Fall 2026 Academic Calendars
- Traditional/Residential Programs Calendar
- Executive Format Program Calendar
- Educator Training Program Calendar
Traditional/Residential Programs
Students in the following programs follow this calendar:
- Education, Culture, and Society (PhD, MSEd)
- Education Studies (Online MSEd)
- Education Policy (PhD, MSEd)
- Educational Linguistics (PhD, EdD)
- Higher Education (PhD, EdD, MSEd)
- Interdisciplinary Studies in Human Development (PhD, MSEd)
- International Educational Development (MSEd)
- Language, Globalization, and Intercultural Studies (MSEd)
- Learning Analytics and Artificial Intelligence (Online MSEd)
- Learning Sciences and Technologies (PhD, MSEd)
- Literacy Studies (PhD, EdD, MSEd)
- Quantitative Methods (PhD, MPhilEd)
- Professional Counseling (MPhilEd)
- Reading Specialist (Certification Only)
- Statistics, Measurement, Assessment, and Research Technology (MSEd)
- Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (MSEd)
- Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education (PhD, EdD, MSEd)
|
Date |
Day |
Event/Deadline |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 20-21 | Thursday-Friday | GSE New Student Orientation. | |||||||||
| August 24 | Monday | Program New Student Orientation. | |||||||||
| August 25 | Tuesday | Fall term classes begin. | |||||||||
| September 7 | Monday | Labor Day (No Classes). | |||||||||
| September 8 | Tuesday | LAST DAY to add and drop a class without financial penalty (11:59PM ET via Path@Penn). | |||||||||
| September 8 | Tuesday | LAST DAY for students to register for the fall term. Active students must be registered or take a leave of absence by this date to avoid being withdrawn from their program. | |||||||||
| September 8 | Tuesday | LAST DAY for international students to arrive for in-person courses. | |||||||||
| September TBD | Friday | Opening of OPT application to USCIS for Fall 2025 international students with 12/17/2026 end date. Please check on the I20, if you have different program dates on the I20, please reach out to ISSS for updates. | |||||||||
| October 5 | Monday | LAST DAY to drop a course (no refund). Courses dropped after this date require instructor approval and a 'W' will appear on transcript in place of a grade. | |||||||||
| October 23 | Friday | LAST DAY to request course grade type change to audit or pass/fail. Requires instructor approval. Courses taken for audit or pass/fail cannot be counted towards degree requirements unless otherwise noted in the program's course catalog page. | |||||||||
| October TBD | TBD | Opening of December 2026 Graduation Application: https://srfs.upenn.edu/student-records/GradApp | |||||||||
| DOCTORAL (PhD AND EdD) STUDENTS GRADUATING IN DECEMBER 2026 are strongly advised to defend by October 23 to ensure that they can submit their dissertation for format review by November 3. The link to schedule your final defense is: https://www.gse.upenn.edu/student-forms/final-defense-sched. SRO requests that this form is submitted two weeks prior to defense date. | |||||||||||
| October 26 | Monday | Advanced Registration for Spring 2027 available Path@Penn. | |||||||||
| November 2 | Monday | LAST DAY to withdraw from a course (No Refund). | |||||||||
| November 3 | Tuesday | LAST DAY doctoral students may submit dissertation for review by the Director of Academic Affairs for December 2026 degree: EdD students: Upload to Proquest PhD students: Email dissertation to Chris Kubik Cedeño (cdkubik@upenn.edu) |
|||||||||
| November 9 | Monday | Advanced Registration for Spring 2027 ends. | |||||||||
| November 13 | Friday | Last day to submit a Return of Leave of Absence for the spring term. | |||||||||
| November TBD | TBD | Open Enrollment for Spring 2027 available via Path@Penn. | |||||||||
| November TBD | TBD | Closing of December 2026 Graduation Application: https://srfs.upenn.edu/student-records/GradApp. | |||||||||
| November 24 | Monday | Monday GSE classes meet; no alternative schedule on Tuesday and Wednesday. Check your syllabi for non-GSE classes – they may have alternative meetings this week. | |||||||||
| November 25-30 | Tuesday-Sunday | Thanksgiving Break (No Classes) | |||||||||
| November 30 | Monday | Classes Resume | |||||||||
| November 30 | Monday | LAST DAY for submission of approved & signed dissertations for December 2025 degree: EdD students: to Academic Affairs Office PhD students: to Graduate Arts & Sciences |
|||||||||
| November 30 | Monday | LAST DAY Divisions may submit Master’s Examination/Thesis Portfolio results to the GSE Student Records Office for December 2025 degree. | |||||||||
| December 14 | Monday | LAST DAY of the Fall classes at GSE. | |||||||||
| December 17 | Thursday | LAST DAY May 2027 EdD and PhD potential graduates can hold final defense without having to pay Spring 2027 tuition (must recieve a successful pass; tuition waiver does not apply for pending pass). | |||||||||
| December 17 | Thursday | Fall Degree Conferral Date. | |||||||||
| January 4 | Monday | Fall term grades due. | |||||||||
Executive Format Program Calendar
Students in the following programs follow this calendar:
- Education Entrepreneurship (MSEd)
- Educational and Organizational Leadership (EdD)
- Global Higher Education Management (Online MSEd)
- Higher Education Management (EdD)
- Medical Education (MSEd)
- Penn Chief Learning Officer (EdD)
- School and Mental Health Counseling (MSEd)
|
Date |
Day |
Event/Deadline |
|||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 25 | Tuesday | First day of fall term. All programs will have academic engagement during this week. Specific programs will dictate the In-person, online synchronous and online a-synchronous class schedule within their internal documentation. | |||||||||
| September 7 | Monday | Labor Day (No Classes) | |||||||||
| September 8 | Tuesday | LAST DAY for students to register for the fall term. Active students must be registered or take a leave of absence by this date to avoid being withdrawn from their program. | |||||||||
