The academic calendar of Washington University in St. Louis is designed to provide an optimal amount of classroom instruction and examination within a manageable time frame, facilitating our educational mission to promote learning among both students and faculty.
Please note * indicates no classes.
Fall Semester
Brown School
| 2019 – 2020 | 2020 – 2021 | 2021 – 2022 | 2022 – 2023 | 2023 – 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Day of Classes | 08/26 | 08/24 | 08/30 | 08/29 | 08/28 |
| Labor Day* | 09/02 | 09/07 | 09/06 | 09/05 | 09/04 |
| Fall Break* | 10/12 to 10/15 | — | 10/09 to 10/12 | 10/08 to 10/11 | 10/07 to 10/10 |
| Thanksgiving Break* | 11/27 to 12/01 | 11/26 to 11/27 | 11/24 to 11/28 | 11/23 to 11/27 | 11/22 to 11/26 |
| Last Day of Term | 12/06 | 12/16 | 12/20 | 12/21 | 12/08 |
| Finals | — | — | — | — | — |
Law School
| 2019 – 2020 | 2020 – 2021 | 2021 – 2022 | 2022 – 2023 | 2023 – 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Day of Classes | 08/26 | 08/24 | 08/30 | 08/29 | 08/28 |
| Labor Day* | 09/02 | 09/07 | 09/06 | 09/05 | 09/04 |
| Fall Break* | 10/12 to 10/15 | — | 10/09 to 10/12 | 10/08 to 10/11 | 10/07 to 10/10 |
| Thanksgiving Break* | 11/27 to 12/01 | — | 11/24 to 11/28 | 11/23 to 11/27 | 11/22 to 11/26 |
| Last Day of Classes | 12/06 | 11/20 | 12/03 | 12/02 | 12/01 |
| Final Exams (remote Fall 2020) | 12/09 to 12/18 | 11/30 to 12/11 | 12/6 to 12/17 | 12/05 to 12/16 | 12/04 to 12/15 |
Arts & Sciences, McKelvey School, Olin School, Sam Fox School, University College
| 2019 – 2020 | 2020 – 2021 | 2021 – 2022 | 2022 – 2023 | 2023 – 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Day of Classes | 08/26 | 09/14 | 08/30 | 08/29 | 08/28 |
| Labor Day* | 09/02 | — | 09/06 | 09/05 | 09/04 |
| Fall Break* | 10/12 to 10/15 | — | 10/09 to 10/12 | 10/08 to 10/11 | 10/07 to 10/10 |
| Thanksgiving Break* | 11/27 to 12/01 | 11/26 to 11/27 | 11/24 to 11/28 | 11/23 to 11/27 | 11/22 to 11/26 |
| Last Day of Classes | 12/06 | 12/18 | 12/10 | 12/09 | 12/08 |
| Reading Days and Finals | 12/09 to 12/18 | 01/04 to 01/10 | 12/13 to 12/22 | 12/12 to 12/21 | 12/11 to 12/20 |
Note: University College’s Last Day of Classes in Fall 2021, including the Final Exam period, is 12/22.
Spring Semester
Brown School
| 2019 – 2020 | 2020 – 2021 | 2021 – 2022 | 2022 – 2023 | 2023 – 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martin Luther King Day* | 01/20 | 01/18 | 01/17 | 01/16 | 01/15 |
| First day of classes | 01/13 | 01/19 | 01/18 | 01/17 | 01/16 |
| Spring Break* | 03/09 to 03/23 | — | 03/13 to 03/19 | 03/12 to 03/18 | 03/10 to 03/16 |
| Wellness Breaks* | — | 02/11 to 02/12,
03/09 & 04/07 | — | — | — |
| Last Day of Classes | 04/24 | 05/06 | 05/06 | 05/10 | 05/05 |
| Finals | — | — | — | — | — |
Law School
| 2019 – 2020 | 2020 – 2021 | 2021 – 2022 | 2022 – 2023 | 2023 – 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martin Luther King Day* | 01/20 | 01/18 | 01/17 | 01/16 | 01/15 |
| First Day of Classes | 01/13 | 01/19 | 01/18 | 01/17 | 01/16 |
| Spring Break I* | 03/09 to 03/23 | 02/15 to 02/16 | 03/13 to 03/19 | 03/12 to 03/18 | 03/10 to 03/16 |
| Spring Break II* | — | 03/24 to 03/26 | — | — | — |
| Last Day of Classes | 04/24 | 04/23 | 04/22 | 04/21 | 04/19 |
| Final Exams | 04/27 to 05/06 | 04/28 to 05/11 | 04/25 to 05/06 | 04/24 to 05/05 | 04/22 to 05/03 |
Arts & Sciences, McKelvey School, Olin School, Sam Fox School, University College
| 2019 – 2020 | 2020 – 2021 | 2021 – 2022 | 2022 – 2023 | 2023 – 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martin Luther King Day* | 01/20 | 01/18 | 01/17 | 01/16 | 01/15 |
| First Day of Classes | 01/13 | 01/25 | 01/18 | 01/17 | 01/16 |
| Spring Break* | 03/09 to 03/23 | — | 03/13 to 03/19 | 03/12 to 03/18 | 03/10 to 03/16 |
| Wellness Days* | — | 03/02 to 03/03, 04/12 | — | — | — |
| Last Day of Classes | 04/24 | 05/04 | 04/29 | 04/28 | 04/26 |
| Reading and Finals | 04/27 to 05/06 | 05/05 to 05/13 | 05/02 to 05/11 | 05/01 to 05/10 | 04/29 to 05/08 |
Note: University College’s Last Day of Classes in Spring 2021, including the Final Exam period, is May 13.
Summer
| 2019 – 2020 | 2020 – 2021 | 2021 – 2022 | 2022 – 2023 | 2023 – 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Session Begins | 05/18 | 05/24 | 05/23 | 05/22 | 05/20 |
| Memorial Day* | 05/25 | 05/31 | 05/30 | 05/29 | 05/27 |
| Independence Day* | 07/03 | 07/05 | 07/04 | 07/04 | 07/04 |
| Last Session Ends | 08/13 | 08/19 | 08/18 | 08/17 | 08/15 |
Commencement
| 2019 – 2020 | 2020 – 2021 | 2021 – 2022 | 2022 – 2023 | 2023 – 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05/30/2021 | 05/21 | 05/20 | 05/15 | 05/13 |
Changes to the 2019-20 and 2020-21 academic calendars reflect accommodations made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The academic calendar committee is appointed annually by the Provost. Committee members include representatives from each school; the chairperson of the committee is the University Registrar. New academic calendars are generally established in the spring, four years in advance of the current academic year.