing degree- and non-degree-seeking undergraduate students.
5. The graduation application period opens on Saturday, August 1, 2026, allowing undergraduate students to begin applying for graduation for the current term.
6. Registration for new non-degree-seeking students begins on Monday, August 17, 2026, and is open to new undergraduate non-degree-seeking students.
7. The beginning of late registration is Monday, August 24, 2026, and the late registration fee applies.
8. UMBC Fall 2026 classes start on Monday, August 24, 2026. It is the first day of classes.
9. The deadline to add yourself to a course waitlist is Friday, August 28, 2026.
10. Waitlists are deactivated and purged on Monday, August 31, 2026.
11. The schedule adjustment deadline is Friday, September 4, 2026, which is the last day to make schedule changes, change the grade method between Regular, Audit, and Pass/Fail, or drop a course without receiving a W grade.
12. Labor Day is observed on Monday, September 7, 2026, and no classes are held.
13. The deadline to apply for graduation is Tuesday, September 15, 2026, which is the last day for students to apply for graduation for the current term.
14. The deadline to add an internship, independent study, or research experience for undergraduate credit is Friday, September 25, 2026; additions after the schedule adjustment deadline require a help ticket to the Registrar’s Office.
15. UMBC Fall Break 2026 is from Monday, October 12, 2026, through Tuesday, October 13, 2026, and no classes are held.
16. The deadline to withdraw from individual courses is Monday, November 2, 2026, which is also the last day to change the grade method to Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory; withdrawn courses receive a W grade.
17. Class Recess is observed on Wednesday, November 25, 2026, and no classes are held.
18. UMBC Thanksgiving Break 2026 is observed on Wednesday, November 25, 2026, and no classes are held.
19. American Indian Heritage Day is observed on Friday, November 27, 2026, and no classes are held.
20. The last day of classes and the deadline for complete term withdrawals are Wednesday, December 9, 2026; students withdrawing from the semester have all courses dropped with grades of W, and complete term withdrawals must be submitted through a help ticket to the Registrar’s Office.
21. Study Day is Thursday, December 10, 2026, and no classes are held; the day is reserved exclusively for students to prepare for final examinations.
22. Final examinations are held from Friday, December 11, 2026, through Thursday, December 17, 2026, according to the final examination schedule.
23. Undergraduate Commencement is held on Friday, December 18, 2026, with commencement information provided by the university.

UMBC Academic Calendar Winter 2027

1. The schedule of classes is published on Monday, September 14, 2026, making the winter session course schedule available to view online.
2. The visiting student application period opens on Monday, September 21, 2026, allowing visiting students to apply for winter session admission.
3. Winter session registration begins on Monday, October 12, 2026, for all students.
4. The deadline to apply for a winter session scholarship is Friday, November 20, 2026.
5. The deadline for visiting students to apply for winter session admission is Wednesday, December 16, 2026.
6. Winter Break is from Friday, December 25, 2026, through Sunday, January 3, 2027, and no classes are held while the campus is closed.
7. The last day of Winter Break is Sunday, January 3, 2027, and it is also the last day to add a course without incurring the $20 late registration fee.
8. The Winter Session begins on Monday, January 4, 2027, and schedule adjustment begins, allowing students to add, swap, or drop courses during the first four days of the winter session.
9. The deadline to drop courses for a 100% refund is Monday, January 4, 2027, with refunds prorated based on the drop date; waitlists are disabled after the first day of the session, and late registration begins with a late fee.
10. The deadline to drop courses for a 75% refund is Tuesday, January 5, 2027, with refunds prorated based on the drop date.
11. The deadline to drop courses for a 50% refund is Wednesday, January 6, 2027, with refunds prorated based on the drop date.
12. The schedule adjustment period ends on Thursday, January 7, 2027, which is the last day to make schedule changes, add courses, change the grade method, or drop a course without receiving a W grade; all schedule adjustments after this date must be submitted through a help ticket to the Registrar’s Office, and refunds are prorated based on the drop date.
13. No refunds are provided for courses dropped on or after Friday, January 8, 2027.
14. The textbook return deadline is Tuesday, January 12, 2027, which is the last day to return textbooks in the same condition as purchased with a sales receipt for a full refund.
15. The deadline to withdraw from individual courses is Friday, January 15, 2027, which is also the last day to change the grade method to Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory; withdrawal requests must be submitted through a help ticket to the Registrar’s Office, and withdrawn courses receive a W grade.
16. The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday is observed on Monday, January 18, 2027, and no classes are held while the campus is closed.
17. The deadline for full withdrawal from the winter session is Thursday, January 21, 2027; all courses are dropped with grades of W, and complete session withdrawals must be submitted through a help ticket to the Registrar’s Office.
18. The Winter Session ends on Friday, January 22, 2027, which is the final day of classes.

For more on the UMBC Academic Calendar 2026-2027, visit the official UMBC Registrar’s Office website.