3. Introduction

3.3. The Academic Year

The course lasts three terms, from the beginning of October to the end of the following June. Work will be required to be carried out during the Christmas and Easter vacations.

The Oxford academic year is split into three terms: Michaelmas term, Hilary term and Trinity term. Each of these terms is eight weeks in duration. You will find that the weeks of each term will be referred to as Week 1, Week 2, Week 3 and so on. For example, "lecture courses will begin on Monday of Week 1". The week prior to the start of term is often referred to as Week 0 and the week after the end of term is referred to as Week 9.

The dates of the University Full Terms for the Academic Year 2026–2027 are:

Michaelmas term (MT) 2026: Sunday 11th October – Saturday 5th December

Hilary term (HT) 2027: Sunday 17th January – Saturday 13th March

Trinity term (TT) 2027: Sunday 25th April – Saturday 19th June

Both Part C and MSc students are expected to be in Oxford in Week 0 of each term. For Week 9, there is no expectation that students are to be in Oxford, though students may wish to use facilities, such as libraries, to help with their work. This will of course be dependent on accommodation.

A calendar of important course dates is given in Appendix A.