Please see below for key dates for Academic Year (AY) 2026-27. To access key dates for future standard academic years, please follow the links on the right-hand side of this page.
Teaching at the University typically takes place across two semesters (‘Semester 1’ and ‘Semester 2’). Each semester encompasses an initial welcome/consolidation and development week, an 11-week teaching block, a formal assessment period and vacation dates.
Please note: Teaching Block dates below primarily relate to the standard academic year structure for undergraduate students. Some Education programmes, such as BA (Hons) Primary Education, PGDE (Primary and Secondary) and BSc (Hons) Education & Curricular Studies with Teaching Qualification, begin in August each year. Postgraduate Taught programmes may have alternative start dates – please check with your Department for further details.
Last updated: 11 November 2025
Semester 1 (S1)
14 September 2026 – 10 January 2027
| Event | Dates | Standard academic year structure* |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome and development week | 14 September 2026 to 20 September 2026 | 1 week |
| S1 Teaching block 1 | 21 September 2026 to 6 December 2026, excluding 28 September 2026 (non-teaching day, reduced campus opening) | 11 weeks |
| Autumn Graduations | Dates to come | |
| Formal assessment period | 7 December 2026 to 18 December 2026 |
2 weeks |
| Student holiday: Winter vacation | 19 December 2026 to 10 January 2027 (inclusive) | 3 weeks |
Semester 2 (S2)
11 January 2027 - 21 May 2027
| Event | Dates | Standard academic year structure* |
|---|---|---|
| Consolidation and development week | 11 January 2027 to 17 January 2027 | 1 week |
| S2 Teaching block 2 | 18 January 2027 to 4 April 2027, excluding 26 March 2027 and 29 March 2027 (non-teaching days, reduced campus opening) | 11 weeks |
| Spring Graduations | Dates to come | Find out more about Graduations |
| Student holiday: spring vacation |
5 April 2027 to 18 April 2027 (inclusive) |
2 weeks |
| Formal assessment period | 19 April 2027 to 21 May 2027, excluding 3 May 2027 (non-teaching day, reduced campus opening) | 5 weeks |
Other key dates
22 May 2027 - 12 September 2027
| Event | Dates | Standard academic year structure* |
|---|---|---|
| Student holiday: summer vacation |
22 May 2027 to 12 September 2027 (inclusive) |
16 weeks |
| Summer Graduations |
Dates to come |
Find out more about Graduations |
| Formal assessment period | 28 July 2027 to 10 August 2027 | |
Bank & public holidays AY 2026 - 2027
All bank holidays and public holidays are non-teaching days with reduced campus opening.
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Autumn Holiday | 28 September 2026 |
| Christmas Day (or substitute day) | 25 December 2026 |
| Boxing Day (or substitute day) | 28 December 2026 |
| New Year’s Day | 1 January 2027 |
| 2nd January (or substitute day) | 4 January 2027 |
| Easter Good Friday Holiday | 26 March 2027 |
| Easter Monday Holiday | 29 March 2027 |
| Early May Holiday | 3 May 2027 |
| Spring Holiday | 31 May 2027 |
| Glasgow Fair Weekend | 16 July 2027 to 19 July 2027 |
Please note: this information may be subject to change.
*This represents the University’s standard academic year structure as outlined in the Policy on the Academic Year and Teaching Calendar. Senate has overall responsibility for determining the shape of the standard academic year.