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Traditional/Residential Programs Calendar – Fall 2026
Executive Format Program Calendar – Fall 2026
Educator Training Program Calendar – Fall 2026
Traditional/Residential Programs – Fall 2026
- Applicable Programs
Education, Culture, and Society (Ph.D., M.S.Ed.)
Education Studies (Online M.S.Ed.)
Education Policy (Ph.D., M.S.Ed.)
Educational Linguistics (Ph.D., Ed.D.)
Higher Education (Ph.D., Ed.D., M.S.Ed.)
Interdisciplinary Studies in Human Development (Ph.D., M.S.Ed.)
International Educational Development (M.S.Ed.)
Language, Globalization, and Intercultural Studies (M.S.Ed.)
Learning Analytics and Artificial Intelligence (Online M.S.Ed.)
Learning Sciences and Technologies (PhD, M.S.Ed.)
Literacy Studies (PhD, EdD, M.S.Ed.)
Quantitative Methods (Ph.D., M.Phil.Ed.)
Professional Counseling (M.Phil.Ed.)
Reading Specialist (Certification Only)
Statistics, Measurement, Assessment, and Research Technology (M.S.Ed.)
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (M.S.Ed.)
Teaching, Learning, and Leadership (M.S.Ed.)
Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education (Ph.D., Ed.D.)
Students in these programs may be registered by their program staff. It is the responsibility of the students to understand these dates and communicate with their program staff to effectuate changes to their course registration.
| Date | Day | Event/Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| August 20-21 | Thursday-Friday | Penn GSE New Student Orientation. |
| August 24 | Monday | Program New Student Orientation. |
| August 25 | Tuesday | Fall Term Classes Begin. |
| September 7 | Monday | Labor Day (No Classes). |
| September 8 | Tuesday | LAST DAY to add and drop a class without financial penalty (11:59PM ET via Path). Courses dropped after this deadline will receive a 50% refund of tuition and general fees, based on the original registration date. Active students must either register or submit a Leave of Absence request by this date to remain enrolled in their program. |
| October 9 | Friday | LAST DAY to drop a course without receiving a "W" on the transcript. No tuition refund will be issued after this date, and full tuition and fees remain the student's responsibility. Courses dropped after this deadline will receive a "W" grade notation. |
| October 14 | Wednesday | Opening of December 2026 Graduation Application: https://srfs.upenn.edu/student-records/GradApp |
| October 26 | Monday | Advanced Registration for Spring 2027 available via Path. |
| October 29 | Thursday | LAST DAY to change a course to Audit or Pass/Fail status (instructor approval required). Audit and Pass/Fail courses generally do not count toward degree requirements unless otherwise specified in the program's course catalog. |
| November 3 | Tuesday | LAST DAY doctoral students seeking a December 2026 degree to submit their dissertation for review by the Director of Academic Affairs. Submission Instructions: EdD students should upload their dissertation to ProQuest. PhD students should email their dissertation to Chris Kubik Cedeño. |
| November 9 | Monday | Advanced Registration for Spring 2027 Ends. |
| November 10 | Tuesday | LAST DAY to withdraw from a course. No tuition refund will be issued, and full tuition and fees remain the student's responsibility. |
| November 13 | Friday | LAST DAY to submit a Return of Leave of Absence for the spring term. |
| November 17 | Tuesday | Open Enrollment for Spring 2027 Opens via Path. |
| November 20 | Friday | December 2026 Graduation Application closes. |
| November TBD | TBD | 80% Academic Engagement point of the term for eligibility for incompletes. |
| November 23 | Monday | Penn GSE classes will meet as scheduled. GSE will not follow an alternate class schedule on Tuesday or Wednesday. Students enrolled in non-GSE courses should consult their course syllabi, as those courses may follow an alternate schedule. |
| November 24-29 | Tuesday-Sunday | Thanksgiving Break (No Classes). |
| November 30 | Monday | Classes Resume. |
| December 14 | Monday | Last Day of Fall Classes at Penn GSE. |
| December 17 | Thursday | LAST DAY of Fall Term. |
| December 17 | Thursday | LAST DAY Ed.D. and Ph.D. students to complete a successful dissertation defense during the Fall 2026 term and remain eligible for a Spring 2027 tuition waiver. The tuition waiver does not apply to pending-pass status. Students must notify the Student Records Office by submitting the Planned Term for Dissertation Upload form indicating the term in which they intend to upload their dissertation. |
| January 4 | Monday | Fall Term Grades Due. |
Executive Format Program Calendar – Fall 2026
- Applicable Programs
Education Entrepreneurship (M.S.Ed.)
Educational and Organizational Leadership (Ed.D.)
Global Higher Education Management (Online M.S.Ed.)
Higher Education Management (Ed.D.)
Medical Education (M.S.Ed.)
Penn Chief Learning Officer (Ed.D.)
