Academic quarter (year division)

Historical context

The modern academic quarter calendar can be traced to the historic English law court / legal training pupillage four term system:

This quarter system was adopted by the oldest universities in the English-speaking world (Oxford, founded circa 1096, and Cambridge, founded circa 1209).

Over time, Cambridge dropped Trinity Term and renamed Hilary Term to Lent Term, and Oxford also dropped the original Trinity Term and renamed Easter Term as Trinity Term, thus establishing the three-term academic "quarter" year widely found in countries with a lineage to England or the United Kingdom.

Charterhouse, an English independent school, still refers to its three academic terms as "quarters".

United States

Background and trends

In the United States, quarters typically comprise 10 weeks of class instruction, although they have historically ranged from eight to 13 weeks. Academic quarters first came into existence as such when William Rainey Harper organized the University of Chicago on behalf of John D. Rockefeller in 1891. Harper decided to keep the school in session year-round and divide it into four terms instead of the then-traditional two.

Of the four traditional academic calendars (semester, quarter, trimester, and 4-1-4), the semester calendar is used the most widely, at over 60% of U.S. higher learning institutions, with fewer than 20% using the quarter system. This number has stayed fairly constant since 1930, when 75% of U.S. institutions surveyed indicated they used a semester plan, with 22% on the quarter system.

During the 1960s, a number of U.S. state university systems made a switch from a semester to quarter system, typically in an attempt to accommodate the large number of post-war "baby boom" students who had reached college age (sometimes called the "Tidal Wave I enrollment boom"). A prominent example of this trend was the University of California system, which moved to a quarter system in 1966. Since then, UC Berkeley switched back to semesters in 1983, the new UC Merced branch opened with the semester system, and some UC professional schools have switched back to semesters at various points. In 2020, UC San Diego considered a switch to the semester system as well. At various points since the 1960s, committees have been established and official discussions have taken place within the UC system to discuss a systemwide switch back to the semester system.

In recent years, a number of higher education institutions have considered or approved a switch to a semester system. The University System of Ohio, which includes Ohio State University, Ohio University, and the University of Cincinnati, converted to the semester system in 2012 to better align with other public and private institutions in the state, among other reasons. Individual schools have also switched, like Georgia Tech in 1999. Rochester Institute of Technology converted to semesters in Fall 2013, although the decision was highly controversial, overriding a student vote to remain with quarters. Other institutions and systems that have switched include California State University, Los Angeles, Auburn University, the University of Minnesota system, the Utah State system, and Northeastern University.{{cite act | url = https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2009R1/Downloads/MeasureDocument/SB442/Enrolled | title = Relating to university consolidation and declaring an emergency | legislature = Oregon Legislative Assembly

Arguments for

Quarter systems allow students to enroll in a richer variety of courses and school-coordinated internships and may encourage students to take on double majors, minors, concentrations, and the like. A quarter system can maximize the use of college facilities in a time of enrollment growth, as it allows for four regular periods of academic instruction. Also, quarters allow for faculty to engage in terms with a relatively light course load of teaching and greater opportunities for short sabbaticals.

Arguments against

Concerns over the quarter system include faculty dislike of the brevity of the term, the loss of faculty research and collaboration time, the end of the spring quarter overrunning the start date of many established summer internships which also leads to shorter internship periods, difficulties in recovering from illness-linked absence, and the heavy administrative workload.

A quarter system calendar also may put schools at a disadvantage in competing for prospective students, who wish to keep in-step with friends, and offer more opportunities for students to "disconnect from school."

It can be difficult to transfer credits between semester institutions and quarter institutions, even when they are in the same state.

American universities on quarter system

California

• California Institute of Technology
• California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (until fall 2026)
• Loma Linda University
• Pacific Union College
• Santa Clara University
• Stanford University
• University of California - Eight of the ten University of California campuses are on a quarter system. However, the five law schools in the University of California (UC Berkeley School of Law, UC Davis School of Law, UCLA School of Law**,** UC Irvine Law, and UC Law SF) are on a semester system as is the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine.
  • University of California, Davis
  • University of California, Irvine
  • University of California, Los Angeles
  • University of California, Riverside
  • University of California, San Diego
  • University of California, San Francisco
  • University of California, Santa Barbara
  • University of California, Santa Cruz

Colorado

• University of Denver

Georgia

• Savannah College of Art and Design

Illinois

• DePaul University
• Northwestern University
• University of Chicago

Indiana

• Rose–Hulman Institute of Technology

Louisiana

• Louisiana Tech University

Massachusetts

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Minnesota

• Carleton College

New Hampshire

• Dartmouth College

New York

• Union College

Ohio

• Antioch College

Online

• Capella University

Oregon

• Eastern Oregon University

• Oregon Health & Science University

• Oregon Institute of Technology

• Oregon State University

• Portland State University

• Southern Oregon University

• University of Oregon

• Western Oregon University

Rhode Island

• New England Institute of Technology

Pennsylvania

• Drexel University (until August 2027)

