UTC to Introduce Changes to Academic Calendar Starting in 2026

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is making a significant shift in its academic calendar, with changes set to begin in spring 2026 as part of a transition to a new long-term structure.

To prepare for this shift, the spring 2026 semester will start one week later than usual, beginning on Jan. 12, and this adjustment will help bridge the transition to the new calendar—which will start in fall 2026.

At that point, the first day of the fall semester will move to the fourth Monday in August and the spring semester will begin the Tuesday after Martin Luther King Jr. Day—except in years when the holiday falls on Jan. 21 (the next time that occurs is in 2030).

UTC Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Jerold L. Hale said that these changes were carefully planned based on faculty, staff and student input.

“This shift is an important step toward improving UTC’s academic calendar in a way that benefits students, faculty and the institution as a whole,” Hale said. “Moving the spring semester later helps us better align with other institutions, improve recruitment and retention and support student success. We are making this transition gradually to ensure that everyone has time to adjust.”

One of the most notable adjustments involves shortening fall and spring semesters from 17 to 16 weeks while preserving the 13-week summer term for clinical programs, which require long-term planning for placements. Hale explained that maintaining this schedule while adjusting the length of fall and spring semesters ensures that students in these programs continue to receive the same level of hands-on training without disruption.

To maintain accreditation requirements, class meeting times will increase beginning in fall 2026:

• Classes meeting three times per week will increase from 50 to 55 minutes.
• Classes meeting twice per week will increase from 75 to 85 minutes.
• Lab courses that previously started in the second week of the semester will now begin in Week 1.

UTC Interim Chancellor Robert Dooley praised the collaborative effort behind the decision.

“I want to thank Provost Hale and his staff for their work on getting feedback from faculty, staff and students on our academic calendar,” said Dooley, who was on the Academic Calendar Committee as dean of the Gary W. Rollins College of Business. “This is beneficial to the majority of campus and it is important for us to bridge these changes in the next academic year.

“Aligning with other four-year institutions in the region, as well as Chattanooga State and Cleveland State, gives us greater ability to attract transfers—while the later start date also helps students with any academic appeals. Both of these will have a positive impact on our enrollment and retention efforts, which will be a primary focus moving forward.”

University Registrar Joel Wells highlighted the benefits of delaying the spring semester start—particularly for incoming students.

“This will allow us to better onboard students, particularly transfer students and transfer athletes who often struggle with processing paperwork and registering for classes in time,” he said. “Having a calendar that aligns with other institutions across the state makes us more competitive in recruitment and retention.

“Once we move to the new structure, our start and end dates will be the same as Chattanooga State and Cleveland State community colleges, making it a more seamless experience for students.”

Hale said that these changes will support the broader health of the University.

“As we continue to think about Total Organizational Health, I believe this shift will have a very positive impact,” he said. “It will improve our ability to recruit and retain transfer students, allow student-athletes more time to enroll and give students appealing academic probations a longer window to submit their materials. This is about making UTC a more accessible and competitive institution.”

Senior Jordan Fall, a marketing major in the Gary W. Rollins College of Business, is the current president of the Student Government Association.

“The new UTC academic calendar will be beneficial for students and the Chattanooga community alike,” Fall said. “After aligning the calendar with the UT System and most Hamilton County Schools, students will feel more connected to the University community and others following that schedule.

“The increased time during the summer term will allow students to prioritize work, internships, summer classes and general leisure even more. Overall, the increased time during breaks, time between classes and syncing with the community will be highly favorable for UTC students.”

Senior engineering management major Chamyra Teasley spent the 2023-2024 academic year as president of the SGA. This year, she is a freshman senate advisor and a resident assistant.

“I have heard lots of positive feedback from students—from the upperclassmen to the freshman students,” Teasley said. “I especially like the later start time at the beginning of each spring semester because that allows more time for everyone to stay home after the New Year. As an RA, I am biased as this would allow for a later start time for training.

“Other proposed changes just overall point toward a more student-centered education, even taking into consideration non-traditional students and students who have children in the Hamilton County Schools system. Overall, I believe that these proposed changes will enhance our experience by accommodating our diverse needs.”

The new spring start dates will positively impact the UTC athletics department.

“We are excited about the new calendar and the opportunity it opens for us to bring in transfers between semesters,” said Assistant Vice Chancellor for Athletic Academic Enhancement Emily Blackman, a member of the Academic Calendar Committee. “If the calendar didn’t change, we would be back in class before the NCAA Transfer Portal opened, making it difficult for many of our sports to recruit a competitive program.”

The adjustments also help UTC better align with Hamilton County Schools’ spring break, making scheduling easier for faculty, staff and students with school-age children.

Wells said that while it is challenging “to perfectly match” the county school calendar each year, the University aims to sync spring break whenever possible.

“Spring 2026 will line up with Hamilton County Schools,” he said, “and this move increases the likelihood that we’ll be able to match both fall and spring breaks moving forward.”

Wells also noted other benefits for employees.

“One of the pillars of Total Organizational Health is employee autonomy and these calendar changes may afford faculty additional time in August and January to prepare for the start of each semester,” he said. “While there will not be any change to paid time off for staff, the later start in January especially will allow staff to manage their work and time more effectively while supporting students.

“Change is often unsettling, but after following the same calendar for decades, adopting a new calendar model allows us to rethink and reimagine our work and discover new opportunities to learn and grow.”

Faculty members will have 18 months to adapt their courses to the new class schedule before it is fully implemented in fall 2026. Guerry and UC Foundation Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering Don Reising, the past president of the Faculty Senate, said the additional preparation time will help faculty transition smoothly to the adjusted semester structure.

“One of the biggest benefits of this shift is aligning our spring break with Hamilton County Schools as often as possible,” Reising said. “For faculty, staff and students with school-age children, having coordinated breaks eliminates the child care concerns that come with differing schedules and provides an opportunity to spend time together as a family.

“I know the new calendar will lengthen the amount of time we have per lecture by a little bit, but I don’t see that as a negative; I see that as a good thing. It just makes it easier to round things off while giving students more time between classes.”

Reising also pointed to the benefits of aligning UTC’s academic calendar more closely with other UT System schools, specifically UT Knoxville.

“Once the new calendar is fully implemented in 2027, UTC students who want to take a class at UTK will have a much easier time doing so,” he said. “In the past, UTC students could already be two or three weeks into a semester while UTK classes hadn’t even started. This change eliminates that weird mismatch and increases curricular flexibility for students.”

Hale acknowledged that adjustments would be necessary, particularly in lab classes, some of which did not hold sessions in the first week of the semester.

“Some of those lab courses will now begin immediately, but we believe faculty will be able to work through these changes,” Hale said.

Moving forward, the Walker Center for Teaching and Learning will support faculty with course planning for the new calendar model. In addition, an FAQ will be published on the registrar’s webpage to address faculty, staff and student inquiries.

Hale thanked the members of the Academic Calendar Committee, which included faculty, staff, students and administrative representatives.

“This is a major shift, and—while it will take some adjustment—I believe the campus community will see long-term benefits,” Hale said. “We have worked to address faculty concerns, maintain academic quality and enhance student recruitment and retention. I look forward to seeing these changes implemented.”