Rutgers Academic Calendar 2026-2027
Every important Rutgers date for 2026-2027 — semester starts, tuition due dates, drop/add windows, withdrawal deadlines, holidays, and commencement, organized for quick reference.
This calendar covers the 2026-2027 academic year for students at the Rutgers School of Health Professions (SHP), part of Rutgers Health at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. All dates are sourced from the official SHP academic calendar. Two important notes apply throughout: university holidays do not automatically excuse students from classes or clinical rotations at affiliate institutions — students must consult their program director. Commencement dates and several semester dates are subject to change.
Key Dates at a Glance
Fall Semester Begins
Sep 1, 2026
Tuesday · Tuition also due
Last W-Grade Withdrawal
Nov 16, 2026
Monday · Fall courses
Thanksgiving Holiday
Nov 26–27, 2026
Thu–Fri · Not all sites excused
Fall Semester Ends
Dec 15, 2026
Tuesday · May vary by program
School Closed
Dec 28 – Jan 1
Holiday closure
Spring Semester Begins
Jan 19, 2027
Tuesday · May vary by program
Last W-Grade Withdrawal
Apr 2, 2027
Friday · Spring courses
Spring Semester Ends
May 6, 2027
Thursday · May vary by program
University Commencement
May 16, 2027
Sunday · Subject to change
Summer Semester Ends
Aug 10, 2027
Tuesday · May vary by program
Fall 2026 Academic Calendar
The fall 2026 semester begins September 1 with tuition due the same day. The add/drop window opens immediately and closes by the third class meeting. Students must be in an active enrollment status by September 7 or face administrative withdrawal. Fall semester ends December 15 for most programs, with final grades due December 18 at noon.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Tue, Sep 1 | Fall Semester Begins |
| Tue, Sep 1 | Fall Tuition Due |
| Tue, Sep 1 | Fall Drop/Add Period Begins (must drop before the 3rd class; adds require instructor approval) |
| Mon, Sep 7 | Labor Day — Holiday (not automatic excuse at affiliate clinical sites) |
| Mon, Sep 7 | Last day to be in student status — students not enrolled by this date will be administratively withdrawn |
| Mon, Sep 7 | Last day to add a course (requires instructor approval) |
| Mon, Sep 14 | Last day to drop a course with 100% tuition and fees refunded |
| Wed, Sep 30 | Health Insurance Waiver Deadline |
| Tue, Oct 13 | Spring Priority Registration Begins — Matriculated Students |
| Sun, Nov 1 | Deadline to File Graduation Application — January Graduates |
| Tue, Nov 3 | Spring Regular Registration Begins |
| Tue, Nov 3 | Spring Non-Matriculated Registration Begins |
| Fri, Nov 6 | Spring Priority Registration Ends |
| Mon, Nov 16 | Last Day to Withdraw from Fall Course with a “W” Grade |
| Thu, Nov 26 | Thanksgiving Day — Holiday (not automatic excuse at affiliate clinical sites) |
| Fri, Nov 27 | Day After Thanksgiving — Holiday (not automatic excuse at affiliate clinical sites) |
| Tue, Dec 1 | Nomination Period Opens — Student EIT Nominations |
| Tue, Dec 1 | Spring Regular Registration Ends for All Students |
| Wed, Dec 2 | Spring Late Registration Begins (+$50 late fee for matriculated students) |
| Tue, Dec 15 | Fall Semester Ends (date may vary by program) |
| Fri, Dec 18 | Fall Final Grades Due — Noon |
| Fri, Dec 25 | Christmas Day — Holiday |
| Mon, Dec 28 | School Closed Dec 28, 2026 – Jan 1, 2027 — Holiday Closure |
Spring 2027 Academic Calendar
Spring semester begins January 19. Tuition is due January 13 — before the semester starts. The add/drop window opens with the first class meeting and closes before the third class. Students must be in an active enrollment status by January 25. The last day to withdraw with a W grade is April 2, well before the May 6 semester end date.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Fri, Jan 1 | New Year’s Day — Holiday |
| Mon, Jan 4 | Spring Non-Matriculated Late Registration Begins (+$50 late fee) |
| Wed, Jan 13 | Spring Tuition Due |
| Fri, Jan 15 | Excellence in Teaching Award Nomination Deadline (Student Nomination) |
| Mon, Jan 18 | Martin Luther King Jr. Day — Holiday (not automatic excuse at affiliate clinical sites) |
| Mon, Jan 18 | Graduation for January Graduates |
