Academic term

An academic term is a portion of an academic year during which an educational institution holds classes. The schedules adopted vary widely. Common terms such as semester, trimester, and quarter are used to denote terms of specific durations. In most countries, the academic year begins in late summer or early autumn and ends during the following spring or summer.

Description

An academic year is the time during which an educational institution holds classes. An academic term is a portion of the academic year. The schedules adopted vary widely.

Types

Semester, trimester and quarter are all types of academic terms, each differentiated by their duration as described below:

Semester originally German, where it referred to a university session of six months, adopted into American usage in the early 19th century as a half-year term of typically 15 to 18 weeks. Used in the US and other countries to refer to the two main periods into which the academic year is divided at some universities.
Trimester used in the US and Canada to refer to one of the three terms into which the academic year is divided at some universities.
Quarter used in American English to refer to one of four terms into which the academic year is divided at some universities.
Academic terms by country

In most countries, the academic year begins in late summer or early autumn and ends during the following spring or summer. In Northern Hemisphere countries, this means that the academic year lasts from August, September, or October to May, June, or July. In Southern Hemisphere countries, the academic year aligns with the calendar year, lasting from February or March to November or December. The summer may or may not be part of the term system.

Australia

In most of Australia, the primary and secondary school year lasts about 200 days, from late January or early February to early or mid-December, and is split into four terms:

Term 1 starts in late January or early February and ends in late March or early April.
Term 2 starts in late April or early May and ends in late June or early July.
Term 3 starts in mid-to-late July and ends mid-to-late September.
Term 4 starts in early-to-mid October and ends typically in mid-to-late December.

Terms 4 & 1 and 2 & 3 are respectively usually deemed 'summer' and 'winter' respectively for purposes of sports participation and uniform standards. Australian states and territories vary their approach to Easter when determining the dates for the holiday at the end of Term 1.
The exact dates vary from year to year, as well as between states, and for public and private school. In Tasmania until and including 2012, the school year was split into three terms, the first one being the longest and including an extended Easter holiday. However, in 2013 Tasmania introduced a four-term year, to conform to the rest of the country. The exact start and finish date of the academic year varies between jurisdictions; in 2023 Queensland will start earliest on 23 January and finish earliest on 8 December, while Tasmania will start latest on 8 February and finish latest on 21 December. There is typically a break of two weeks between each term, followed by a 1-2 month summer break after term 4 which ends just before Christmas. This occasionally varies in different jurisdictions/school systems. In the year 2000, due to the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, the state of New South Wales extended the break after Term 3 to three weeks.
Most Australian universities have two semesters a year, but Bond University, Deakin University, CQUniversity, Griffith University, the University of New South Wales and the University of Canberra have three trimesters. Unusually, Macquarie University officially uses the word "session" and CQUniversity uses the word "term" in place of "semester". Many universities offer an optional short summer semester.

Austria

The Austrian school year for primary and secondary schools is split into two terms, the first one starts on the first Monday in September in the states of Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland and on the second Monday of September in Upper Austria, Salzburg, Styria, Carinthia, Tyrol and Vorarlberg. Most schools have holidays between the national holiday on October 26 and All Souls Day on November 2, but those are unofficial holidays not observed by all schools in Austria. Christmas holidays start on December 24 and end on the first weekday after January 6. The first term ends in Vienna and Lower Austria on the first Friday of February, in Burgenland, Carinthia, Salzburg, Tyrol and Vorarlberg on the second Friday of February and in Upper Austria and Styria on the third Friday of February.
There is a one-week break between the two terms. In the second term there are the Easter holidays, the Mayday Holiday on May 1 and the long weekends of Pentecost, Ascension and Corpus Christi. The school year ends in Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland on the last Friday of June, in Upper Austria, Styria, Carinthia, Salzburg, Tyrol and Vorarlberg on the first Friday in July.

Barbados

The Barbadian school year is fashioned after the British system, and as such, it follows a scheduling with three terms per school year.

First term begins in the second week of September and continues for 15 weeks, ending in mid-December, excluding one week for mid-term break in late October.
Second term begins in the first week of January and continues for 12 weeks, ending at the end of March.
Third term begins early/mid-April and continues for 11 weeks until the end of June.

The long school holiday period is 9 to 10 weeks from the end of June until the first week of September.

Trimester	Usual months covered	Breaks after the term
1	2nd week of September - late October	Fall break: one week
1	Early November - mid-December	Winter break: two to three weeks
2	1st week of January - late March	Spring break: two weeks
3	Early/mid April - late June	Summer break: nine to ten weeks, separates one school year from another

Brazil

In Brazil, due to the Law of Directives and Bases of Brazilian Education, the academic year must have 200 days, both at schools and at universities. The school year usually begins during the first week of February. There is a 2-week/4-week long winter break in July. The Brazilian school year ends the first week of December, summer in Brazil.
Most schools use the 4 term system, called "unidades" or "bimestres", although there is a minority of schools that utilize a 3 term system instead, composed of trimesters.
In Brazilian universities academic terms are defined as periods or semesters. There are two semesters: February to June and August to December. The majority of academic degrees courses are 8 semesters long or 10 semesters long.

Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, the kindergarten, elementary and schools follow the semester system. Most of the universities follow the semester system although for some particular subjects such as Law they follow a yearly system. Business schools of all public and private universities follow a semester or trimester system.
Some of the universities using a two-semester system include: Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Khulna University of Engineering and Technology, Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology, Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Khulna University, Jagannath University, Jessore University of Science and Technology, International Islamic University Chittagong and Sylhet Agricultural University.
Some of the universities following a trimester system include: Northern University Bangladesh, American International University - Bangladesh, BRAC University, Daffodil International University, East West University, Fareast International University, North South University, Presidency University, Prime University, Stamford University, Military Institute of Science and Technology, University of Information Technology and Sciences, University of Development Alternative, Bangladesh University of Business and Technology and United International University.

Belgium

In Belgium, kindergarten, elementary and secondary schools begin on September 1 and end on June 30.
Schools also take breaks/holidays:

Autumn break: One week at the start of November
Christmas break: Two weeks around Christmas and New Year
Carnival break: One week in February.
Easter break: Two weeks around Easter.
Summer break: is always the break from 1 July until 31 August
Ascension break: Thursday and Friday in early May to mid June
Labor Day: May 1
Whitsun: Monday in mid May to late June
Armistice Day: November 11

Universities and colleges in Belgium use the semester system, dividing the academic year in two equal parts of fourteen weeks of courses. Universities start the first semester in the third week of September, and no 'autumn break'. Colleges start one week earlier, in the second week of September, giving them right to the 'autumn break' of one week. After 13 weeks of courses the 'Christmas break' starts, which is used to study for the 3–4 weeks of examinations in January.
After these examinations the universities have one week of vacation, the so-called 'semestrial vacation', while the colleges start the classes of the second semester at the end of January, immediately after the examinations, which week they reclaim with the 'spring break' at the end of February, which the universities do not have. The universities start the second semester in the beginning of February.
Both universities and colleges have the 'Easter break', which again is used to study for the examinations in June. After Easter, the classes start again until the end of May, followed by four weeks of examinations in June, after which three months of vacation is given. The students who failed in passing some of the courses in their curriculum in January and June, the so-called 'first session', have to do the examinations again in the second session at the end of August.