This calendar is subject to change. Paid holidays for faculty and staff members are listed on the Harvard information for employees holiday calendar.
Summer 2025
Date | Event |
|---|---|
| July 4 | HOLIDAY: Independence Day |
| July 8-August 7 | Mid-Career MPA Summer Program |
| August 1 | Submission Deadline: Declaration of Interest in the Data and Research Methods Pathway for Graduating Students |
| August 8 | Fall and January course syllabi due |
| August 11-29 | MPA/ID Program Seminar |
| August 11-22 | MC/MPA Mason Fall Launch |
Fall 2025
Date | Event |
|---|---|
| August 19 12:01 a.m. | Fall Crimson Cart open |
| August 25-29 | Orientation (for incoming two-year students only) |
| August 29 10 a.m. | Registration Round 1 opens |
| September 1 | HOLIDAY: Labor Day |
| September 2-3 | Course Preview Days |
| September 4 | Full-term and Fall 1 courses begin |
September 4 10 a.m. | Registration Round 1 closes |
| September 4 5 p.m. | Fall Bidding opens |
| September 5 | Monday/Wednesday classes meet (excludes Wednesday only courses) |
| September 5 11 a.m. | Fall Bidding closes |
| September 5 2 p.m. | Registration Round 2 opens |
| September 5 | Submission Deadline: Degree Credit Petition for non-HKS Fall term courses |
| September 8 11 a.m. | Registration Round 2 closes |
| September 8 12 p.m. | Fall Add/Drop period begins |
| September 8 12 p.m. | Cross-registration submission and approval for non-HKS students begins |
| September 11 11:59 p.m. | Submission Deadline: Full-term and Fall 1 courses add and cross-registration petitions |
| September 15 11:59 p.m. | Submission Deadline: Full-term and Fall 1 courses drop without notation petitions |
| October 3 11:59 p.m. | Submission Deadline: Fall 1 drop with notation petitions |
| October 13 | HOLIDAY: Columbus Day (Federal and State)/Indigenous Peoples’ Day (Cambridge) |
| October 17 | Fall 1 courses end |
| October 20 | Fall 2 courses begin |
| October 24 | Fall 1 final papers due |
| October 28 11:59 p.m. | Submission Deadline: Fall 2 add, cross-registration, drop without notation petitions |
| November 3 | Fall 1 grades due |
| November 4 12:01 a.m. | January Session* Crimson Cart opens |
| November 11 | HOLIDAY: Veterans Day |
| November 13 10 a.m. | January Session Registration Round 1 opens* |
| November 18 10 a.m. | January Session Registration Round 1 closes* |
| November 18 4 p.m. | January Session Bidding opens* |
| November 19 11 a.m. | January Session Bidding closes* |
| November 19 2 p.m. | January Session Registration Round 2 opens* |
| November 25 11:59 p.m. | Submission Deadline: Full-term and Fall 2 courses drop with notation petitions |
| November 26-28 | HOLIDAY: Thanksgiving Recess |
| December 1 11:59 p.m. | January Session Registration Round 2 closes* |
| December 2 12:01 a.m. | January Session Add/Drop period begins* |
| December 2 12:01 a.m. | January Session cross-registration begins for non-HKS students* |
| December 5 | Full-term and Fall 2 courses end |
| December 6-9 | Reading period |
| December 6-19 | Fall semester take-home exams/papers due |
| December 10-19 | Fall semester examinations** (in class) |
| December 15 | Spring course syllabi due |
| December 22 | Full-term (Fall) and Fall 2 grades due |
Spring 2026
Date | Event |
|---|---|
| January 2-16 | January Session* Begins January 2 at 12 p.m. |
| January 6 11:59 p.m. | Submission Deadline: January Session add, cross-registration, and drop without notation petitions* |
| January 7 11:59 p.m. | Submission Deadline: January Session drop with notation petitions* |
January 9 12:01 a.m. | Spring Crimson Cart opens |
| January 19 | HOLIDAY: Martin Luther King Jr. Day |
| January 22-23 | Course Preview Days |
January 22 10 a.m. | Registration Round 1 opens |
January 23 12:01 a.m. | Cross-registration submission for non-HKS students begins |
January 26 10 a.m. | Registration Round 1 closes |
| January 26 | Full-term and Spring 1 courses begin |
| January 26 | January Session grades due |
January 26 5 p.m. | Spring Bidding opens |
January 27 11 a.m. | Spring Bidding closes |
January 27 2 p.m. | Registration Round 2 opens |
January 28 11 a.m. | Registration Round 2 closes |
January 28 12 p.m. | Spring Add/Drop begins |
January 28 12 p.m. | Cross-registration approval for non-HKS students begins |
| January 28 | Submission Deadline: Degree Credit Petition for non-HKS Spring term courses |
February 3 11:59 p.m. | Submission Deadline: Full-term and Spring 1 courses add and cross-registration petitions |
February 9 11:59 p.m. | Submission Deadline: Full-term and Spring 1 courses drop without notation petitions |
| February 16 | HOLIDAY: Presidents’ Day |
March 6 11:59 p.m. | Submission Deadline: Spring 1 drop with notation petitions |
| March 13 | Spring 1 course ends |
| March 16-20 | Spring Break |
| March 23 | Spring 2 courses begin |
| March 27 | Spring 1 final papers due |
March 31 11:59 p.m. | Submission Deadline: Spring 2 add, cross-registration, and drop without notation petitions |
| April 6 | Spring 1 grades due |
| April 7 | Policy Analysis Exercise (PAE) deadline |
April 24 11:59 p.m. | Submission Deadline: Full-term and Spring 2 courses drop with notation petitions |
| May 1 | Full-term and Spring 2 courses end |
| May 2-5 | Reading period |
| May 2-15 | Spring semester take-home exams/papers due |
| May 6-15 | Spring semester examinations** (in class) |
| May 18 | Full-term (Spring) and Spring 2 grades due |
| May 25 | HOLIDAY: Memorial Day |
| May 26-29 | Commencement Week |
| May 28 | Commencement Day |
| June 19 | HOLIDAY: Juneteenth |
*Enrolling and participating in January Session is optional for HKS students. January Session HKS courses count toward registered students' Spring term enrollments.
**Students must plan on being on campus throughout the in-class examination period. Family emergency and serious illness are the only acceptable excuses for missing an examination. This exam schedule applies only to courses held at HKS; jointly listed courses held at other Harvard schools may operate on a different exam schedule. Please check your syllabi for all courses carefully to ensure that you avoid exam conflicts.