Understanding the UCLA Academic Calendar and Quarter System

The UCLA academic calendar marks the beginning and end of each UCLA quarter, along with notable holidays, breaks, campus closures, commencement dates and more. The UCLA academic calendar webpage provides academic calendars for the current year and the following four years. Bruins can also access the calendar archive, which stores past academic calendars at UCLA. All past, present and future academic calendars are available to download as PDFs.

The UCLA Quarter System Explained

UCLA operates on a quarter system. There are three, 10-week quarters during the regular academic year; these three quarters represent fall, winter and spring. Along with the 10 weeks in fall, winter and spring, there is an additional week at the end of each quarter for finals. There is also a week zero at the beginning of every academic year, occurring only before the fall quarter. The fourth quarter is dedicated to summer sessions (sessions A, B and C), which vary in length, between three to 10 weeks.

Key Dates and Deadlines: A Detailed Look at Upcoming Quarters

Understanding the deadlines and holidays associated with each quarter is crucial for students to stay on track. Here's a breakdown of important dates for upcoming academic years:

Fall Quarter 2025

Enrollment opens: Jul. 28, 2025
Instruction begins: Sep. 22, 2025
Last day to enroll or transfer into a course: Sep. 28, 2025 (Day before the first class meeting for Short and Alternative Formats)
Last day to drop and request a refund: Oct. 5, 2025 (Sunday at the end of the first week of the course for Regular Format, Day before the first class meeting for Short and Alternative Formats)
Last day to submit a petition to Change Grading or Credit Option: Sunday before the final week of the course or before the final exam, whichever comes first.
Last day to submit petition for an Incomplete: Sunday before the final week of the course or before the final exam, whichever comes first.
Last day to withdraw from courses: Sunday before the final week of the course or before the final exam, whichever comes first.
Veterans Day Holiday: Nov. 11, 2025
Thanksgiving Holiday: Nov. 27-28, 2025
Instruction ends: Dec. 14, 2025
Final grades available to students: Dec. 30, 2025
Winter Holiday Campus Closure: Dec. 24, 2025 - Jan. 1, 2026

Additional Key Dates for Fall 2025 (Summary Calendar):

Quarter begins: Monday, September 22
Instruction begins: Thursday, September 25
Study List deadline (becomes official): Friday, October 10
Common final exams: Saturday-Sunday, December 6-7
Final examinations: Monday-Friday, December 8-12
Quarter ends: Friday, December 12
Christmas holiday: Wednesday-Thursday, December 24-25
New Year’s Eve/Day holiday: Wednesday-Thursday, December 31-January 1, 2026

Winter Quarter 2026

Enrollment opens: Nov. 3, 2025
Instruction begins: Jan. 5, 2026
Last day to enroll or transfer into a course: Jan. 11, 2026 (Day before the first the class meeting for Short and Alternative Formats)
Last day to drop and request a refund: Jan. 18, 2026 (Sunday at the end of the first week of the course for Regular Format, Day before the first class meeting for Short and Alternative Formats)
Last day to submit a petition to Change Grading or Credit Option: Sunday before the final week of the course or before the final exam, whichever comes first.
Last day to submit petition for an Incomplete: Sunday before the final week of the course or before the final exam, whichever comes first.
Last day to withdraw from courses: Sunday before the final week of the course or before the final exam, whichever comes first.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday: Jan. 19, 2026
Presidents' Day Holiday: Feb. 16, 2026
Instruction ends: Mar. 22, 2026
Final grades available to students: Apr. 8, 2026

Additional Key Dates for Winter 2026 (Summary Calendar):

Quarter begins: Friday, January 2
Instruction begins: Monday, January 5
Study List deadline (becomes official): Friday, January 16

Spring Quarter 2026

Enrollment opens: Feb. 2, 2026
Cesar Chavez Day Holiday: Mar. 27, 2026
Instruction begins: Mar. 30, 2026
Last day to enroll or transfer into a course: Apr. 5, 2026 (Day before the first class meeting for Short and Alternative Formats)
Last day to drop and request a refund: Apr. 12, 2026 (Sunday at the end of the first week of the course for Regular Format, Day before the first class meeting for Short and Alternative Formats)
Last day to submit a petition to Change Grading or Credit Option: Sunday before the final week of the course or before the final exam, whichever comes first.
Last day to submit petition for an Incomplete: Sunday before the final week of the course or before the final exam, whichever comes first.
Last day to withdraw from courses: Sunday before the final week of the course or before the final exam, whichever comes first.
Memorial Day Holiday: May 25, 2026
Instruction ends: Jun. 14, 2026
Final grades available to students: Jun. 30, 2026

Summer Quarter 2026

Enrollment opens: Apr. 27, 2026
Juneteenth Holiday: Friday, June 19, 2026
Instruction begins: Jun. 22, 2026
Last day to enroll or transfer into a course: Jun. 28, 2026 (Day before the first class meeting for Short and Alternative Formats)
Last day to drop and request a refund: Jul. 5, 2026 (Sunday at the end of the first week of the course for Regular Format, Day before the first class meeting for Short and Alternative Formats)
Last day to submit a petition to Change Grading or Credit Option: Sunday before the final week of the course or before the final exam, whichever comes first.
Last day to submit petition for an Incomplete: Sunday before the final week of the course or before the final exam, whichever comes first.
Last day to withdraw from courses: Sunday before the final week of the course or before the final exam, whichever comes first.
Labor Day Holiday: Monday, September 7, 2026
Instruction ends: Sep. 13, 2026
Final grades available to students: Sep. 29, 2026

