Input is requested from community members before a final report is submitted to UC leadership
By JESSICA YUNG — campus@theaggie.org
Several University of California bodies, including the Office of the President (UCOP), the Academic Senate and the UC Provost, have launched a workgroup looking into whether all UC undergraduate campuses should operate under a common academic calendar. The initiative does not seek to endorse either the semester or the quarter system, but is instead looking at the potential benefits of adopting a shared systemwide calendar.
The program, according to a letter from the workgroup, is an “information gathering exercise.” The final report will aim to “help answer the question of whether UC should return to a common academic calendar, but it will not recommend one calendar over another.”
Currently, all but two of the nine UC undergraduate campuses use the quarter system; UC Berkeley and UC Merced use the semester system. The workgroup is not examining the calendar of UC San Francisco, a graduate medical school or any other UC-affiliated graduate program.
Stett Holbrook, the associate director of Strategic and Critical Communications for UCOP, described the workgroup as a way to expand the UC’s mission.
“In September 2024, UC’s systemwide Provost and Academic Senate Chair formed an Academic Planning Council (APC) workgroup with faculty, staff and student representatives to examine the current academic calendars and calendar features that can advance the University’s teaching, research and public service mission,” Holbrook said.
Cindy Brown, the executive communication specialist in the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor, stated that the workgroup has produced a draft report on the proposal.
“[The draft report summarizes] information collected on existing and optional calendar features, a proposal of an alternate quarter calendar, factors to consider before making any calendar changes and optional common calendars to consider,” Brown said in a press release.
The draft report also notes issues with the system using different calendars at different campuses, including varying start and end dates and other complications to cohesion and collaboration within the UC. These include “providing comparable UC student access to summer jobs and internships, expanding cross-campus or dual enrollment to unique language courses or programs, and leveraging resources across campuses.”
The UC previously operated on a common semester calendar before UC campuses converted to a common quarter calendar in 1996. In 1983, UC Berkeley converted back to the semester system, citing opportunities to improve academic preparation and student success; UC Merced opened under the semester calendar in 2005.
The draft report notes that in 2026, the California State University (CSU) system will have all of its 23 campuses on a semester calendar, completing a 13-year effort to have six of its campuses converted from quarters to semesters. The change will mean that all CSU campuses and 113 of 116 California Community College campuses will be on a semester calendar.
The workgroup took public comments, meeting with representatives to come to their conclusions.
“To produce this material, the workgroup drew upon panel discussions with individuals from UC student affairs, related campus offices and representatives from peer institutions that have already completed or are undergoing calendar conversion,” Brown said.
At UC Davis, flyers on this proposal have appeared on various television and advertising screens across campus spaces, including at the Memorial Union and Silo.
One transfer student, Brian Vuong, a third-year human development major, detailed his thoughts.
“My community college had a semester system,” Vuong said. “I think the benefits of the system is that you get more time to do your work. If you are behind, you can have more time to catch up. You don’t have to worry about tight deadlines. You don’t have to worry about taking a lot of classes in a series.”
The workgroup is asking that students and other campus community members share their opinions about this proposal so university leaders can hear further feedback. Those interested are invited to fill out an online survey or email calendar@ucop.edu.
The comment period runs through May 30. A final report incorporating feedback will be produced for UC leadership to consider, according to Holbrook.
Written by: Jessica Yung — campus@theaggie.org
