Check Out New Updates to UK's Spring Academic Calendar
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 26, 2021) — The University of Kentucky’s Spring 2021 semester is underway, and now is a good time to review this semester’s academic calendar and the number of changes that were made to deal with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
In its commitment to the health and safety of students and employees, UK compressed the spring academic calendar by beginning later than usual and eliminating the traditional Spring Break week. The idea is to keep students engaged in coursework on campus, rather than potentially traveling to other regions and returning to Lexington, which would increase the risk of spreading COVID-19.
Instead of a Spring Break week, students will have an academic holiday March 26. Another major change to the academic calendar that was enacted in the fall and continues this spring affects “Dead Week” (the week prior to final examinations). Classes will meet for the first three days of that week, May 3-5, but will not meet on Thursday and Friday, May 6 and 7. Those are designated Reading Days, a time for students to prepare for final exams.
Vetted and approved by the UK Senate Council, the revised calendar is available here.
Important updates to the calendar, including updates made as recently as Jan. 25, include:
- Friday, Jan. 29: Last day to add a class for the 2021 spring semester
- Friday, Jan. 29: Last day to officially withdraw from the university or reduce course load and receive a full refund
- Friday, Feb. 5: Last day to officially withdraw from the university or reduce course load and receive an 80% refund
- Friday, Feb. 12: Last day to drop a course without it appearing on the student’s transcript
- Friday, Feb. 26: Last day to officially withdraw from the university or reduce course load and receive a 50% refund
- Friday, March 26: Academic holiday
- Wednesday, May 5: Last day of classes
- Thursday-Friday, May 6-7: Reading Days — classes do NOT meet
- Friday, May 7: Last day for candidates for May 2021 degree to submit thesis/dissertation for formal review to The Graduate School
- Monday-Thursday, May 10-13: Final examinations
For questions about changes to the academic calendar, contact the Office of the Registrar.
Keep updated on the university’s efforts related to COVID-19 at www.uky.edu/coronavirus.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.