Dear UT Community,
I hope you had a safe and relaxing spring break, and that you’ve come back this week energized and eager to finish the semester.
After a thorough and collaborative process led by the Office of the Registrar and the Faculty Council, and with important input from many students, faculty and staff across campus, I wanted to inform you that the university has modified its academic calendar beginning with the 2022-23 academic calendar. These modifications include changes that will create more opportunities for innovation in our curriculum, better support our students’ well-being and success, and help advance our academic mission while also ensuring federal and state compliance. You can learn more about the calendar changes and view a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) on our Changes to the Academic Calendar webpage.
I know that change is never easy — and that several of the modifications will affect processes and events that have developed over many years — so I want to provide a summary to help you prepare for the 2022-23 academic year and beyond:
- We have made a change to both the structure and terminology of our academic calendar. What was formerly known as the Fall or Spring Long Semester will now be known simply as Fall or Spring Term. Two optional terms, called Winter Term and May Term, have also been included.
- Summer semester remains unchanged from previous academic calendars with its four sub-terms (first, second, nine-week, and summer term).
- Classes in the Fall Term will begin on a Monday in August. For the 2022-23 academic year, that will be August 22. This marks a change from the past, when fall semester classes started on a Wednesday, and it will result in adjustments to student move-in dates and other events and administrative procedures related to the start of the academic year.
- Fall break will be extended to a full week (Monday through Saturday of Thanksgiving week).
- Spring Term will typically start on the Monday prior to Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Therefore, in the 2022-23 academic year, the first day of the Spring Term will be Monday, January 9, 2023. While this means there will be one fewer week between the New Year’s holiday and the first day of classes, Spring Term has also been reduced by a full week (from 74 instructional days to 70), which allows for Spring Term to end two weeks earlier than in past years. This allows returning students to begin their summer break earlier and new graduates to start their careers sooner. It also provides an extended break before the start of summer semester for faculty and staff members.
- The final exam schedule during the Fall and Spring Terms will be reduced to four days (from the current six days), with options for two- and three-hour exams.
- Grade submission due dates will increase from 48 hours to 72 hours after the final exam or after the last day of class for those without finals, giving faculty members more time to complete this important task. Grade processing will begin on the Thursday after final exams (72 hours after last final), and conferral of degrees will begin five business days after grades are due.
We realize the new calendar presents numerous changes, but there are many things that will not change, such as registration, the course scheduling publication process, and faculty and graduate student appointments. Please also note that the academic calendar is different from the university holiday schedule. If university employees have questions about the holiday calendar, paid time off, or other related topics, please visit the UT Holiday Schedule or contact your human resources representative.
Some of the adjusted dates in the new calendar — while beneficial to the long-term success of our students — will surely elicit questions among staff and faculty members as we develop and implement new processes, timelines and procedures. We understand that these changes will require additional planning and communication as we adjust to the new schedule.
Accordingly, the Academic Calendar Modifications Implementation Committee, which was created last fall and includes stakeholders from across campus, is actively working to ensure that the needs of our community are heard and met, and that questions and concerns are addressed. Within the committee, multiple workgroups have been established to ensure that specific campus audiences are kept informed as we move forward.
I want to thank all members of our campus-wide planning team for their hard work and dedication during the past year, and once again, I encourage everyone to take a moment to review more detailed information about the new calendar, as well as the list of FAQs that will be continually updated in the months ahead.
Thank you, and Hook ’em!
Sharon L. Wood
Executive Vice President and Provost