No./Title: EM103 – ACADEMIC CALENDAR POLICY	Resp. Office: REGISTRAR Approval Body: CASA	Effective Date: 06/19/2012
Category: Students	Last Review: 04/16/2019	Next Review: 04/01/2022
Contact: University Registrar	🕿 901.448.7770	🖂 registrar@uthsc.edu
Related Policies:	Awarding of Degrees Policy UTHSC Grading Policy

POLICY

All programs offered at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) identify an official start and end date, in compliance with the official terms, start dates, and end dates of the UTHSC Academic Calendar (outlined below). The UTHSC Academic Calendar is reviewed each year by the Committee on Academic and Student Affairs and approved by the Vice Chancellor for Academic, Faculty and Student Affairs. The Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Enrollment Services and the Chief Academic Officer approve each college-based, program-specific academic calendar prior to the beginning of the academic year.

POLICY EXPLANATIONS AND PROCEDURES

All programs must conform to the official terms as outlined below with one exception: Audiology and Speech Pathology programs within the College of Health Professions located on the campus of the University of Tennessee – Knoxville (UTK) that must conform to the calendar used on the UTK campus.

Academic Calendars at UTHSC

Degree programs offered at UTHSC are organized based on three official academic calendars. The academic calendars are as follows:

ACADEMIC CALENDAR 1

July 1 – December 31 (Fall)

January 1 – June 30 (Spring)

For Academic Calendar 1:

• The official first day of the term for Fall is July 1 and the official last day is December 31. Courses are to start on or after July 1 and end no later than December 31.
• The official first day of the term for Spring is January 1 and the official last day is June 30. Courses are to start on or after January 1 and end no later than June 30.
• There is no official summer term in Academic Calendar 1. Courses held in June will be a part of the Spring term. Courses held in July will be a part of the Fall term.

ACADEMIC CALENDAR 2

August 1 – December 31 (Fall)

January 1 – May 31 (Spring)

June 1 – July 31 (Summer)

For Academic Calendar 2:

• The official first day of the term for Fall is August 1 and the official last day is December 31. Courses are to start on or after August 1 and end no later than December 31.
• The official first day of the term for Spring is January 1 and the official last day is May 31. Courses are to start on or after January 1 and end no later than May 31.
• The official first day of the term for Summer is June 1 and the official last day is July 31. Courses are to start on or after June 1 and end no later than July 31.

ACADEMIC CALENDAR 3 (Trimester Calendar)*

September – December (Fall)*

January – April (Spring)*

May – August (Summer)*

For Academic Calendar 3:

• The official first day of the term for the Fall trimester is the second Monday in January and the official last day is the second Friday in December. Courses are to start on or after the official start day and end no later than the official last day.
• The official first day of the term for Spring is the second Monday of January and the official last day is the third Friday in April. Courses are to start on or after the official start day and end no later than the official last day.
• The official first day of the term for Summer is the second Monday in May and the official last day is the second Friday in August. Courses are to start on or after the official start day and end no later than the official last day.

Start Dates and End Dates

All UTHSC programs’ official start and end dates must adhere to either Academic Calendar 1, Academic Calendar 2, or Academic Calendar 3 (Trimester Calendar). All programs must select one academic calendar. Program dates for one program cannot alternate between Academic Calendar 1, Academic Calendar 2, and the Trimester Calendar.

Normally, academic programs fall within the official academic terms; however, it is recognized there may be circumstances dictated by practice experiences.

All courses are to start on or after the official first day of the term for the program’s academic calendar (1, 2, or 3) and end no later than the official last day of the term for the program’s academic calendar (1, 2, or 3).

Financial Aid

In addition to other federal disbursement requirements such as half-time enrollment for federal loans and the proration of the Federal Pell grant based on enrollment, students must start at least one course credit hour within five calendar days of the official start of each term within their program’s academic calendar (1 or 2) in order to be eligible for their federal financial aid to disburse at the beginning of the term. Otherwise, financial aid will be disbursed approximately a few days before the start of a student’s first day of coursework.

Degree Conferral Dates

Details on degree conferral periods can be found in the Awarding of Degrees Policy linked below.

Grade Deadlines

GRADES FOR GRADUATINGSTUDENTS

Grades for students graduating at the conclusion of the term must be posted in Banner (thus officially submitted to the Registrar) a minimum of five (5) business days prior to the official degree conferral date for the term.

GRADES FOR NON-GRADUATINGSTUDENTS

Final grades for non-graduating students are due to the Registrar and should be entered in the student information system within 72 hours of final examination, clinical assignment, or course work. Faculty may enter grades in advance of this deadline. Term papers and other student work should be collected early enough to allow instructors to submit grades on time. Grades for a course with no final examination should be handed in as soon as possible, and no later than three working days after the scheduled final exam of assignment date. (See the UTHSC Grading Policy linked below).

Orientation

New student orientation must be held within five (5) business days (either prior to or following) the official start date selected for the program.

Approval process for the official program-specific academic calendar

Each college, based on curricular needs of the program(s) offered through the college, must establish an official academic calendar to be approved by the Associate Vice Chancellor Student Affairs and Enrollment Services and the Vice Chancellor for Academic, Faculty and Student Affairs (or designee). Once approved, the official academic calendar for each program is published prior to the beginning of the upcoming academic year (ideally no later than April 1st each year).

1. Once final approval is granted:
   1. the program-specific calendars will be posted on the Office of the Registrar website; and,
   2. the program-specific calendars will be incorporated into the Catalog for the upcoming academic year.
2. Colleges may not post or distribute college-specific academic calendars prior to formal approval; however, draft calendars may be published with the label ‘pending final approval.’

*Dates vary and trimester terms are generally 14 weeks in length

APPROVAL HISTORY:

Effective: June 19, 2012

Reviewed: February 5, 2013, Committee on Academic and Student Affairs (CASA) Revised: May 7, 2013, Committee on Academic and Student Affairs (CASA) Revised: December 17, 2013, Committee on Academic and Student Affairs (CASA) Revised: July 1, 2014, Committee on Academic and Student Affairs (CASA) Revised: May 5, 2015, Committee on Academic and Student Affairs (CASA) Revised: March 1, 2016, Committee on Academic and Student Affairs (CASA) Approved: April 18, 2016, Chancellor

Revised: April 16, 2019, CASA

Approved: April 30, 2019, Chancellor