UofM's 2026-27 calendar, read for clinical students
UofM's 2026-27 year runs Fall classes from August 24 to December 2, Spring from January 19 to April 28, and a summer that opens May 10 and closes August 5. Fall and Spring each split into halves of roughly seven weeks, breaks are closed to clinical days, and the withdrawal rules are tighter than many students assume. All dates come from the registrar's AY 2026-27 calendar and its dates-and-deadlines pages.
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Fall 2026
Graduate registration for Fall opened April 6, 2026. The table gives class dates and the two deadlines that matter most if a practicum goes wrong.
| Part of term | Classes | Drop without a grade through | Withdrawal with a W |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full term | Aug 24 to Dec 2; exams Dec 4 to 10 | Sep 6 | Sep 7 to Nov 14 |
| 1st Half | Aug 24 to Oct 9 | Sep 6 | Sep 7 to Sep 28 |
| 2nd Half | Oct 14 to Dec 2 | Oct 27 | Oct 28 to Nov 21 |
The university closes for Labor Day on September 7. Fall Break runs October 10 to 13 and the Thanksgiving break November 25 to 29, and each of those days stays clear of clinical work unless faculty make an exception. Official grades post December 17. Spring and Summer 2026 Incompletes must be cleared by December 10, 2026.
Spring 2027
Graduate students register for Spring from November 9, 2026; the earlier November 6 date on the year calendar applies to UofM Global undergraduates. The MLK holiday on January 18 closes the university the day before classes open.
| Part of term | Classes | Drop without a grade | Withdrawal with a W |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full term | Jan 19 to Apr 28; exams Apr 30 to May 6 | Jan 19 to Feb 1 | Feb 2 to Apr 10 |
| 1st Half | Jan 19 to Mar 5 | Jan 19 to Feb 1 | Feb 2 to Feb 22 |
| 2nd Half | Mar 15 to Apr 28 | Mar 15 to Mar 28 | Mar 29 to Apr 18 |
Spring Break runs March 8 to 14. A Winter Intersession fills December 17, 2026 to January 8, 2027, and an Extended Spring part of term stretches from December 17 to April 28. Fall 2026 Incompletes must be cleared by May 6, 2027. NP students also have the January 2027 on-campus session, which is required for all NP tracks; see the campus intensives guide.
Summer 2027
Summer has five parts of term: Pre Summer from May 10 to 27, Extended Summer from May 10 to August 5, the Full term from June 1 to August 5 with exams on August 6, a 1st Half from June 1 to July 1 and a 2nd Half from July 6 to August 5. Registration opens April 2, 2027. The university observes Memorial Day on May 31, Juneteenth on June 18 and Independence Day on July 5.
UofM had not posted Summer 2027 drop and withdrawal dates when this page was written, so check the registrar before relying on one. Summer matters to MSN students because the plans of study run straight through it, with practicums scheduled in summer terms. Which part of term a summer practicum uses is not published, so confirm the dates with your clinical faculty before your preceptor sets a schedule.
The seven-week halves and your practicum
UofM's 1st Half and 2nd Half parts of term are its roughly seven-week sessions. The online RN to BSN runs 7-week courses, and although UofM does not say which part of term they use, the halves match that length. For MSN practicums the figure that matters is the Bulletin's floor, which forbids wrapping up any course's clinical hours in under seven weeks.
Lay that floor over the 2026-27 dates and three points stand out. Fall's 1st Half (August 24 to October 9) and Spring's 1st Half (January 19 to March 5) each span seven class weeks, exactly the floor, leaving no slack at all. Each summer half spans only five class weeks, short of the floor. And any break or holiday inside a term subtracts from the days a preceptor can actually offer you. The guide to what counts sets out the full rule.
Clinical deadlines tied to the calendar
Several UofM clinical requirements are pinned to the term rather than to a date, so they move with the calendar above.
- Clinical schedule: handed to clinical faculty for approval on or before the Monday of week two, and any later change sent in writing seven days before it applies.
- Drug screen: taken no more than 30 days before clinicals begin in each fall and spring term, plus summer if that is when your first clinical happens.
- Preceptor agreement form: signed off by the Office of Community Partnerships and Practice ahead of your opening clinical day.
- NP on-campus sessions: announced at least six months ahead.
- Compliance documents: each expiry date has to fall after the placement ends, not merely after it starts.
The drug screen guide explains the screen and the annual background check in detail.
Withdrawal, late changes and enrollment gaps
Withdrawal at UofM is a short list of rules with long consequences. Across an entire MSN plan of study you get a single course withdrawal, and any more need sign-off from both the Senior Associate Dean and the MSN Program Director. Adding a course late needs the instructor's and the Program Director's approval. Dropping after the drop date is allowed only for circumstances beyond your control, again with the Program Director's approval.
Late withdrawal after the W deadline uses the same beyond-your-control test and needs the Program Director and the Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs before it goes to the Graduate School. If you stop attending, VA and Title IV aid may be cancelled and have to be repaid. MSN students are expected to enroll every Fall and Spring: missing one means filing a readmission form, and missing two or more in a row, summers aside, means reapplying with no assurance of readmission. For how a withdrawal ripples through repeats and companion courses, read the grades and progression guide.
Where the calendar meets your placement
A preceptor's calendar rarely lines up with UofM's. Clinics close on different holidays, preceptors plan vacations for the weeks you need, and a practicum that starts late loses days it cannot recover inside the term. Whatever part UofM plays in your placement, we plan the match around your term's real dates: the preceptor confirms the hours fit into at least seven weeks around UofM's breaks, and the preceptor agreement details and your compliance items are ready before classes open.
Build your plan from the registrar's AY 2026-27 calendar rather than the catalog: the Academic Calendar page inside the 2026-27 undergraduate catalog still shows 2024-25 dates. If your term is close and you still have no site, see need a preceptor fast, or tell us your program and term with the form below.
Questions UofM students ask
When does Spring 2027 start at the University of Memphis?
Full-term and 1st Half classes begin January 19, 2027, the day after the MLK holiday, and the 2nd Half starts March 15. Graduate registration opens November 9, 2026. NP students should also plan for the required January 2027 on-campus session, which falls at the start of that term.
Are clinical days allowed over UofM's Spring Break?
Not by default. UofM's Bulletin keeps practicum days off breaks and holidays, with exceptions only when faculty and administration set one up. The 2027 break covers March 8 to 14, so plan your preceptor's schedule around that week and raise any exception with your clinical faculty well before it arrives.
Can I withdraw from a practicum and keep its didactic course?
UofM's companion-course rule makes that difficult, because a practicum and its didactic partner are meant to be completed side by side in one term, and redoing either one sends you back through both. A withdrawal also uses the one course withdrawal the MSN normally allows. Talk to your faculty advisor before you file anything with the registrar.
When are UofM's Summer 2027 withdrawal deadlines?
The registrar had not posted Summer 2027 drop and withdrawal dates when this page was written, though the term dates are set, with summer classes running between May 10 and August 5. Check the registrar's Summer 2027 dates-and-deadlines page once it appears, and ask your clinical faculty which part of term your practicum follows.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-27
We check these pages against UofM's 2026-27 catalog, the LCON Academic Bulletin, program pages and licensure disclosures. Your clinical faculty and your plan of study have the final word.
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