Academic Calendar
Academic Calendar 2025-2026
The academic year is divided into two semesters. The 2025-2026 academic year is scheduled as follows:
First semester: August 24th, 2025 – December 15th, 2025
Second semester: January 4th, 2026 – May 4th, 2026
Fall 2025 – Spring 2026
| Fall 2025 | Spring 2026 |
|---|---|
| Sat August 16th, 2025 International Student Orientation | Sun January 4th, 2026 Classes begin; Registration changes accepted. |
| Sun-Thu August 17th – 21st, 2025 Hoya Welcome Week (including placement tests | Thu January 8th, 2026 Last day for registration changes; Last day to withdraw without W grade |
| Thu August 21st, 2025 New Student Academic Convocation (First-years) | Tue February 10th, 2026 Qatar National Sports Day – no classes |
| Fri August 22nd, 2025 Waitlists purged on August 22, 2025 after 3 pm EST. Students will be able to claim any open seats until 8/26/2025 at midnight in GUExperience | Thu February 12th, 2026 Classes run on Tuesday schedule |
| Sun August 24th, 2025 Classes begin. Registration changes accepted | Thu February 19th, 2026 February 19th (R ) Undergraduate First-Year Student Advisory Grades Due |
| Thu August 28th, 2025 Last day for registration changes; Last day to withdraw without W grade | Thu February 19th, 2026 Spring break begins after last class |
| Thu October 9th, 2025 Undergraduate First-Year Student Advisory Grades Due | Sun-Thu February 22nd – 26th, 2026 Spring break – no classes |
| Thu October 9th, 2025 Fall break begins after the last class | Sun March 1st, 2026 Classes resume after Spring break |
| Sun-Thu October 12th – 16th, 2025 Fall break, no classes | Sun-Tue March 22nd-24th, 2026 Eid Al fitr break – no classes |
| Sun October 19th, 2025 Classes Resume after Fall break | Wed March 25th, 2026 Classes run on Sunday schedule |
| Mon-Fri November 3rd-14th, 2025 Live Registration for Spring – exact dates here | Sun April 5th, 2026 Easter Sunday – no classes |
| Thu November 20th, 2025 Last Day to Withdraw from Courses with a grade of W; last day to request pass/fail grade option | Thu April 9th, 2026 Last Day to Withdraw from Courses with grade of W; last day to request pass/fail grade option |
| Thu December 4th, 2025 Class Ends | Mon-Fri April 6th – 17th, 2026 Live Registration for Fall exact dates TBC |
| Sat-Mon December 6th – 8th, 2025 Study days | Thu April 23rd, 2026 Classes End |
| Tue-Thu December 9th – 11th, 2025 Exam days | Sat-Mon April 25th & 27th, 2026 Study Days |
| Sat-Mon December 13th – 15th, 2025 Exam days and the end of the semester | Tue-Thu April 28th – 30th, 2026 Exam Days |
| Thu December 18th, 2025 Qatar National Day | Sat-Mon May 2nd – 4th, 2026 Exam days and end-of-semester |
| Sun December 21st, 2025 All grades are due by 5 pm Doha time | Tue May 5th, 2026 Grades for graduating seniors due by 5pm (Doha time) |
| Mon December 22nd, 2025 GU-Q – Last day for waitlist; Winners may claim seat until Tuesday, 23rd at 3:45 PM (EST) / 11:45 PM Qatar Time. Waitlists will be purged on 23rd December. | Tue May 5th, 2026 Qatar Foundation Convocation |
| Tue December 23rd, 2025 Waitlists for Spring 2026 purged. Open seats are available for direct registration. | Thu May 7th, 2026 Commencement |
| Mon May 11th, 2026 All undergraduate grades due |
Summer 2026
| May 10th (U) | Summer school begins; last day to withdraw without grade of W |
| May 26th – June 1st (T – M) | Eid Al Adha break- no classes |
| June 11th (R) | Last day to withdraw from summer classes |
| June 17th (W) | Summer school classes end |
| June 24th (W) | All summer grades due |