Greetings students of the world, in this video I'll be explaining how a UK
university academic calendar and term dates work and taking a look at some of
the main holidays or vacations.
Hello again, Jack here from Cardiff Met International to talk you through the UK
university academic calendar. As always some of my examples will be specific to
Cardiff Metropolitan University, but the information should be useful wherever
you are planning to study in the UK. Once you've decided that you want to study in
the UK, I'm sure you'll want to get an idea of how your average year is going
to look. When will you be studying? When will you have time to explore
Cardiff, Wales, and the rest of the UK? And when will you have long holidays that
you can use to return home and see your family and friends? So in this video I'll
first of all be looking at university terms and semesters, followed by the main
holidays. The UK university academic calendar can be a little confusing for
international students, and even British students, as it is quite different to the
academic calendar in other parts of the world, and even other parts of the
British education system. Generally speaking the academic calendar runs from
approximately September to June. Postgraduate students then have the
summer to work on their dissertations or final projects, whilst undergraduate
students have a long break. Depending on where you study, the University year will
either be split into terms or semesters. At Cardiff Met our calendar is
split into terms. For universities with a term system the academic year is
usually split up into three sections. These terms will usually run from
September to December, January to March, and April to June. The amount of work you
have can vary a lot each term, especially the final term which is usually when
you'll have any exams. University modules and classes will often run over the
course of a single term with essays, projects, and assessments due towards the
end of each term, so it's a good idea to make sure you're not too busy
in early December or early March, so you can concentrate fully on your studies.
Many universities, including Cardiff Met, also offer a number of courses that
start in January. Courses that start in January tend to have the same term dates
however the academic year can be split up a little differently. Check out my
video about the January intake at Cardiff Met to find out more
specifically how this works. For universities that use the semester
system, the academic year tends to be split into two, and it's similar to
the American University system. If you are applying to a university with a
semester system it's a good idea to check out their academic calendar before
you get started. So the good news is, in between your terms or semesters you'll
have plenty of time off during the university holidays.
The main vacation times for UK universities are Christmas, Easter and
the summer. These holidays vary in length depending on the exact University, but
Christmas and Easter tend to be three to five weeks, and the summer twelve to
fourteen weeks. During holiday periods many University facilities will have
limited access and opening times. For the week between Christmas and New Year, and
over the long Easter weekend, most universities will be completely closed.
Some universities will require students living in university accommodation to
return home during these holidays, although sometimes there are different
rules for international students. However at Cardiff Met students living in our
university halls can stay from September through until June without having to
leave during the Christmas or Easter holidays. These long holidays are a great
time to explore Cardiff, Wales and the rest of the UK. As well as the main
holidays some universities will have Reading Weeks which are a week long
break from taught classes. However these mustn't be confused with holidays, as the
name suggests they are supposed to give you time to read your course reading
list and complete personal study. If you do have reading weeks it's a good idea
to use from wisely, as opposed to just relaxing and taking a break from your
studies. There's plenty of time for that during the holidays! So there we have it,
an overview of the UK university academic year and the main holidays. Each
University can have slightly different start dates and vacations and these can
vary a little each year. So if you're after specifics it's best to double-check
the details. I'll include a link to Cardiff Met's term dates in the
description below. Please do give me a like if you've found this video useful. Make
sure that you subscribe to our channel for more tips, guidance and advice about
study in the UK and Cardiff Metropolitan University. Don't forget to click on the
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And if this is your first Cardiff Met International video make sure you check
out our Getting to Know Cardiff Met playlist. If you have any questions
comments or suggestions just let me know in the comments
below. But for now, thanks for watching, and hopefully we'll welcome you to
Cardiff Met one day soon.
Bye bye!