USC Academic Calendar 2026-2027

The University of Southern California operates on a semester system with three main academic terms: Fall 2026, Spring 2027, and Summer 2027. Fall carries 68 instructional days and Spring carries 73, with Summer adding 57 more. All dates on this page are drawn from the official USC 2026-2027 academic calendar. Students should confirm time-sensitive deadlines directly with the USC Office of the Registrar, as dates are subject to revision.

Key Dates at a Glance

Fall 2026 Academic Calendar

USC’s fall semester opens with Open Registration August 17–21, followed by Move-In on August 19 and the first day of classes on August 24. The semester carries 68 instructional days and closes with final exams running December 9–16. Winter Recess begins December 17 and extends through January 10, 2027.

Date	Event
Mon–Fri, Aug 17–21	Open Registration
Wed, Aug 19	Move-In
Mon, Aug 24	Classes Begin
Mon, Sep 7	Labor Day — No Classes
Thu–Fri, Oct 8–9	Fall Recess — No Classes
Wed, Nov 11	Veterans Day — No Classes
Wed–Sun, Nov 25–29	Thanksgiving Holiday — No Classes
Fri, Dec 4	Classes End
Sat–Tue, Dec 5–8	Study Days
Wed–Wed, Dec 9–16	Final Exams
Thu, Dec 17 – Sun, Jan 10	Winter Recess
TBD	Winter Holiday (date to be announced)

Spring 2027 Academic Calendar

Spring semester carries 73 instructional days — the longest of the three terms. Open Registration runs January 7–8, and classes begin January 11. Spring Recess falls March 14–21, giving students a full week off mid-semester. The semester closes April 30, with final exams running May 5–12 and Commencement immediately following on May 12–15.

Date	Event
Thu–Fri, Jan 7–8	Open Registration
Mon, Jan 11	Classes Begin
Mon, Jan 18	Martin Luther King’s Birthday — No Classes
Mon, Feb 15	President’s Day — No Classes
Sun–Sun, Mar 14–21	Spring Recess — No Classes
Fri, Apr 30	Classes End
Sat–Tue, May 1–4	Study Days
Wed–Wed, May 5–12	Final Exams
Wed–Sat, May 12–15	Commencement

Summer 2027 Academic Calendar

USC’s Summer 2027 session runs 57 instructional days. Registration opens May 17–18 and classes begin May 19. Three federal holidays fall within the summer window — Memorial Day, Juneteenth, and Independence Day — all observed as no-class days. The session closes August 10.

Date	Event
Mon–Tue, May 17–18	Registration
Wed, May 19	Classes Begin
Mon, May 31	Memorial Day — No Classes
Fri, Jun 18	Juneteenth — No Classes
Mon–Tue, Jul 4–5	Independence Day — No Classes
Tue, Aug 10	Classes End

Deadlines USC Students Commonly Miss

The USC academic calendar lists session boundaries and holidays clearly, but several patterns consistently catch students off guard — particularly around the transitions between terms and the exam period structure.

Study days are not a break. The four study days before each final exam period (December 5–8 in fall, May 1–4 in spring) are a preparation window, not a holiday. No instruction occurs, but students are expected to be on campus preparing for exams. Travel plans scheduled during study days frequently conflict with the first day of finals.

Open Registration is a priority window, not the only window. Fall Open Registration runs August 17–21 and Spring Open Registration runs January 7–8. These short windows — before classes begin — are when students can adjust their schedules with the most flexibility. Students who miss Open Registration are not locked out of making changes, but their options narrow as the semester begins and popular sections fill.

The Winter Recess runs longer than most students expect. Winter Recess begins December 17, the day after fall finals end, and does not conclude until January 10 — nearly four weeks. Spring Registration for continuing students typically opens during this window. Students who tune out entirely during recess sometimes miss registration deadlines for their spring courses.

Thanksgiving Holiday at USC spans five days (Wednesday through Sunday), but the day before — Tuesday, November 25 — is a full instructional day. Students who book travel for the Wednesday departure sometimes miss the final Tuesday class sessions, which can matter in courses where attendance affects the grade.

Spring Recess falls mid-semester, not at the end. Spring Recess runs March 14–21 — roughly halfway through the spring semester. Students occasionally confuse the recess with the end of the semester and are surprised to find six weeks of instruction still remaining when they return. Finals do not begin until May 5.

The Winter Holiday date within Winter Recess is listed as TBD. USC has not confirmed the specific Winter Holiday date within the December 17–January 10 recess window for 2026-2027. Students planning travel should monitor the official registrar calendar for the confirmed date.

About the University of Southern California

The University of Southern California was founded in 1880 and is the oldest private research university in California. Located in Los Angeles on its University Park campus, USC enrolls approximately 48,000 students across its undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs — making it one of the largest private universities in the United States by enrollment.

USC holds R1 doctoral university status under the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, indicating the highest level of research activity. It is a member of the Association of American Universities, a consortium of 71 leading research universities in North America, and is the only AAU member in the Los Angeles metropolitan area.

The university is organized into 23 schools and units spanning a wide range of disciplines. The USC Marshall School of Business, the USC Gould School of Law, the Keck School of Medicine of USC, and the USC School of Cinematic Arts — widely regarded as one of the top film schools in the world — are among its most recognized professional programs. USC’s Viterbi School of Engineering and Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences anchor the university’s core academic offerings.

USC competes athletically as the Trojans in the Pac-12 Conference. The university operates a second campus, the USC Health Sciences Campus, in Boyle Heights. The Office of the Registrar manages all registration, enrollment, and academic calendar functions; the calendar dates on this page are subject to change and students should verify any deadline before acting on it.