Fall Quarter 2026

Quarter begins: Monday, September 21
Instruction begins: Thursday, September 24
Study List deadline (becomes official): Friday, October 9
Veterans Day holiday: Wednesday, November 11
Thanksgiving holiday: Thursday-Friday, November 26-27
Instruction ends: Friday, December 4
Common final exams: Saturday-Sunday, December 5-6
Final examinations: Monday-Friday, December 7-11
Quarter ends: Friday, December 11
Christmas holiday: Thursday-Friday, December 24-25
New Year’s Eve/Day holiday: Thursday-Friday, December 31-January 1, 2027

Winter Quarter 2027

Quarter begins: Monday, January 4
Instruction begins: Monday, January 4
Study List deadline (becomes official): Friday, January 15
Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday: January 18

Fall Quarter 2027

Quarter begins: Monday, September 20
Instruction begins: Thursday, September 23
Study List deadline (becomes official): Friday, October 8
Veterans Day holiday: Thursday, November 11
Thanksgiving holiday: Thursday-Friday, November 25-26
Instruction ends: Friday, December 3
Common final exams: Saturday-Sunday, December 4-5
Final examinations: Monday-Friday, December 6-10
Quarter ends: Friday, December 10
Christmas holiday: Friday/Monday, December 24, 27
New Year’s holiday: Friday/Monday, December 31, January 3, 2028

Winter Quarter 2028

Quarter begins: Tuesday, January 4
Instruction begins: Tuesday, January 4
Study List deadline (becomes official): Friday, January 14
Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday: January 17

Fall Quarter 2028

Quarter begins: Wednesday, September 27
Instruction begins: Monday, October 2
Study List deadline (becomes official): Friday, October 13
Veterans Day holiday: Friday, November 10
Thanksgiving holiday: Thursday-Friday, November 23-24
Instruction ends: Friday, December 8
Common final exams: Saturday-Sunday, December 9-10
Final examinations: Monday-Friday, December 11-15
Quarter ends: Friday, December 15
Christmas holiday: Monday-Tuesday, December 25-26
New Year’s holiday: Monday-Tuesday, January 1-2, 2029

Winter Quarter 2029

Quarter begins: Wednesday, January 3
Instruction begins: Thursday, January 4
Study List deadline (becomes official): Friday, January 19
Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday: January 15

Important Considerations Regarding Enrollment and Withdrawal

Enrollment and Transfers

The academic calendar specifies the last day to enroll or transfer into a course for each quarter. Note that deadlines may vary depending on the course format (Regular, Short, or Alternative). For short format and alternative format courses, the last day to enroll or transfer is typically the day before the first class meeting.

Dropping Courses and Refunds

Students who drop a course by the specified deadline are eligible for a refund. The deadline is generally the Sunday at the end of the first week of the course for regular format classes. For short and alternative format courses, the deadline is the day before the first class meeting.

Petitions for Grading Options and Incompletes

The academic calendar also indicates the deadlines for submitting petitions to change grading or credit options and for requesting an incomplete grade. These deadlines are usually the Sunday before the final week of the course or before the final exam, whichever comes first.

Withdrawal from Courses

Students have the option to discontinue enrollment in a course, with no refund, before taking the final and before a final course grade. Students who have taken or accessed or submitted a final exam, paper, or project may not withdraw from the class. The UCLA academic calendar specifies the withdrawal deadlines, which are typically the Sunday before the final week of the course or before the final exam, whichever comes first.

International Students (F1 Visa)

International students on an F1 visa should be aware that dropping or withdrawing from a course may jeopardize their immigration status. It is crucial to consult with the appropriate international student services office before making any decisions that could impact their visa status.

Accessing Key Information

Where to See Your Course's Drop, Transfer, or Withdrawal Date

On your payment receipt.
By logging into your student account, selecting My Enrollment History, and clicking the blue dot next to the course.

Grading Scale and Credit Options

Refer to the UCLA General Catalog for information on the grading scale and credit options.

Petition for an Incomplete

Students who have good cause may request an Incomplete by speaking with the Instructor and contacting the academic program unit. Requests must be made via the Incomplete petition form which is reviewed for approval/denial by the instructor and program director. Learn more about the Incomplete petition process.

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Additional Resources

The UCLA General Catalog is published annually in PDF and HTML formats. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information presented in the UCLA General Catalog. However, all courses, course descriptions, instructor designations, curricular degree requirements, and fees described herein are subject to change or deletion without notice. Consult this Catalog for the most current, officially approved courses and curricula.

Other information about UCLA may be found in materials produced by the schools of Arts and Architecture; Dentistry; Education and Information Studies; Engineering and Applied Science; Law; Management; Medicine; Music; Nursing; Public Affairs; Public Health; and Theater, Film, and Television.

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