Academic Calendar
The scheduling system a university uses to organize its academic year, typically semester (2 terms), quarter (3-4 terms), or trimester (3 terms) systems.
The academic calendar defines how a university structures its teaching year and directly impacts course pacing, credit transfer, and student workload. The semester system (two 15-16 week terms) is most common worldwide, used by most European, Asian, and many US universities. The quarter system (three 10-week terms plus optional summer) is used by several prominent US universities including Stanford and UCLA, offering more course variety but faster pacing. Understanding calendar differences is important for transfer students and those considering study abroad programs.
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