Academic Calendar - USA OPEN UNIVERSITY -UOU

Three terms, one academic year

The published rhythm of the year.

Each card is a tear-off page — a single term, with its key dates marked in red.

Term One · 2026

Fall Semester

August 25 – December 12, 2026

Mar 01 Applications open for Fall intake

Jul 15 Final application deadline · regular admission

Aug 18 New-cohort orientation week

Aug 25 Classes begin

Sep 08 Last day to add or drop without penalty

Oct 13–17 Midterm assessments

Nov 23–27 Reading week · live sessions paused

Dec 08–12 Final assessments week

Dec 19 Final grades posted to portal

Cohort Primary intake

Term Two · 2027

Spring Semester

January 12 – May 08, 2027

Aug 01 Applications open for Spring intake

Nov 30 Final application deadline · regular admission

Jan 05 New-cohort orientation week

Jan 12 Classes begin

Jan 26 Last day to add or drop without penalty

Mar 02–06 Midterm assessments

Mar 16–20 Reading week · live sessions paused

May 04–08 Final assessments week

May 15 Final grades posted to portal

Cohort Secondary intake

Term Three · 2027

Summer Sessions

June 01 – August 07, 2027

Jan 15 Summer session registration opens

May 10 Final registration deadline

Jun 01 Session A begins · 6-week intensive

Jul 10 Session A concludes

Jul 13 Session B begins · 4-week accelerated

Aug 07 Session B concludes · all summer work due

Aug 14 Final grades posted to portal

Cohort Accelerated cohort

When to apply

Deadlines, itemised.

Six dated lines that govern the year. The earlier you submit, the more aid and housing you remain eligible for.

# Pathway What it is for Closes

01 Early decision · Fall Binding offer for applicants certain of programme and campus residency. Highest priority for aid and housing. May 01 Priority

02 Regular decision · Fall Standard pathway for the August intake. Decisions issued within seven business days of a complete file. Jul 15 Standard

03 Doctoral applications · Fall Earlier closure to allow for proposal review, faculty matching, and the optional research interview. May 31 Doctoral

04 Regular decision · Spring Standard pathway for the January intake. Aid and housing settle in late autumn for accepted applicants. Nov 30 Standard

05 Summer registration Open to current students and qualifying visiting candidates. No new programme admission in summer. May 10 Sessions

06 International applicants · Fall Earlier deadline to accommodate credentials evaluation and language-test verification. Jun 15 International

Year at a glance

Twelve months, four arcs.

A bird's-eye view of the academic year — when admissions opens, when classes begin, when the year completes.

Quarter I

JAN— MAR

Spring opens

Spring orientation, classes commence, and the second-half admissions desk for the next Fall intake comes online.

Quarter II

APR— JUN

Decisions issued

Spring finals close, doctoral decisions go out, summer registration opens, Fall priority deadline lands.

Quarter III

JUL— SEP

Fall ignites

Final Fall deadlines, orientation week, classes begin. The largest cohort of the academic year takes its seat.

Quarter IV

OCT— DEC

Year completes

Midterm and final assessments, Spring intake admissions, the Chancellor's annual review, and graduation in late November.

Always on, with three honest pauses

When the institution actually pauses.

We are an online university serving over a hundred countries — there is no campus to close. Course progress halts only in the windows we publish below.

01

Between cohorts

term transitions.

Dec 13 – Jan 11 · May 09 – May 31 · Aug 08 – Aug 24

Coursework closes, grades post, the next cohort orients. The portal stays open and learners may revisit prior modules; live instruction and faculty office hours pause until orientation week opens.

Affects Live instruction

02

Year-end close

Winter quiet window.

Dec 22 – Jan 02

The one global pause we observe. Advising desks, the registrar, and admissions all close for ten days. Submitted applications carry over into the new year without losing their place in queue.

Desks closed All offices

03

Scheduled maintenance

Portal upgrades.

Saturdays · 02:00 – 04:00 UTC

A two-hour low-traffic window for system updates, published fourteen days in advance. Coursework deadlines never fall during this window; in-progress assessment submissions are auto-saved and resumed on return.

Notice 14 days ahead

Frequently asked

Questions about the year ahead.

Answers from the registrar's desk. If yours is not here, write to us — we publish replies within one business day.

Can I begin in the Spring intake instead of Fall?

Yes, every undergraduate and most graduate programmes admit two cohorts per year. The Spring intake is smaller, but the curriculum, faculty, and degree are identical. A handful of doctoral programmes admit only in the Fall — those are listed on each programme page.

What happens if I miss a published deadline?

The portal continues to accept late files for up to two weeks after the published date, on a space-available basis, and at the discretion of each department. Aid eligibility for the term is forfeited; you remain eligible for the following intake.

Are summer sessions open to new applicants?

Summer is reserved for current students and qualifying visiting candidates from accredited partner institutions. New degree applicants begin in either Fall or Spring; a summer session may then be added to accelerate the path to graduation.

How early do international applicants need to apply?

We recommend submitting at least sixty days before the standard deadline. The earlier window allows for credentials evaluation, language-test verification, and — for the optional residency — issuance of an I-20 well in advance of any travel.

Are these dates fixed for every programme?

The institutional calendar governs the majority of programmes. A small set of cohort-based degrees — notably the executive MBA, the EdD, and certain professional certificates — publishes its own term cadence on the relevant programme page. When the dates differ, the programme page takes precedence.

Where can I view official changes mid-year?

Any change to the published calendar — for weather, public observance, or registrar action — is announced from the student portal and via email to all current applicants and enrolled students. The version on this page is the canonical record updated within twenty-four hours of any revision.

A year measured in open doors.