University of Tennessee at Knoxville classes are set to resume next week after thousands of students settle into their dormitories across the state's flagship campus.
The first day of class is set for Aug. 17, marking the start to one of the university's biggest semesters to date, with upwards of 42,600 students expected to enroll. That includes a record number of fully online students.
A new dorm, Torchbearer Hall, will welcome students for the first time as construction projects continue across the growing campus.
With the fall semester nearly underway, here are some important dates to know:
- Aug. 17: First day of class for the fall 2026 semester
- Aug. 24: Last day to add or drop classes for the full session
- Sept. 7: Labor Day, no classes
- Oct. 2: The first session ends with midterms, deadline to withdraw from fall courses
- Oct. 5-6: Fall break, classes return Oct. 7
- Oct. 7: Second session begins
- Oct. 19: Spring semester registration begins, rolling out by student group. (First-year registration begins Nov. 16.)
- Nov. 3: Election Day, no classes
- Nov. 24: Second session ends
- Nov. 25-27: Thanksgiving recess, no classes
- Dec. 1: Full session ends
- Dec. 2: Study day
- Dec. 3-9: Final exams
- Dec. 11: Graduate hooding and commencement ceremonies
Following winter break, classes will resume Jan. 19 − the day after Martin Luther King Jr. Day − for the spring 2027 semester.
Here are the important dates
to know for the spring semester:
- Jan. 19, 2027: First day of class for the spring 2027 semester
- Jan. 25: Deadline to add or drop classes for the full session
- March 5: The first session ends
- March 8-12: Spring break, no classes
- March 17: Second session begins
- March 25-26: Spring recess, no classes
- March 29: Registration for the next fall semester begins and goes group by group with first-year registration starting April 26
- May 5: Full and second sessions end
- May 6: Study day
- May 7-13: Final exams, graduation ceremonies to follow
- May 14-17: Graduate hooding and commencement ceremonies
UT also hosts mini terms after the fall and spring semesters, as well as a summer term leading up to fall 2027.
Keenan Thomas is the higher education reporter for Knox News. Email: keenan.thomas@knoxnews.com.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: When is the first day of class? University of Tennessee dates to know
