This calendar is subject to change. Paid holidays for faculty and staff members are listed on the Harvard information for employees holiday calendar.
Summer 2023
- June 19 (HOLIDAY observed) Juneteenth
- July 3 (HOLIDAY) In advance of Independence Day
- July 4 (HOLIDAY observed) Independence Day
- Jul 11-Aug 10 Mid-Career MPA Summer Program
- Aug 1 Fall and January course syllabi due
- Aug 7-25 MPA/ID Program Seminar
- Aug 14-25 Mid-Career MPA Mason Fall Launch
Fall 2023
- Aug 21-25 Orientation (for incoming two-year students only)
- Aug 25-30 Registration Round I
- Aug 28-29 Shopping days
- Aug 28 Cross-registration begins for non-HKS students
- Aug 30 Full-term and Fall 1 courses begin
- Aug 30-31 Fall bidding
- Aug 31 Registration Round II
- Sept 1 Monday and Wednesday courses meet (excludes Wed-only courses)
- Sept 1 Fall term cross-registration petitions for HKS degree credit deadline
- Sept 1 Cross-registration approval for non-HKS students begins
- Sept 4 (HOLIDAY) Labor Day
- Sept 8 Full-term and Fall 1 courses add deadline
- Sept 8 Cross-registration deadline (Full-term and Fall 1 courses)
- Sept 14 Full-term and Fall 1 courses drop deadline (without notation)
- Sept 29 Fall 1 drop deadline (with notation)
- Oct 9 (HOLIDAY) Columbus Day (Federal and State)/Indigenous Peoples' Day (Cambridge)
- Oct 13 Fall 1 ends
- Oct 16 Fall 2 begins
- Oct 20 Fall 1 final papers due
- Oct 27 Fall 2 add/drop deadline (without notation)
- Oct 30 Fall 1 grades due
- Oct 31 January session (optional) Crimson Cart opens
- Nov 9 January session (optional) Registration Round I begins
- Nov 10 (HOLIDAY) Veterans Day
- Nov 21 Full-term and Fall 2 courses drop deadline (with notation)
- Nov 22-24 (HOLIDAY) Thanksgiving recess
- Dec 1 Full-term and Fall 2 courses end
- Dec 2-5 Reading period
- Dec 2-15 Fall semester take-home exams/papers due
- Dec 6-15 Fall semester examinations* (in class)
- Dec 8 January session drop deadline (without notation)
- Dec 15 Spring course syllabi due
- Dec 18 Full-term (Fall) and Fall 2 grades due
Spring 2024
- Jan 2-12 January session (optional)
- Jan 4 January session add/drop deadline (with notation)
- Jan 15 (HOLIDAY) Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- Jan 18-19 Shopping days
- Jan 18-22 Registration Round I
- Jan 19 Cross-registration submission for non-HKS students begins
- Jan 22 Full-term and Spring 1 courses begin
- Jan 22 January session grades due
- Jan 22-23 Spring bidding
- Jan 23-24 Registration Round II
- Jan 24 Cross-registration approval for non-HKS students begins
- Jan 26 Spring term cross-registration petitions for HKS degree credit deadline
- Feb 2 Full-term and Spring 1 courses add deadline
- Feb 2 Cross-registration deadline (Full-term and Spring 1 courses)
- Feb 5 Full-term and Spring 1 courses drop deadline (without notation)
- Feb 19 (HOLIDAY) Presidents' Day
- Mar 1 Spring 1 drop deadline (with notation)
- Mar 8 Spring 1 ends
- Mar 9-17 Spring break
- Mar 18 Spring 2 begins
- Mar 22 Spring 1 final papers due
- Mar 29 Spring 2 add/drop deadline (without notation)
- Apr 1 Spring 1 grades due
- Apr 2 Policy Analysis Exercise (PAE) deadline
- Apr 19 Full-term and Spring 2 courses drop deadline (with notation)
- Apr 26 Full-term and Spring 2 courses end
- Apr 27-30 Reading period
- Apr 27-May 10 Spring semester take-home exams/papers due
- May 1-10 Spring semester examinations* (in class)
- May 13 Full-term (spring) and Spring 2 grades due
- May 20-24 Commencement Week
- May 23 Commencement Day
- May 27 (HOLIDAY ) Memorial 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.