The new 2023-2024 academic year starts in September, and in this material we propose to figure out when the holidays for students begin, as well as what features of the organization of the educational process are available in colleges and universities in the country.
School year
The structure of the academic year for universities is somewhat different from the usual schedule of school life. If for schools and lyceums the concepts of a quarter (1/4 of the academic year) and trimester (1/3 of the academic year) are more familiar, then most colleges and universities work in semesters (1/2 of the academic year). Semester grades are final, are set based on the results of passing a certain course and are entered in the student's record book.
Important! Education at the preparatory department most often starts in October, but the start dates of lectures may vary depending on the calendar of the educational institution.
The school year starts on September 1 for all students, but ends after May 31 (according to the individual curriculum), while the school calendar traditionally calls for the "last bell" holiday on May 25.
Each academic period in universities is divided into parts such as:
- lectures and practical exercises;
- session (the period allotted at the end of the semester for passing tests and exams);
- practice (usually scheduled for the summer, which will traditionally reduce the summer vacation for students in 2024 from 3 to 2 months).
Practice dates can vary from June to August. Practice dates for students studying at the same university (and even at the same faculty) may differ. We offer you to download an empty calendar and mark the session dates and vacation periods in it according to your schedule.
Session period
Important! The duration of the session is not regulated, but when scheduling tests and exams, the management should give the student at least 3 days before passing each discipline for rest and preparation.
As a rule, the period of each session consists of 2 blocks:
- main (tests and exams, the date of which is fixed in the curriculum for 2023-2024);
- reserve (period of retakes, the day of which can be assigned to an individual student or a group of students).
Thus, for well-prepared students who have passed all tests and exams on the first try, the vacation period may begin a little earlier than indicated on the calendar, namely, from the moment the last test was passed. Usually, the schedule involves at least 1 week for a reserve period, which means that a diligent student who does not have “tails” can “lengthen” his vacation by this much.
Semester holidays
If a school today provides at least 4 vacation periods for students in quarters and 6 vacations if a student studies in trimesters, then in colleges and universities students rest only 2 times a year - in winter and summer, at the end of each semester. This means that the autumn and spring vacation periods are completely absent. You should not be upset, because on New Year's Eve students traditionally rest longer than schoolchildren.
The average study schedule for colleges and higher education institutions is as close as possible to these dates:
| Period | Dates |
| Fall semester | 01.09.23 - 31.12.23 |
| Winter holidays | 01.01.24 - 02.11.24 |
| Spring semester | 12.02.24 - 30.06.24 |
| Summer holidays | 01.07.24 - 31.08.24 |
Important! Each educational institution decides when students will have their holidays, drawing up their own individual schedule for 2023-2024, so the start and end dates of academic semesters and vacation periods may differ greatly from those presented in the table.
One thing can be said for sure - in all universities, winter holidays for students will take over the New Year holidays of 2024 (from January 1 to January 7 inclusive). But the rest of January can be work, especially for those who don't "close" the session in December 2023.
It is also worth considering that the winter holidays of 2023-2024 for students may shift from January to February, and the winter session may take place in December or January, respectively (after the New Year holidays).
SanPiN norms
Many people remember from the time they were in the stake that the duration of vacation periods was strictly regulated. But, for general education (schools, lyceums, gymnasiums), as well as institutions of primary vocational and higher education, different standards apply. SanPiN for colleges and universities does not regulate vacation time as strictly as school time.
Basic norms:
- total number of vacation weeks of the academic year - at least 8;
- summer vacation must last at least 6 weeks (practice in June or August does not violate this rule);
- winter holidays - at least 2 weeks (but without specifying when exactly to spend the holidays, in January or February).
Conclusion
You can find out exactly when students of your university or college will be on vacation in 2023-2024 by visiting the website of the educational institution, or by checking the institution's work schedule with the administration.
