Spring 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 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 Stuides (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 (PBCL)
- 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 |
|||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 14 | Wednesday | First day of spring term classes. Monday classes meet this day and normal schedule (Thursday classes) commence on January 15. | |||||||||
| January 19 | Monday | MLK Jr. Day (No Classes) | |||||||||
| TBD | TBD | LAST DAY to add or drop a class without financial penalty (11:59PM ET via Path@Penn). | |||||||||
| January TBD | TBD | LAST DAY for students to be registered 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 Active students must be registered or take a leave of absence by this date to avoid being withdrawn from their program. | |||||||||
| February TBD | TBD | Opening of May 2026 Graduation Application: https://srfs.upenn.edu/student-records/GradApp. | |||||||||
| TBD | TBD | LAST DAY to add or 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. | |||||||||
| March 7-15 | Saturday-Sunday | Spring Term Break (No Classes) | |||||||||
| March 16 | Monday | Classes resume. | |||||||||
| DOCTORAL (PhD AND EdD) STUDENTS GRADUATING IN MAY 2026 are strongly advised to defend by March 27 to ensure that they can submit their dissertation for format review by April 3. DOCTORAL (PhD AND EdD) STUDENTS GRADUATING IN AUGUST 2026 are strongly advised to defend by June 27 to ensure that they can submit their dissertation for format review by July 10. 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. |
|||||||||||
| TBD | TBD | 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. | |||||||||
| TBD | TBD | Advanced Registration for Fall 2026 available via Path@Penn. | |||||||||
| TBD | TBD | Open Enrollment for Summer 2026 available via Path@Penn. | |||||||||
| TBD | TBD | Advanced Registration for Fall 2026 ends. | |||||||||
| April 3 | Friday | LAST DAY doctoral students may submit dissertation for review by the Director of Academic Affairs for May 2026 degree: EdD students: Upload to Proquest PhD students: Email dissertation to Chris Kubik Cedeño (cdkubik@upenn.edu) |
|||||||||
| TBD | TBD | Closing of May 2026 Graduation Application: https://srfs.upenn.edu/student-records/GradApp. | |||||||||
| TBD | TBD | Open Enrollment for Fall 2026 available via Path@Penn. | |||||||||
| TBD | TBD | LAST DAY for all December 2025, May 2026, and August 2026 graduates to RSVP for the May 2026 GSE commencement ceremony. | |||||||||
| TBD | TBD | LAST DAY to withdraw from a course (No Refund). | |||||||||
| May 4 | Monday | LAST DAY for submission of approved & signed dissertations for May 2026 degree: EdD students: to Academic Affairs Office PhD students: to Graduate Arts & Sciences |
|||||||||
| May 4 | Monday | LAST DAY Divisions may submit Master’s Examination/Thesis Portfolio results to the GSE Student Records Office for May 2026 degree. | |||||||||
| May 6 | Wednesday | LAST DAY of the Spring classes at GSE. | |||||||||
| May 11 | Monday | Spring term grades due. | |||||||||
| May 12 | Tuesday | Spring Degree Conferral Date. | |||||||||
| May 16 | Saturday | GSE Commencement ceremony. | |||||||||
| May 18 | Monday | University Commencement ceremony. | |||||||||
| May 22 | Friday | LAST DAY August or December 2026 EdD and PhD potential graduates can hold final defense without having to pay Summer 2026 or Fall 2026 tuition (must recieve a successful pass; tuition waiver does not apply for pending pass). Students must notify programs if they intend to upload their dissertation in the summer term. Only one term (fall or summer) will be free. | |||||||||
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 |
|||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 5 | Monday | First day of spring term for continuing 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 19 | Monday | MLK Jr. Day (No Classes) | |||||||||
| January TBD | TBD | LAST DAY for students to be registered 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. | |||||||||
| February TBD | TBD | Opening of May 2026 Graduation Application: https://srfs.upenn.edu/student-records/GradApp. | |||||||||
| DOCTORAL (PhD AND EdD) STUDENTS GRADUATING IN MAY 2026 are strongly advised to defend by March 27 to ensure that they can submit their dissertation for format review by April 3. DOCTORAL (PhD AND EdD) STUDENTS GRADUATING IN AUGUST 2026 are strongly advised to defend by June 27 to ensure that they can submit their dissertation for format review by July 10. 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. |