| See specific program class schedule | See specific program class schedule | Executive-format students must drop courses before their first in-person classes of the term to receive a full refund; if separating from the program during the first in-person classes there will be a 50% refund; if separating after the conclusion of the first in-person classes there will be no refund. | |||||||||
| September TBD | TBD | Opening of OPT application to USCIS for Fall 2026 international students with 12/17/2026 end date. Please check on the I20, if you have different program dates on the I20, please reach out to ISSS for updates. | |||||||||
| DOCTORAL (PhD AND EdD) STUDENTS GRADUATING IN DECEMBER 2026 are strongly advised to defend by October 23 to ensure that they can submit their dissertation for format review by November 3. The link to schedule your final defense is: https://www.gse.upenn.edu/student-forms/final-defense-sched. SRO requests that this form is submitted two weeks prior to defense date. | |||||||||||
| October TBD | TBD | Opening of December 2026 Graduation Application:https://srfs.upenn.edu/student-records/GradApp. | |||||||||
| November 3 | Tuesday | LAST DAY doctoral students may submit dissertation for review by the Director of Academic Affairs for December 2026 degree: EdD students: Upload to Proquest PhD students: Email dissertation to Chris Kubik Cedeño (cdkubik@upenn.edu) |
|||||||||
| November 13 | Friday | Last day to submit a Return of Leave of Absence for the spring term. | |||||||||
| November TBD | TBD | Closing of December 2026 Graduation Application: https://srfs.upenn.edu/student-records/GradApp. | |||||||||
| November 23-29 | Monday-Sunday | Thanksgiving Break (No Classes) | |||||||||
| November 30 | Monday | LAST DAY for submission of approved & signed dissertations for December 2026 degree: EdD students: to Academic Affairs Office PhD students: to Graduate Arts & Sciences |
|||||||||
| November 30 | Monday | LAST DAY Divisions may submit Master's Examination/Thesis Portfolio results to the GSE Student Records Office for December 2026 degree. | |||||||||
| December 17 | Thursday | LAST DAY May 2027 EdD and PhD potential graduates can hold final defense without having to pay Spring 2027 tuition (must receive a successful pass; tuition waiver does not apply for pending pass). | |||||||||
| December 17 | Thursday | Fall Degree Conferral Date. | |||||||||
| December 21 | Monday | Last day of fall term for Executive-format cohorts. All programs will have academic engagement during this week. Specific programs will dictate the In-person, online synchronous and online a-synchronous class schedule within their internal documentation. | |||||||||
| January 4 | Monday | Fall term grades due. | |||||||||
Educator Training Program Calendar
Students in the following programs follow this calendar:
- Independent School Teaching Residency (MSEd)
- School Leadership (MSEd, Certification Only)
- Urban Education (Online MSed)
- Urban Teaching Residency (MSEd, Certification Only)
- Urban Teaching Apprenticeship (MSEd)
|
Date |
Day |
Event/Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| August 13 | Thursday | First day of fall term. All programs will have academic engagement during this week. Specific programs will dictate the In-person, online synchronous and online a-synchronous class schedule within their internal documentation. |
| August 28 | Friday | UTAP, URED, and UTR LAST DAY to add and drop a fall course without financial penalty. |
| August 28 | Friday | LAST DAY for students to register for the fall term. Active students must be registered or take a leave of absence by this date to avoid being withdrawn from their program. |
| September 7 | Monday | Labor Day (No Classes) |
| ISTR SLP See specific program class schedule | ISTR and SLP See specific program class schedule | ISTR and SLP students must drop courses before their first in-person classes of the term to receive a full refund; if separating from the program during the first in-person classes there will be a 50% refund; if separating after the conclusion of the first in-person classes there will be no refund. |
| September TBD | TBD | Opening of OPT application to USCIS for Fall 2026 international students with 12/17/2026 end date. Please check on the I20, if you have different program dates on the I20, please reach out to ISSS for updates. |
| September 21 | Monday | UTAP, URED, and UTR LAST DAY to drop a course (no refund). Courses dropped after this date require instructor approval and a 'W' will apear on transcript in place of a grade. |
| September 21 | Monday | LAST DAY to request course grade type change to audit or pass/fail. Requires instructor approval. Courses taken for audit or pass/fall cannot be counted towards degree requirements unless otherwise noted in the program’s course catalog page. |
| October TBD | TBD | Opening of December 2026 Graduation Application: https://srfs.upenn.edu/student-records/GradApp. |
| October 26 | Monday | UTP, URED, and UTR LAST DAY to withdraw from a course (No Refund). |
| November 13 | Friday | Last day to submit a Return of Leave of Absence for the spring term. |
| November TBD | TBD | Closing of December 2026 Graduation Application: https://srfs.upenn.edu/student-reocrds/GradApp. |
| November 23 | Monday | UTAP courses meet. UTR and URED courses will not meet. ISTR and SLP students should see their specific class schedule. |
| November 24-29 | Tuesday-Sunday | Thanksgiving Break (No Classes) |
| November 30 | Monday | Classes Resume |
| November 30 | Monday | LAST DAY Divisions may submit Master's Examination/Thesis Portfolio results to the GSE Student Records Office for December 2026 degree. |
| December 17 | Thursday | Fall Degree Conferral Date. |
| December 21 | Monday | Last day of fall term for Educator Training Program students. All programs will have academic engagement through this week. Specific programs will dictate the In-person, online synchronous and online a-synchronous class schedule within their internal documentation. |
| January 4 | Monday | Fall term grades due. |