School and Mental Health Counseling (M.S.Ed.)
Students in these programs may be registered by their program staff. It is the responsibility of the students to understand these dates and communicate with their program staff to effectuate changes to their course registration.
| Date | Day | Event/Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| August 25 | Tuesday | First day of the Fall 2026 semester for Executive-format cohorts. All programs will conduct academic engagement activities during this week. Each program will communicate its schedule for in-person, synchronous online, and asynchronous online activities. |
| September 7 | Monday | Labor Day (No Classes). |
| September 10 | Thursday | LAST DAY to add or drop a course without financial penalty (11:59 PM ET via Path). Courses dropped after this deadline will receive a 50% refund of tuition and general fees, based on the original registration date. Active students must either register or submit a Leave of Absence request by this date to remain enrolled in their program. |
| October 10 | Saturday | LAST DAY to drop cohort courses without receiving a "W" on the transcript. No tuition refund will be issued after this date, and full tuition and fees remain the student's responsibility. Courses dropped after this deadline will receive a "W" grade notation. |
| October 14 | Wednesday | December 2026 Graduation Application opens: https://srfs.upenn.edu/student-records/GradApp. |
| October 31 | Saturday | LAST DAY to change a course to Audit or Pass/Fail status (instructor approval required). Audit and Pass/Fail courses generally do not count toward degree requirements unless otherwise specified in the program's course catalog. |
| November 3 | Tuesday | LAST DAY for doctoral students seeking a December 2026 degree to submit their dissertation for review by the Director of Academic Affairs. Ed.D. students should upload their dissertation to ProQuest. |
| November 11 | Wednesday | LAST DAY to withdraw from cohort courses. No tuition refund will be issued, and full tuition and fees remain the student's responsibility. |
| November 13 | Friday | Last Day to submit a Return of Leave of Absence for the spring term. |
| November 20 | Friday | December 2026 Graduation Application Closes. |
| November 23-29 | Monday-Sunday | Thanksgiving Break (No Classes). |
| November 30 | Monday | Classes Resume. |
| December 22 | Tuesday | LAST DAY for Ed.D. students to complete a successful dissertation defense during the Fall 2026 term and remain eligible for the Spring 2027 tuition waiver. The tuition waiver does not apply to pending-pass status. Students must notify the Student Records Office by submitting the Planned Term for Dissertation Upload form indicating the term in which they intend to upload their dissertation. |
| December 22 | Tuesday | Last Day of Fall Term for Executive-format Cohorts. |
| January 4 | Monday | Fall Term Grades Due. |
Educator Training Program Calendar – Fall 2026
- Applicable Programs
Independent School Teaching Residency (M.S.Ed.)
School Leadership (M.S.Ed., Certification Only)
Urban Education (Online M.S.Ed.)
Urban Teaching Residency (M.S.Ed., Certification Only)
Urban Teaching Apprenticeship (M.S.Ed.)
Students in these programs may be registered by their program staff. It is the responsibility of the students to understand these dates and communicate with their program staff to effectuate changes to their course registration.
| Date | Day | Event/Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| August 13 | Thursday | FIRST DAY of the Fall 2026 term. All programs will conduct academic engagement activities during this week. Each program will communicate its schedule for in-person, synchronous online, and asynchronous online activities. |
| August 28 | Friday | LAST DAY to add or drop a course without financial penalty (11:59 PM ET via Path). Courses dropped after this deadline will receive a 50% refund of tuition and general fees, based on the original registration date. Active students must either register or submit a Leave of Absence request by this date to remain enrolled in their program. |
| September 7 | Monday | Labor Day (No Classes). |
| September 21 | Monday | LAST DAY to drop a course without receiving a "W" on the transcript. No tuition refund will be issued after this date, and full tuition and fees remain the student's responsibility. Courses dropped after this deadline will receive a "W" grade notation. |
| September 21 | Monday | LAST DAY to change a course to Audit or Pass/Fail status (instructor approval required). Audit and Pass/Fail courses generally do not count toward degree requirements unless otherwise specified in the program's course catalog. |
| October 14 | Wednesday | December 2026 Graduation Application opens: https://srfs.upenn.edu/student-records/GradApp. |
| October 26 | Monday | LAST DAY to withdraw from a course. No tuition refund will be issued, and full tuition and fees remain the student's responsibility. |
| November 13 | Friday | Last day to submit a Return of Leave of Absence for the spring term. |
| November 20 | Friday | December 2026 Graduation Application closes. |
| November 23 | Monday | UTAP courses meet. UTR and URED courses will not meet. ISTR and SLP students should see their specific class schedule. |
| November 24-29 | Tuesday-Sunday | Thanksgiving Break (No Classes). |
| November 30 | Monday | Classes Resume. |
| December 14 | Monday | Last day of fall term for Educator Training Program students. |
| January 4 | Monday | Fall term grades due. |