Seattle University Academic Calendar: Navigating the Quarter System and the Potential Shift to Semesters

Seattle University, a private institution founded in 1891, is currently ranked No. 151 in National Universities and No. 65 in Best Value Schools, according to the 2026 edition of Best Colleges. With a total undergraduate enrollment of 4,103 students as of fall 2024, an urban setting, and a 50-acre campus, Seattle University maintains a student-faculty ratio of 11:1. The university utilizes a quarter-based academic calendar, accepts the Common Application, and has a test-optional admissions policy. The school's tuition and fees are $58,965. Fifty-nine percent of first-year students receive need-based financial aid, and the average net price for federal loan recipients is $33,700. The four-year graduation rate is 67%. Six years after graduation, the median salary for graduates is $64,656. Find important deadlines and stay connected with the vibrant educational activities at Seattle University.

Current Academic Structure: The Quarter System

Seattle University operates on a quarter-based academic calendar, which divides the academic year into four terms: Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer. The university provides academic calendars for upcoming years, such as the 2025-2026 First Hill Campus Academic Calendar, the 2026-2027 Academic Calendar, and the 2027-2028 Academic Unified Calendar (Semester). These calendars represent the university's best judgment and projection of the course of conduct of the university during the periods addressed herein. They are subject to change due to forces beyond Seattle University's control or as deemed necessary by the University in order to fulfill its educational objectives.

Understanding Credits and Course Load

Every SU course is assigned a certain number of credits. Credits represent the number of hours per week the class meets. Most undergraduate classes are five (5) credits. All students must complete a minimum of 180 credit hours of approved coursework to earn a degree. The credit difference between your total degree requirements and 180 credits are called general electives. These courses do not fulfill Core, college, major or minor requirements, but they do count towards the total number of credits required for graduation. Most degrees at SU require 180 credits to graduate, but the courses you take to meet your degree requirements may not necessarily total 180.

Important Academic Considerations

Students should be aware of several important academic considerations, including:

Dropping vs. Withdrawing: After the Add/Drop period, your only option is to withdraw from the course. Most students may withdraw online before the withdrawal deadline. International students, athletes, and students with a hold on their account must use the Withdrawal Request Form to withdraw from a course. Your transcript will indicate a grade of a "W". This grade does not affect your grade point average, but it may affect your status as a full-time student (might impact financial aid, housing, international visa and/or athletic statuses).

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Holds: Holds are placed onto a student record when a student needs to attend to something at the university. Holds may be placed by offices such as Student Financial Services, the Dean of Students, or the International Student Center for specific tasks that must be completed. Some holds may prevent a student from registering for classes until resolved.
Registration Time: That advising meeting needs to happen in advance of your registration time. The registration time is the time and date after which point you are eligible to register for classes online on mySeattleU Student Planning.

The University Core Curriculum

The University Core Curriculum is the academic “center of gravity” of an SU undergraduate education. The Core helps students understand the world deeply, develop strong intellectual skills, and prepare to be thoughtful and empowered leaders for a better world. The Core contains 12 classes in addition to a capstone course in your major. Note: Honors, Humanities, and other programs have different Core requirements.

Potential Shift to Semesters: A University-Wide Discussion

In fall quarter, Provost Shane Martin assembled a committee consisting of members of Seattle U’s faculty and staff. The committee, called the Academic Calendar Working Group, was given the task of reviewing the university’s current academic calendar to see how Seattle U can improve it to better support the student body. This means that the working group will be addressing what is needed for Seattle U to make the switch from the current quarter system to the more widely used semester system, the system that is currently used by nearly 95% of universities in the nation. Currently, the university is running on two separate academic calendars. The Seattle U School of Law runs on the semester system, while the rest of the institution is using quarters.

History of the Discussion

If this news sounds familiar to you, that’s because Seattle U visited the idea of making the change to semesters just years ago, beginning in 2019. “[I’m] super frustrated…the last time we took this up, we had the university-wide referendum in 2021, and that was a result of this widely representative working group… We had worked an entire year on gathering data in subgroups and all that kind of stuff with the goal of having this campus wide referendum, which we had, and the faculty overwhelmingly did not approve of moving to semesters, staff did want to move to semesters, but the percentages were not as high as they were for faculty. The announcement of the possible shift has been a catalyst for discussion on campus. Though individuals support the system change, many are also opposed to the schedule unification.

Reasons for Considering the Change

Several factors are driving the discussion about switching to a semester system:

Financial Aid Implications: One major reason is that, due to the acquisition of Cornish, the university will be unable to provide federal financial aid to students on two separate academic calendars.
Competitive Recruitment: Also, other universities that are currently on semester systems are out-recruiting Seattle U, causing fewer students to attend the university.

Potential Benefits of Semesters

During the town hall, one of the working group co-chairs and the Vice Provost for Academic Programs, Charles Tung, presented models of what the semester system could look like. “The same amount of course content that exists in that 10-week, five-credit course is stretched out over 14 or 15 weeks. Thompson pointed out that many students come into college from a high school that’s on a semester schedule, making it difficult to adjust. “Overall, I think it’ll be a good idea, especially because of that slower pace.

Concerns and Opposition

Iona Robinson is a second-year majoring in international studies. “I believe we should stay on the quarter system. I’m personally a really big fan of it, though I do see benefits to switching to a semester system. As Robinson pointed out, for many, the issue isn’t the implications of semesters itself, but rather the process of which the university is handling the situation.

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Navigating Academic Life at Seattle University

To navigate academic life effectively, students should familiarize themselves with resources such as:

Professional Advisors: Professional Advisors are staff members who primarily serve as academic advisors.
The University Catalog: The Catalog contains the specific requirements necessary for all of the majors, minors and degree programs at SU.
Academic Departments and Programs: TIP: Curious about the majors or minors SU offers? Each of these colleges and schools are then organized into academic departments or programs. These departments and program are devoted to a particular academic discipline. Academic majors are housed within these departments and programs.
Advising Notes: Need to remember what you and your academic advisor spoke about the last time you met? Many advisors summarize key points of your advising conversations. Your advisor may also include notes about career goals you share with them.
College and School Requirements: Each college or school at SU may have specific course requirements, in addition to major and Core requirements.
Program Evaluation: TIP: Locate your progress towards completing major requirements on your Program Evaluation (found on the Educational Planning tab of mySeattleU Student Planning). This document tracks your progress to graduation by showing you how every class you take applies to your specific degree requirements. You can also use the "View a Different Program" feature to view how your courses would apply if you changed your major. This is not the time you go and meet with your advisor!

tags: #seattle #university #academic #calendar