This calendar is subject to change. Paid holidays for faculty and staff members are listed on the Harvard information for employees holiday calendar.
Summer 2024
| July 4 | HOLIDAY: Independence Day |
| July 9-August 8 | Mid-Career MPA Summer Program |
| August 1 | Fall and January course syllabi due |
| August 1 | Submission Deadline: Declaration of Interest in the Data and Research Methods Pathway for Graduating Students |
| August 12-30 | MPA/ID Program Seminar |
| August 12-23 | MC/MPA Mason Fall Launch |
Fall 2024
| August 20 12:01 a.m. | Fall Crimson Cart open |
| August 26-30 | Orientation (for incoming two-year students only) |
| August 30 10 a.m. | Registration Round 1 opens |
| September 2 | HOLIDAY: Labor Day |
| September 3 12:01 a.m. | Cross-registration begins for non-HKS students |
| September 3-4 | Shopping Days |
| September 5 10 a.m. | Registration Round 1 closes |
| September 5 | Full-term and Fall 1 courses begin |
| September 5 6 p.m. | Fall Bidding opens |
| September 6 11 a.m. | Fall Bidding closes |
| September 6 2 p.m. | Registration Round 2 opens |
| September 6 | Monday/Wednesday classes meet (excludes Wednesday-only courses) |
| September 6 | Submission Deadline: Degree Credit Petition for non-HKS Fall term courses |
| September 9 11 a.m. | Registration Round 2 closes |
| September 9 12 p.m. | Fall Add/Drop period begins |
| September 9 12 p.m. | Cross-registration approval for non-HKS students begins |
| September 12 11:59 p.m. | Submission Deadline: Full-term and Fall 1 courses add and cross-registration petitions |
| September 16 11:59 p.m. | Submission Deadline: Full-term and Fall 1 courses drop without notation petitions |
| October 4 11:59 p.m. | Submission Deadline: Fall 1 drop with notation petitions |
| October 14 | HOLIDAY: Columbus Day (Federal and State)/Indigenous Peoples’ Day (Cambridge) |
| October 18 | Fall 1 ends |
| October 21 | Fall 2 begins |
| October 25 | Fall 1 final papers due |
| October 29 11:59 p.m. | Submission Deadline: Fall 2 add, cross-registration, drop without notation petitions |
| November 4 | Fall 1 grades due |
| November 5 12:01 a.m. | January session (optional) Crimson Cart opens |
| November 11 | HOLIDAY: Veterans Day |
| November 14 10 a.m. | January session (optional) Registration Round 1 opens |
| November 19 10:30 a.m. | January session (optional) Registration Round 1 closes |
| November 19 4 p.m. | January session (optional) Bidding opens |
| November 20 11 a.m. | January session (optional) Bidding closes |
| November 20 1 p.m. | January session (optional) Registration Round 2 opens |
| November 26 11:59 p.m. | Submission Deadline: Full-term and Fall 2 courses drop with notation petitions |
| November 27-29 | HOLIDAY: Thanksgiving recess |
| December 2 11:59 p.m. | January session (optional) Registration Round 2 closes |
| December 3 12:01 a.m. | January session (optional) Add/Drop period begins |
| December 3 12:01 a.m. | January session cross-registration begins for non-HKS students |
| December 3 | Cross-registration approval for non-HKS students begins |
| December 6 | Full-term and Fall 2 courses end |
| December 7-10 | Reading period |
| December 7-20 | Fall semester take-home exams/papers due |
| December 11-20 | Fall semester examinations* (in class) |
| December 13 | Submission Deadline: January session drop without notation petitions |
| December 15 | Spring course syllabi due |
| December 23 | Full-term (Fall) and Fall 2 grades due |
Spring 2025
| January 2-17 | January session (optional) |
| January 7 11:59 p.m. | Submission Deadline: January session add, cross-registration, and drop with notation petitions |
| January 20 | HOLIDAY: Martin Luther King Jr. Day |
| January 23-24 | Shopping Days |
| January 23-27 | Registration Round 1 |
| January 24 | Cross-registration submission for non-HKS students begins |
| January 27 | Full-term and Spring 1 courses begin |
| January 27 | January session grades due |
| January 27-28 | Spring bidding |
| January 28-29 | Registration Round 2 |
| January 29 | Cross-registration approval for non-HKS students begins |
| January 31 | Spring term cross-registration petitions for HKS degree credit deadline |
| February 4 | Full-term and Spring 1 courses add deadline |
| February 4 | Cross-registration deadline (Full-term and Spring 1 courses) |
| February 10 | Full-term and Spring 1 courses drop deadline (without notation) |
| February 17 | HOLIDAY: President’s Day |
| March 7 | Spring 1 drop deadline (with notation) |
| March 14 | Spring 1 ends |
| March 17-21 | Spring Break |
| March 24 | Spring 2 begins |
| March 28 | Spring 1 final papers due |
| April 1 | Spring 2 add/drop deadline (without notation) |
| April 7 | Spring 1 grades due |
| April 8 | Policy Analysis Exercise (PAE) deadline |
| April 25 | Full-term and Spring 2 courses drop deadline (with notation) |
| May 2 | Full-term and Spring 2 courses end |
| May 3-6 | Reading period |
| May 3-16 | Spring semester take-home exams/papers due |
| May 7-16 | Spring semester examinations* (in class) |
| May 19 | Full-term (spring) and Spring 2 grades due |
| May 26 | HOLIDAY: Memorial Day |
| May 27-30 | Commencement Week |
| May 29 | Commencement Day |
| June 19 | HOLIDAY: Juneteenth |
*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.