Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe to our newsletter here.

Syracuse University will reassess its 2026-27 fall academic calendar after receiving student feedback about a later winter break, a university spokesperson confirmed Tuesday.

Next semester, SU final examinations will not end until Dec. 22, according to SU’s five-year academic calendar. The calendar, which covers years 2025 through 2030, marks the last day of classes as Dec. 15, followed by reading days on Dec. 16, Dec. 19 and Dec. 20 with final exams from Dec. 17-18 and Dec. 21-22.

The fall 2026 semester will end three days before Christmas, a federal holiday. Comparatively, classes during the fall 2025 semester ended Dec. 9 followed by final exams ending Dec. 16, according to the five-year academic calendar.

The delayed semester, however, will begin six days later on Aug. 31 compared to Aug. 25 last year, per the academic calendar. Winter break is set to be a week shorter than the 2025-2026 academic year, with the first day of spring semester classes starting Jan. 11.

Resident advisers must stay in their respective dorms until the day after the last day of classes, meaning if the calendar remains unchanged, RAs will not be able to leave campus until Dec. 23, RA Jazera Perez said.

Perez, a sophomore majoring in policy studies and selective studies, explained RAs are responsible for ensuring residence halls are safe to leave empty over winter break. This includes unplugging electronics to reduce the risk of fires and throwing food away to limit mold.

Kailie DeGuzman, also a sophomore RA and communications science & disorders major, said she was surprised to hear about the calendar shift, saying it will negatively impact her winter break as she likely won’t be home until Christmas Eve because she lives in California.

“That would be really tough, especially since this last break was already hard enough, being significantly shorter than when I was a freshman,” DeGuzman said. “It would just suck if (break starting) later means … giving up that time spent with my family and friends.”

In response to student concerns, the SU spokesperson said the university will reevaluate the fall calendar.

“The University has received feedback from students and is currently in the process of reassessing the fall academic calendar,” the spokesperson wrote in a statement to The D.O. “We will share more with our campus community in the coming weeks.”

Looking ahead, finals are scheduled to end on Dec. 21 and Dec. 19 in 2027 and 2028, respectively.

Published on January 20, 2026 at 10:22 pm
Contact Vivian: vpcollin@syr.edu