| Tue, Jan 19 | Spring Late Registration Ends for All Students |
| Tue, Jan 19 | Spring Semester Begins (date may vary by program) |
| Tue, Jan 19 | Drop/Add Period Begins (must drop before the 3rd class; adds require instructor approval) |
| Mon, Jan 25 | Last day to add a course (requires instructor approval) |
| Mon, Jan 25 | Last day to be in student status — students not enrolled by this date will be administratively withdrawn |
| Wed, Jan 27 | Deadline for Student Expenses and Fees to Enrollment Services |
| Mon, Feb 1 | Last day to drop a course with 100% tuition and fees refunded |
| Mon, Feb 1 | May Graduate Application Deadline |
| Thu, Feb 11 | Excellence in Research Award Nomination Deadline (Faculty Nominated) |
| Thu, Feb 25 | Health Insurance Waiver Deadline |
| Mon, Mar 1 | Deadline to File Early Graduation Application — August Graduates |
| Tue, Mar 2 | Summer and Fall Priority Registration Begins (matriculated students only) |
| Fri, Mar 26 | Summer Priority Registration Ends |
| Fri, Apr 2 | Last Day to Withdraw from Spring Course with a “W” Grade |
| Thu, Apr 8 | Summer Non-Matriculated Registration Begins |
| Thu, Apr 8 | Regular Summer and Fall Registration Begins (all types except Fall non-matrics) |
| Tue, Apr 20 | Summer Registration Ends for All Students |
| Wed, Apr 21 | Summer Late Registration Begins (+$50 late fee for matriculated students) |
| Sat, Apr 24 | Rutgers Day |
| Tue, Apr 27 | ASAHP Scholarship Deadline |
| Tue, May 4 | Student Research and Scholarship Symposium (9 a.m. – 5 p.m.) |
| Thu, May 6 | Spring Semester Ends (date may vary by program) |
Summer 2027 Academic Calendar
Summer semester begins May 24 with tuition also due that day. The add/drop window runs through May 30. The last day to withdraw with a W grade is July 12. Summer semester ends August 10 for most programs, with final grades due August 13 at noon. The August graduation ceremony is held August 31.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Mon, May 10 | May Graduates — Final Grades Due at Noon (subject to change) |
| Wed, May 12 | Spring Final Grades Due — Noon |
| Sun, May 16 | University Commencement (subject to change) |
| Wed, May 19 | Summer Non-Matriculated Late Registration Begins (+$50 late fee) |
| Sun, May 23 | Summer Late Registration Ends for All Students |
| Mon, May 24 | Summer Semester Begins (date may vary by program) |
| Mon, May 24 | Summer Drop/Add Period Begins (date may vary by program) |
| Mon, May 24 | Summer Tuition Due |
| Sun, May 30 | Last day to add a course (requires instructor approval) |
| Mon, May 31 | Memorial Day — Holiday (not automatic excuse at affiliate clinical sites) |
| Mon, May 31 | Health Insurance Waiver Deadline |
| Mon, May 31 | Last day to be in student status — students not enrolled by this date will be administratively withdrawn |
| Tue, Jun 1 | Fall Regular Registration Begins |
| Mon, Jun 7 | Last day to drop a course with 100% tuition and fees refunded |
| Tue, Jun 15 | General Student Scholarship Application Deadline |
| Fri, Jun 18 | Juneteenth — Observed Holiday (not automatic excuse at affiliate clinical sites) |
| Thu, Jul 1 | Deadline to Apply for August Graduation |
| Mon, Jul 5 | Independence Day — Holiday (not automatic excuse at affiliate clinical sites) |
| Thu, Jul 8 | Fall Non-Matriculated Registration Begins |
| Mon, Jul 12 | Last Day to Withdraw from Summer Course with a “W” Grade |
| Tue, Jul 27 | Fall Registration Ends |
| Wed, Jul 28 | Fall Late Registration Begins |
| Tue, Aug 10 | Summer Semester Ends (date may vary by program) |
| Fri, Aug 13 | Summer Final Grades Due — Noon |
| Wed, Aug 18 | Fall Non-Matriculated Late Registration Begins (+$50 late fee) |
| Tue, Aug 31 | Graduation for August Graduates |
Deadlines Rutgers SHP Students Commonly Miss
Tuition is due before — or the moment — the semester begins. Unlike many universities where tuition is due weeks into the semester, Rutgers SHP sets fall tuition due on September 1 (the first day of fall semester) and spring tuition due on January 13 — six days before spring classes begin. Students who miss these dates risk having their registration affected. Summer tuition follows the same pattern, due the day the semester begins.
