Teaching and examinations
Academic Calendar 2026–2027
The dates of the 2026–2027 academic year. Teaching begins on 20 September 2026 for students in the second year and above, and on 15 November 2026 for first-year students.
Today:
- Second year and above First semester — ends on Thursday 31 December 2026
- First-year students First semester — starts on Sunday 15 November 2026 (in 13 days)
September 2026
-
Add to calendar: First semester
First semester
· 15 weeks
October 2026
-
Add to calendar: Applications for free places in the medical group
Applications for free places in the medical group
For colleges of medicine, dentistry and pharmacy at private universities, and only for 2025–2026 graduates of the scientific stream. The free places are 5% of each university's capacity. Applications are made online through Qaddim, with up to seven choices.
November 2026
-
Add to calendar: First semester
First semester
· 16 weeks including examinations
The period includes first-semester and mid-year examinations under every study system; any shortfall is made up with additional lectures if needed.
January 2027
-
Add to calendar: First-semester final examinations begin
First-semester final examinations begin
For colleges following the semester system, the course system and the Bologna Process. Mid-year examinations begin on the same day in colleges following the annual system.
-
Add to calendar: Mid-year break
Mid-year break
· 2 weeks
-
Add to calendar: Second semester
Second semester
· 15 weeks
March 2027
-
Add to calendar: Spring break
Spring break
· 1 week
-
Add to calendar: Second semester
Second semester
· 16 weeks including examinations
The period includes second-semester and final examinations under every study system; any shortfall is made up with additional lectures if needed.
May 2027
-
Add to calendar: Second-semester final examinations begin
Second-semester final examinations begin
For colleges following the semester system, the course system and the Bologna Process. First-round final examinations begin on the same day in colleges following the annual system.
July 2027
-
Add to calendar: Summer break
Summer break
· 2 months
-
Add to calendar: Summer training
Summer training
For students of colleges where summer training applies, for the periods set in the summer training instructions.
-
Add to calendar: Summer term
Summer term
· 8 weeks
For universities and colleges following the course system; also the period of the optional summer course in the Bologna Process.
September 2027
-
Add to calendar: Second-round examinations begin
Second-round examinations begin
For all years of study. For the second year and above, the university may set another start date if it clashes with the preparatory-school examinations.
September 2026
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 20 Start: First semester | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
October 2026
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 Start: Applications for free places in the medical group | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 End: Applications for free places in the medical group |
| 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
November 2026
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 15 Start: First semester | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| 29 | 30 |
December 2026
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 End: First semester |
January 2027
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | |||||
| 3 First-semester final examinations begin | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| 17 Start: Mid-year break | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
| 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 End: Mid-year break |
| 31 Start: Second semester |
February 2027
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| 28 |
March 2027
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 End: First semester | 5 | 6 | |
| 7 Start: Spring break | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 End: Spring break |
| 14 Start: Second semester | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
April 2027
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
| 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
May 2027
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||||||
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 End: Second semester | 14 | 15 |
| 16 Second-semester final examinations begin | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
| 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
| 30 | 31 |
June 2027
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 End: Second semester |
July 2027
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Start: Summer break Start: Summer training Start: Summer term | 2 | 3 | ||||
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
| 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
August 2027
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| 29 | 30 | 31 End: Summer break End: Summer training End: Summer term |
September 2027
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Second-round examinations begin | 2 | 3 | 4 | |||
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
Add the calendar to your own calendar
Download the whole year as a calendar file for Google Calendar, Outlook or your phone, or subscribe so that any later change made by the university reaches your calendar automatically.
Notes
- Department councils may recommend bringing an examination date forward or back by one week, subject to the approval of the college council.
- The Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha holidays and other official holidays are observed when they fall on examination days.
- Students register for their courses within the period set in the guide for each study system and in the circulars of the Ministry's Studies, Planning and Follow-up Directorate.