Chamberlain University Academic Calendar 2026-2027
Chamberlain University uses a dual-cycle calendar based on when you enrolled. Your semester dates depend on your assigned cycle. Both Cycle 1 and Cycle 2 calendars for 2026-2027 are covered here.
Chamberlain University operates on a student-centric academic calendar that differs from most universities. Each semester is 16 weeks long and divided into two consecutive 8-week sessions. Because Chamberlain accepts students throughout the year, the university runs two overlapping calendar tracks — called Cycle 1 and Cycle 2 — that determine which months correspond to a student’s summer, fall, and spring semesters. Your cycle is set by your initial enrollment date. Both cycles are covered fully below.
Key Dates at a Glance
Cycle 1 Summer Begins
May 4, 2026
Monday · May session
Cycle 2 Summer Begins
Jul 6, 2026
Monday · July session
Thanksgiving Break
Nov 26–27, 2026
Thu–Fri · Both cycles
Winter Break
Dec 20 – Jan 3
Both cycles
Cycle 1 Spring Begins
Jan 4, 2027
Monday · January session
Cycle 2 Spring Begins
Mar 1, 2027
Monday · March session
Spring Break
Apr 25 – May 2
Both cycles
Cycle 1 Spring Ends
Apr 24, 2027
Saturday · March session ends
Cycle 2 Spring Ends
Jun 26, 2027
Saturday · May session ends
Summer Break (Cycle 2)
Jun 27 – Jul 4
After Cycle 2 spring ends
Understanding Chamberlain’s Cycle System
Chamberlain’s calendar is built around continuous enrollment — students can start at any point in the year rather than waiting for a traditional September or January intake. To accommodate this, the university assigns each student to either Cycle 1 or Cycle 2 based on their first enrollment date. Both cycles use the same six named monthly sessions (May, July, September, November, January, March), but they group those sessions into semesters differently.
| Semester | Cycle 1 Sessions | Cycle 2 Sessions |
|---|---|---|
| Summer | May + July | July + September |
| Fall | September + November | November + January |
| Spring | January + March | March + May |
A Cycle 1 student’s fall semester begins in September and ends in December. A Cycle 2 student’s fall semester begins in October/November and ends in February. The underlying sessions are the same — it is the semester grouping that differs. This matters for financial aid, academic standing calculations, and graduation timelines, all of which are based on semester, not session.
Every session ends on the Saturday of its eighth week. Holidays do not cancel Chamberlain’s online course access — courses remain open during recognized holidays — but scheduled classes do not meet.
Cycle 1 Academic Calendar
Summer 2026 — Cycle 1 (May 4 – August 29, 2026)
| Day | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | May 4 | May session begins |
| Monday | May 18 | May session begins — 6-week BSN NR-103 Transition to Nursing Profession course |
| Monday | May 25 | Memorial Day holiday (online courses remain open) |
| Sunday | Jun 14 | Last day to withdraw from courses |
| Friday | Jun 19 | Juneteenth (online courses remain open) |
| Saturday | Jun 27 | May session ends |
| Sun–Sun | Jun 28 – Jul 5 | Summer break |
| Monday | Jul 6 | July session begins |
| Wednesday | Aug 5 | July session ends — 5-week BSN Capstone Course option |
| Sunday | Aug 16 | Last day to withdraw from courses |
| Saturday | Aug 29 | July session ends |
Fall 2026 — Cycle 1 (August 31 – December 19, 2026)
| Day | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Aug 31 | September session begins |
| Monday | Sep 7 | Labor Day holiday (online courses remain open) |
| Wednesday | Sep 30 | September session ends — 5-week BSN Capstone Course option |
| Sunday | Oct 11 | Last day to withdraw from courses |
| Saturday | Oct 24 | September session ends |
| Monday | Oct 26 | November session begins |
| Wednesday | Nov 25 | November session ends — 5-week BSN Capstone Course option |
| Thu–Fri | Nov 26–27 | Thanksgiving break (online courses remain open) |
| Sunday | Dec 6 | Last day to withdraw from courses |
| Saturday | Dec 19 | November session ends |
| Sun–Sun | Dec 20 – Jan 3 | Winter break |
Spring 2027 — Cycle 1 (January 4 – April 24, 2027)
| Day | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Jan 4 | January session begins |
| Monday | Jan 18 | Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday (online courses remain open) |
| Wednesday | Feb 3 | January session ends — 5-week BSN Capstone Course option |
| Sunday | Feb 14 | Last day to withdraw from courses |
| Saturday | Feb 27 | January session ends |
| Monday | Mar 1 | March session begins |
| Friday | Mar 26 | Spring holiday (online courses remain open) |
| Wednesday | Mar 31 | March session ends — 5-week BSN Capstone Course option |
| Sunday | Apr 11 | Last day to withdraw from courses |
| Saturday | Apr 24 | March session ends |
| Sun–Sun | Apr 25 – May 2 | Spring break |
Cycle 2 Academic Calendar
Summer 2026 — Cycle 2 (July 6 – October 24, 2026)
| Day | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Jul 6 | July session begins |
| Wednesday | Aug 5 | July session ends — 5-week BSN Capstone Course option |
| Sunday | Aug 16 | Last day to withdraw from courses |
| Saturday | Aug 29 | July session ends |
| Monday | Aug 31 | September session begins |
| Monday | Sep 7 | Labor Day holiday (online courses remain open) |
| Wednesday | Sep 30 | September session ends — 5-week BSN Capstone Course option |
| Sunday | Oct 11 | Last day to withdraw from courses |
| Saturday | Oct 24 | September session ends |
Fall 2026 — Cycle 2 (October 26, 2026 – February 27, 2027)
| Day | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Oct 26 | November session begins |
| Wednesday | Nov 25 | November session ends — 5-week BSN Capstone Course option |