The add/drop window closes at the third class meeting, not at the end of the first week. For schools with twice-weekly or intensive meeting schedules, the third class can arrive very quickly. This is the most commonly misunderstood deadline on the SHP calendar. You must drop before the third class to avoid the course appearing on your record.
Enrollment status deadlines are distinct from registration deadlines. The calendar includes specific “last day to be in student status” dates for each semester (Sep 7 for fall, Jan 25 for spring, May 31 for summer). Students who have registered but have not resolved their enrollment status — through financial clearance, health insurance documentation, or other requirements — face administrative withdrawal by those dates regardless of whether classes have been attended.
University holidays do not excuse clinical students. The footnote on the Rutgers SHP calendar states explicitly that students are not automatically excused from classes or clinical rotations at affiliate institutions on university holidays. If you are completing clinical hours at a hospital, clinic, or healthcare facility, you must confirm your schedule with your program director — not assume you are off because Rutgers is closed.
The W-grade withdrawal deadline falls well before the semester ends. For fall, the last day to withdraw with a W grade is November 16 — nearly a month before the December 15 semester end. For spring, it is April 2 — over a month before May 6. After these dates, withdrawal from a course results in a failing grade, not a W. Students managing academic difficulty need to act on these dates, not the semester end dates.
Late registration carries a $50 fee, per semester. Spring, summer, and fall late registration windows all carry a $50 late fee for matriculated students. This is not a penalty that can be appealed except in unusual documented circumstances. Registering during the regular window for each term costs nothing; waiting until late registration costs $50 each time.
About Rutgers School of Health Professions
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is one of the oldest universities in the United States, founded in 1766 as Queen’s College in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It is the state’s flagship public research university, classified as an R1 doctoral institution, and a member of the Big Ten Conference. Rutgers enrolls approximately 67,000 students across its three main campuses in New Brunswick, Newark, and Camden.
The Rutgers School of Health Professions is part of Rutgers Health, the university’s academic health enterprise. Located at 65 Bergen Street in Newark, New Jersey, SHP offers degree programs across a wide range of health science disciplines including clinical laboratory science, health informatics, health information management, cardiovascular perfusion, psychiatric rehabilitation, and several graduate-level clinical and allied health programs.
Because SHP programs involve clinical training at affiliated healthcare institutions — hospitals, clinics, rehabilitation centers, and other sites — the academic calendar operates somewhat differently from a standard university calendar. Program-specific dates may vary, particularly for semester start and end dates. The note that academic calendar dates “may vary by program” is meaningful at SHP: students whose programs have mandatory clinical placements sometimes begin or end semesters earlier or later than the published standard dates.
All date-sensitive decisions — including registration, withdrawal, tuition payment, and graduation application — should be confirmed through the Rutgers SHP Enrollment Services office. The academic calendar is subject to revision at any point during the academic year.