Academic Calendar Guidelines

Guidelines and policies for the IU Indianapolis academic calendar

As you develop your courses, keep in mind these guidelines that govern the academic calendar at IU Indianapolis.

Instructional days

Fall and spring terms have 15 weeks of instruction.

Summer terms have 12 weeks of instruction. Most summer classes are scheduled in one of two major summer sessions of 6 weeks each.

Final exams

The fall and spring terms are each followed by six days for final exams. Each final exam period is two hours long.

Fall term final exams must end no later than December 21 for there to be sufficient time for grade submission and transcript availability.

Spring term final exams must end before Commencement in May.

Summer terms have no special days for final exams.

Class lengths

Lecture classes offered for 3 credit hours must meet for a minimum of 2,250 minutes (excluding the final exam).

During fall and spring terms, 3 credit hour lecture classes meet either:

  • Twice a week (Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday) in 75-minute classes for a total of 2,250 minutes
  • Once a week (Monday through Thursday evening or Friday during the day) in a 160-minute class for a total of 2,400 minutes (including a 10-minute in-class break during each meeting)
Explore IU Indianapolis' standard time modules

Term start, end, and break dates

During the fall and spring terms, each day of the week meets an equal number of times.

Fall terms begin on a Monday and end on a Monday to accommodate the Labor Day holiday.

Classes do not meet on Labor Day.

Fall Break is scheduled on a consecutive Monday and Tuesday in October following the first 8 weeks of the term and prior to the beginning of the second 8 weeks of the term. 

Thanksgiving break begins on the Wednesday prior to Thanksgiving and runs through Sunday of that week.

 

Spring terms begin on a Monday and end on a Monday to accommodate the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

Classes do not meet on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Spring break (Monday through Sunday) is scheduled after the ninth week of the spring term.

Summer terms begin on a Monday and end on a Friday. 

Classes do not meet on Memorial Day, Juneteenth (observed), and Independence Day (observed). 

Summer session 1 classes begin on a Monday and end on a Monday to accommodate the Memorial Day holiday. 

For Juneteenth and Independence Day, classes do not meet on Friday when the holiday falls on Saturday; classes do not meet on Monday when the holiday falls on Sunday.

Summer session 2 classes begin the following Monday and end on a Friday.

About the common calendar

 

Per Board of Trustee policy, the following dates are common across all IU campuses:


  • Term begin date: Start of the semester.
  • Census date: The official date of record for reporting enrollment is Sunday at 11:59 p.m. following the first week of classes.
  • Refund 100 percent: End of first week (full term classes).
  • Refund 75 percent: End of second week (full term classes).
  • Refund 50 percent: End of third week (full term classes).
  • Refund 25 percent: End of fourth week (full term classes).
  • End of automatic withdrawal (W on transcript): End of ninth week of class (Sunday).
  • Classes final end date: Date includes the last weekend plus Monday. Classes could end earlier but must be completed by this date.
  • Exams final end date: Exams must be completed by the Sunday after the classes final end date (includes last weekend).
  • Summer class start date: The common calendar includes a common start date for the summer session. Other summer dates are flexible to permit innovation and variety in summer offerings. While the summer start date is very close to the spring end date, the campus can schedule spring classes or exams to end before the common end dates in order to create a greater gap between spring and summer terms.

What dates are still unique to individual campuses?

  • Sessions within the semester
  • Fall and spring breaks
  • MED, DENT, LAW, and GRD1 careers
  • Nonstandard and intersession class sessions may begin earlier or end later than the common semester dates, as determined by the individual campus