| Thu–Fri | Nov 26–27 | Thanksgiving break (online courses remain open) |
| Sunday | Dec 6 | Last day to withdraw from courses |
| Saturday | Dec 19 | November session ends |
| Sun–Sun | Dec 20 – Jan 3 | Winter break |
| Monday | Jan 4 | January session begins |
| Monday | Jan 18 | Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday (online courses remain open) |
| Wednesday | Feb 3 | January session ends — 5-week BSN Capstone Course option |
| Sunday | Feb 14 | Last day to withdraw from courses |
| Saturday | Feb 27 | January session ends |
Spring 2027 — Cycle 2 (March 1 – June 26, 2027)
| Day | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Mar 1 | March session begins |
| Friday | Mar 26 | Spring holiday (online courses remain open) |
| Wednesday | Mar 31 | March session ends — 5-week BSN Capstone Course option |
| Sunday | Apr 11 | Last day to withdraw from courses |
| Saturday | Apr 24 | March session ends |
| Sun–Sun | Apr 25 – May 2 | Spring break |
| Monday | May 3 | May session begins |
| Monday | May 24 | Memorial Day holiday (online courses remain open) |
| Wednesday | Jun 2 | May session ends — 5-week BSN Capstone Course option |
| Sunday | Jun 13 | Last day to withdraw from courses |
| Friday | Jun 19 | Juneteenth (online courses remain open) |
| Saturday | Jun 26 | May session ends |
| Sun–Sun | Jun 27 – Jul 4 | Summer break |
Deadlines Chamberlain Students Commonly Miss
Your withdrawal deadline is mid-session, not end of session. Every 8-week session has a last-day-to-withdraw that falls near the end of week six — roughly ten days before the session ends. This is a significantly earlier deadline than many universities use, and it means a student who struggles late in a session may have already passed the withdrawal window by the time they realize the course is not going well. The last day to withdraw from courses falls on a Sunday and is a hard deadline — after that date, no withdrawal is possible under the program policy, regardless of circumstance.
Withdrawal from all courses to receive a refund has a separate and earlier deadline. The calendar’s last-day-to-withdraw applies to the academic record — the W grade versus an F. The financial refund deadline is different, falls earlier, and varies by program. Students who drop all courses expecting a full tuition refund need to confirm the refund deadline with their campus or program office, not assume it matches the academic withdrawal date.
MPAS students have a different withdrawal rule. Students in the Master of Physician Assistant Studies program must withdraw no later than the day before the last day of the course — not the session’s standard withdrawal deadline. This is a program-specific policy that overrides the standard calendar footnote.
Your cycle determines your semester — and your financial aid disbursement timeline. Federal financial aid is disbursed per semester, not per session. Cycle 1 and Cycle 2 students have different semester start and end dates, which means different disbursement schedules. Students who are unaware of their cycle assignment sometimes expect financial aid based on the wrong semester timeline. Confirm your cycle in your student portal before the start of any term.
Holiday course access is not the same as a day off. Chamberlain’s online courses remain open on recognized holidays. Instructors may still post assignments, discussions may remain active, and deadlines tied to session weeks continue regardless of the holiday. Students who treat Chamberlain’s holidays as complete breaks from coursework can fall behind on session timelines. The holiday designation means scheduled class meetings are canceled — not that course participation pauses.
BSN Capstone and NR-103 have shortened session windows. The 5-week BSN Capstone Course option ends weeks before the standard session end date, and the NR-103 Transition to Nursing Profession course begins two weeks into the May session. These program-specific variations affect withdrawal deadlines independently from the general calendar dates listed above.
About Chamberlain University
Chamberlain University is a private health sciences university with a history going back to 1889, when it was founded as Deaconess College of Nursing in St. Louis, Missouri. Today it is one of the largest nursing schools in the United States and offers undergraduate through doctoral programs in nursing and other health professions, including its BSN, MSN, Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), and post-graduate APRN certificate programs. National management offices are located at 233 South Wacker Drive, Suite 800, Chicago, Illinois.
Chamberlain is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), an institutional accreditor recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Its nursing programs — including the BSN, MSN, DNP, and post-graduate APRN certificate — are separately accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Chamberlain operates multiple campus locations across the United States and an extensive online program, and is owned by Adtalem Global Education.
The dual-cycle calendar structure is a direct reflection of Chamberlain’s healthcare education focus. Nursing and health professions students often come from working backgrounds and may need to begin study at non-traditional times of year. The student-centric calendar — where your semester is defined by when you enrolled rather than by a fixed institutional schedule — is designed to reduce the gap between application and enrollment and to serve students whose professional and personal schedules do not align with September or January starts. Understanding which cycle applies to you is foundational to managing financial aid, academic standing, and graduation planning at Chamberlain.