Organisation of the academic year in Europe
The academic calendar plays a crucial role in determining the feasibility and preferences for student and staff mobility. If the academic year started and finished at similar times, and if it were organised into the same or similar number of terms or semesters, planning mobility periods for students and staff would be easier. Otherwise, institutions with different academic schedules may need to negotiate specific agreements to facilitate mobility.
The 3 indicators below, developed by the Eurydice network, cover tertiary education from short-cycle tertiary education to doctoral or equivalent level (from ISCED 5 to ISCED 8, according to the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED). Information covers both public and private sectors.
For more information on national specificities, and divergence to the common guidelines, please see the country-specific notes.
1 Start of the academic year, 2024/2025
The indicator shows the period when the academic year starts. In some countries, the decision is officially regulated by the top-level authority (see definition in the next section). It may consist of an exact date or a defined period of time. In others, this decision is entrusted to the academic institution.
2 Decision-making level setting start of the academic year, 2024/2025
The indicator shows the level at which the start of the academic year is decided.
Top-level authority: The highest level of authority with responsibility for education in a given country, usually located at the national (state) level. However, for Belgium, Germany and Spain, the communautés, Länder and comunidades autónomas, respectively, are responsible for all or most areas relating to education. Therefore, these administrations are considered the top-level authority for the areas where they hold the responsibility, which is the case for the start of the academic year.
3 Organisation of the academic year, 2024/2025
The indicator shows the way the academic year is organised.
Catalogue number: EC-01-24-002-EN-Q
ISBN 978-92-9488-764-1
ISSN 2443-5317
doi:10.2797/4040649
© European Commission, 2024.