|||||||||||
| April 3 | Friday | LAST DAY doctoral students may submit dissertation for review by the Director of Academic Affairs for May 2026 degree: EdD students: Upload to Proquest PhD students: Email dissertation to Chris Kubik Cedeño (cdkubik@upenn.edu) |
|||||||||
| TBD | TBD | Closing of May 2026 Graduation Application: https://srfs.upenn.edu/student-records/GradApp. | |||||||||
| TBD | TBD | LAST DAY for all December 2025, May 2026, and August 2026 graduates to RSVP for the May 2026 GSE commencement ceremony. | |||||||||
| May 4 | Monday | LAST DAY for submission of approved & signed dissertations for May 2026 degree: EdD students: to Academic Affairs Office PhD students: to Graduate Arts & Sciences |
|||||||||
| May 4 | Monday | LAST DAY Divisions may submit Master’s Examination/Thesis Portfolio results to the GSE Student Records Office for May 2026 degree. | |||||||||
| May 12 | Tuesday | Spring Degree Conferral Date. | |||||||||
| May 16 | Saturday | GSE Commencement Ceremony. | |||||||||
| May 18 | Monday | University Commencement Ceremony. | |||||||||
| May 18 | Monday | Last day of spring term for Executive-format students. 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. | |||||||||
| May 22 | Friday | LAST DAY August or December 2026 EdD potential graduates can hold final defense without having to pay Summer 2026 or Fall 2026 tuition (must receive a successful pass; tuition waiver does not apply for pending pass). Students must notify programs if they intend to upload their dissertation in the summer term. Only one term (fall or summer) will be free. | |||||||||
| May 26 | Tuesday | Executive format programs spring grades due. | |||||||||
| June 30 | Tuesday | LAST DAY August or December 2026 EdD potential graduates can hold final defense without having to pay Summer 2026 and Fall 2026 tuition (must receive a successful pass; tuition waiver does not apply for pending pass). Students must notify programs if they intend to attempt to successfully defend their dissertation in June. Students will be enrolled in EDUC 9950 and will be charged. Provided the student successfully defends by June 30, the summer and subsequent fall tuition, if necessary, will be waived. | |||||||||
Educator Training Program Calendar
Students in the following programs follow this calendar:
- Independent School Teaching Residency (MSEd)
- School Leadership (MSEd, PBCL)
- Urban Teaching Residency (MSEd, PBCL)
- Urban Teaching Apprenticeship (MSEd)
|
Date |
Day |
Event/Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| January 5 | Monday | First day of spring 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. |
| January 19 | Monday | MLK Jr. Day (No Classes) |
| January TBD | TBD | UTAP and UTR LAST DAY to add or drop a spring course without financial penalty. |
| January TBD | TBD | LAST DAY for students to be registered 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. |
| ISTR and 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. |
| February TBD | TBD | Opening of May 2026 Graduation Application: https://srfs.upenn.edu/student-records/GradApp. |
| TBD | TBD | UTAP and UTR LAST DAY to drop a course (no refund). Courses dropped after this date require instructor approval and a ' W' will appear on the transcript in place of grade. |
| TBD | TBD | UTAP and UTR LAST DAY to withdraw from a course (No Refund). |
| TBD | TBD | UTAP and UTR LAST DAY to withdraw from a course (No Refund). |
| TBD | TBD | Closing of May 2026 Graduation Application: https://srfs.upenn.edu/student-records/GradApp. |
| TBD | TBD | LAST DAY for all December 2025, May 2026, and August 2026 graduates to RSVP for the May 2026 GSE commencement ceremony. |
| May 4 | Monday | LAST DAY Divisions may submit Master’s Examination/Thesis Portfolio results to the GSE Student Records Office for May 2026 degree. |
| May 12 | Tuesday | Spring Degree Conferral Date. |
| May 16 | Saturday | GSE Commencement Ceremony. |
| May 18 | Monday | University Commencement Ceremony. |
| May 18 | Monday | Last day of spring term for Educator Training program students. All programs will have academic engagement throughout this week. Specific programs will dictate the In-person, online synchronous and online a-synchronous class schedule within their internal documentation. |
| May 26 | Tuesday | Educator training programs spring grades due. |