Washington

• Central Washington University

• Eastern Washington University

• Evergreen State College

• Seattle University

• Seattle Pacific University

• University of Washington

  • University of Washington Bothell
  • University of Washington Tacoma

• Walla Walla University

• Western Washington University

Wisconsin

• Milwaukee School of Engineering

References

References

1. "University of Oxford - History".
2. (2013-01-28). "University of Cambridge - History".
3. "''Practice Resources'', NAFSA: Association of International Educators".
4. [https://www.jstor.org/pss/487322 Kemp Malone, '' 'Semester' '', American Speech, Dec. 1946, p. 264]
5. [http://www.neu.edu/semesterinfo/Backgrounddocuments/calendar99.doc ''Report of the 1998-99'' ad hoc ''Calendar Committee'', Northeastern University, July 30, 1999]{{dead link. (October 2016)
6. [https://www.jstor.org/pss/1974175 H.W. James, ''The Semester versus the Quarter'', Journal of Higher Education, Oct. 1930, p. 38]
7. "Ensuring Access with Quality to California's Community Colleges".
8. (2 June 2004). "Too Fast, Too Furious? As community colleges grow in enrollment and appeal, some question their ability to serve disadvantaged students".
9. (21 October 2004). "University proposes master plan".
10. [http://www.senate.ucla.edu/SenateVoice/Issue3/Debate_Semesters_Or_Quarters.htm ''Debate: Semesters or Quarters'', UCLA Faculty Senate Voice, Apr. 2003 (iss. 3)] {{webarchive. link. (February 21, 2008)
11. [http://www.today.ucla.edu/2002/021119semester.html Harlan Lebo, ''Semester vs. quarter?'', UCLA Today, 2002] {{webarchive. link. (August 7, 2008)
12. Robbins, Gary. (February 19, 2020). "UC San Diego might switch to semester system to ease stress on students". [[San Diego Union-Tribune]].
13. link. (May 25, 2008)
14. Farkas, Karen. (May 30, 2012). "State universities, community colleges switching from quarters to semesters".
15. [http://www.redorbit.com/news/education/1451148/ou_ready_to_consider_switch_to_semesters/index.html Rich Rouan, ''OU Ready to Consider Switch to Semesters'', Columbus Dispatch, June 26, 2008]
16. [http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2008/04/28/daily17.html ''University of Cincinnati planning switch to semesters'', Business Courier of Cincinnati, Apr. 29, 2008]
17. [https://web.archive.org/web/20070804184752/http://gtalumni.org/news/ttopics/spr96/switch.html Hoyt Coffee, ''Regents Set Semester Switch'', Georgia Tech Alumni magazine, Spring 1996]
18. "RIT Semester Conversion".
19. (Summer 2014). "Transitioning from Quarters to Semesters: Changes in College Students' Predicted and Perceived Motivation". College and University.
20. Darling, John. (June 4, 2010). "SOU considers switch to semesters". [[Mail Tribune]].
21. "Tony Boom, ''SOU studies semester switch'', Mail-Tribune, Apr. 3, 2001".
22. [http://www.english.ucla.edu/ucla1960s/6465/mohajeri3.htm Sarah Mohajeri, ''From Semesters to Quarters'', in ''UCLA in the sixties'', May 24, 2005] {{webarchive. link. (September 12, 2007)
23. AdmissionSight. (2025-03-17). "The Caltech Academic Calendar: Key Dates + Tips".
24. "Quarter System and Quarter Units".
25. "2024-2025 Academic Calendar".
26. Scivoletto, Emily L.. (2021-05-11). "Academic Calendar {{!}} School of Law".
27. "Academic Calendar {{!}} UCLA Law".
28. "Academic Calendar {{!}} UCI Law".
29. "Academic Calendar".
30. (2022-06-09). "When Does Medical School Start?".
31. "Academic and Administrative Calendar {{!}} UC San Francisco".
32. (2025-03-03). "The Perks of DU's Quarter System {{!}} University of Denver".
33. "Prepare for life at SCAD".
34. "Calendar {{!}} Admitted Students {{!}} College of Education {{!}} DePaul University, Chicago".
35. "About".
36. Office, Registrar’s. "The Academic Term - Carleton College".
37. "Academic Calendar {{!}} Registrar {{!}} Union College".
38. "Academic Calendar - 2025 - 2026".
39. "General Education Individual Courses {{!}} Capella University".
40. "Academic Calendar {{!}} OHSU".
41. "Dates of Instruction 2024-2025".