Graduate Catalog 2025-2026

Academic Calendar

The University provides a year round instructional program consisting of fall and spring semesters and a summer session. WKU also offers a winter session, three 5-week sessions in spring, summer and fall terms, and bi-term courses during the fall and spring semesters.  The academic year at WKU is divided into two semesters consisting of sixteen weeks, a thirteen-week summer session, and a three-week winter session. The opening and closing dates are listed below. 

Fall Semester 2025

Classes Begin (Full-Term, 1st Bi-Term, 5-Week Session 1) Monday, August 18
Labor Day (University closed) Monday, September 1
5-Week Session 1 Ends Friday, September 19
5-Week Session 2 Begins Monday, September 22
Fall Break (University closed) Monday-Tuesday, October 6-7
1st Bi-Term Finals Thursday-Friday, October 9-10
2nd Bi-Term Begins Monday, October 13
5-Week Session 2 Ends Friday, October 24
5-Week Session 3 Begins Monday, October 27
Thanksgiving Holiday (University closed) Wednesday-Friday, November 26-28
5-Week Session 3 Ends Thursday, December 4
Reading Day* Thursday, December 4
Final Examinations Friday, December 5 and Monday-Thursday, December 8-11
2nd Bi-Term Finals Friday, December 5 and Monday, December 8
College Recognition Ceremonies Friday, December 12
Final Grades Due (noon) Tuesday, December 16
*

Reading Day at WKU is a designated day (or series of days) set aside during the academic semester, typically before final exams, to allow students to prepare for their exams or complete assignments without having regular classes or lectures. It is meant to give students time to review course materials, study, and catch up on work, providing a break from the usual academic schedule. During these days, there are no classes, instructors cannot assign due dates, and there are no exams.

Winter Term 2026

3-Week and 5-Week Sessions Begin Monday, December 15
Winter Break (University closed-Winter Session Classes in Session) December 17-January 2
3-Week Classes End Saturday, January 3
2-Week Classes Begin Monday, January 5
2-Week and 5-Week Classes End Saturday, January 17
Martin Luther King Jr. Day (University closed) Monday, January 19
Final Grades Due (noon) Tuesday, January 20
*

3-week and 5-week sessions utilize weekends to meet instructional minutes.

Spring Semester 2026

Classes Begin (Full-Term, 1st Bi-Term, 5-Week Session 1) Tuesday, January 20
5-Week Session 1 Ends Friday, February 20
5-Week Session 2 Begins Monday, February 23
1st Bi-Term Finals Thursday-Friday, March 5-6
2nd Bi-Term Begins Monday, March 9
Spring Break Monday-Friday, March 16-20 (University closed Wednesday-Friday, March 18-20)
5-Week Session 2 Ends Friday, April 3
5-Week Session 3 Begins Monday, April 6
2nd Bi-Term Finals Thursday-Friday, April 30-May 1
Final Examinations Monday-Thursday, May 4-7
5 Week Session 3 Ends Thursday, May 7
Commencement Thursday, May 7
College Recognition Ceremonies Friday, May 8
Final Grades Due (noon) Tuesday, May 12

Summer Term 2026

Classes Begin Monday, May 11
Memorial Day (University closed) Monday, May 25
Juneteenth Holiday (University closed) Friday, June 19
Independence Day (University closed) Friday, July 3
Summer Term Ends Friday, August 7