Bethel operates on an early semester calendar with two 15-week semesters and a three-week session in January. Bethel offers five summer sessions.
2026-2027 University Academic Calendar (pdf)
All University Fall Term 2026
Academic Calendar
| Event |
Date |
| Labor Day (no classes) |
September 7 |
| Homecoming & Family Weekend |
October 9-11 |
| Thanksgiving Break |
November 25-27 |
| Festival of Christmas |
December 3-5 |
| Commencement |
December 18 |
All University January & Spring Term 2027
Academic Calendar
| Event |
Date |
| Classes Begin |
January 4 |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Day (no classes) |
January 18 |
| Good Friday (no classes; Thursday night classes are held) |
March 26 |
| Commencement |
May 22 |
All University Summer Term 2027
Academic Calendar
| Event |
Date |
| Summer Term Classes Begin |
May 24 |
| Memorial Day (offices closed) |
May 31 |
| Juneteenth observed (offices closed) |
June 18 |
| Independence Day observed (offices closed) |
July 5 |
| End of Summer Term |
August 15 |
At the close of the fall and spring terms, one week is provided for final examinations in traditional undergraduate courses. Two hours are allowed for each examination. The examination schedule is prepared by the University Registrar and published at the time of registration. Students are required to take examinations at the indicated time. Exceptions necessitated by conflicts with an established work schedule, severe personal hardship(s), or academic hardship (in the form of having three examinations on one day) must be approved by the faculty member. Faculty approval must be obtained at least two weeks prior to the date of the exam in cases where the hardship is known in advance. Exams will not be rescheduled merely for the economy and/or convenience of the student.
Final examinations are usually given in First half of term, January, and Summer school courses, but no special days are specifically set aside for this purpose.
Bethel's policy on final exams is that every regular academic course must include a final exam or other final appropriate academic exercise within the final exam schedule. In lieu of a final exam that covers the entire course, the following have been declared to be appropriate academic exercises: a paper due at the time of the regularly scheduled final exam period; a unit test similar to others given during the term which covers only a part of the course; or a required class meeting or academic exercise during the regularly scheduled final exam period. Final exams should not be advanced into the last week of classes because doing so negatively affects student performance in other classes.
*The Bethel Seminary has no week of final examinations scheduled, but a professor may elect to give a final examination through a variety of means. Faculty members seek to be sensitive to student needs in the scheduling of examinations.
Traditional undergraduate programs have January Session courses which take place during three weeks in January and sometimes differ from those taught in the fall and spring semesters. Some are offered at locations away from the St. Paul campus. Most January session courses are listed in this catalog. Description of January session courses not listed are provided as part of the January session and spring schedule. Students are strongly encouraged to take a January session course each of their first three years, so as to retain maximum flexibility for completing all requirements in the senior year. See General Education Entry Standing level for the number of January sessions required.
Students are allowed to add/drop a class on or before the third January session class day. They will not be allowed to enroll in a different January session class if they drop a class after the third January session class day.
January Session Waiver
If a student wishes to waive the fufillment of all of the January Sessions required by his/her entry standing level, he/she may do so by submitting the form found on the Registrar's Office webpage.
By taking courses in Bethel's Summer Session, traditional undergraduate students may be able to take a lighter load during the academic year, make room for a study abroad program, or perhaps even graduate earlier. Courses are offered for many different majors and most General Education requirements can be met by taking summer session courses. Bethel conducts six summer sessions. The first, fourth, and full summer sessions start shortly after spring commencement. The second, third, and fifth summer sessions start mid-June. The end dates vary by course. Summer Session registration starts in April. Most courses are offered online.
For online undergraduate and Graduate students, Summer session counts as a full academic term, along with fall semester and spring semester, for the purpose of assessing academic standing and application of grading policies. Some programs require coursework during day or evening hours in the summer months. Consult the course schedule, which shows the calendar of class sessions for the full Summer session.
