Â鶹Éçmadou

With extensive input from the Â鶹Éçmadou community, the University has decided to adopt a new academic calendar to meet the changing needs of students, staff, and the broader education landscape. 

Our new flex-semester calendar will replace the current 3+ calendar in 2028. 

The key features of our new calendar include: 

• two 12-week teaching semesters 
• mid-semester breaks more aligned to other universities and school holidays 
• optional six-week summer and winter terms for intensive or catch-up courses and accelerated study. 
• improved alignment of Â鶹Éçmadou’s existing hexamester (six-term) calendar with the semester periods. (Â鶹Éçmadou already offers some programs in a hexamester model. The new calendar enables us to expand these offerings to suit specific student groups, typically postgraduate and professionals looking to upskill, and grow our lifelong learning offerings). 

The transition to a flex-semester calendar aims to enhance the student learning experience, provide flexibility and choice, create more adaptable learning pathways, and strengthen Â鶹Éçmadou’s ability to meet industry and workforce needs. 

See a detailed view of the flex-semester calendar here.

With significant changes in the world over the last seven years driving an evolving education landscape, it is critical we have a calendar that allows us to successfully adapt and further the ambitions of our new Â鶹Éçmadou Strategy: Progress for All.

Our new flex-semester calendar will enable us to meet the changing needs and learning preferences of our diverse student cohorts – making education more accessible; provide an enriched student experience; support and grow our lifelong learning offering; and strengthen our ability to adapt to the evolving needs of the workforce and industry. 

We aim to introduce our new calendar in 2028. Planning and alignment with broader University objectives and initiatives is currently underway to ensure the necessary updates to our systems, processes and resources are implemented in a co-ordinated and properly resourced way and the transition is smooth.

• Semester:  a 12 week teaching period inclusive of a one-week mid-semester break, a one-week study vacation (Stuvac), and a two-week exam period. There are two semesters each year. Most programs will be delivered in a semester structure.
• Hexamester: a shorter, more intensive six-week teaching period. There are six hexamesters in an academic calendar. Â鶹Éçmadou’s existing hexamester model is currently used for specific online postgraduate programs. These programs will continue under the new calendar with improved alignment to semesters.
• Summer and winter terms: optional six-week study periods which provide additional flexibility for academics and students. The summer term is at the beginning of the year, before Semester 1. The winter term is in the middle of the year between Semester 1 and Semester 2. While these terms are the same six-week duration as a hexamester term, they are standalone optional study periods within the flex-semester calendar.

A long and involved process of review, consultation, development and evaluation with the Â鶹Éçmadou community – over 7,000 students and staff contributed – helped inform the University’s decision. Multiple calendar options were first explored to determine the desired characteristics of an evolved calendar model. Two were selected for further consultation and evaluation – an optimised trimester and the new semester model (with the hexamester overlay) which we have chosen. Both models were considered against a complex range of factors, including alignment with strategic priorities, learning outcomes, student and staff experience, financial sustainability and operational feasibility. After weighing up these factors, the University’s Leadership Team reached a decision which was endorsed by the University’s Council.

Some features of the calendar may evolve as we refine the implementation considerations to best support the Â鶹Éçmadou community. We will continue to consult with key stakeholders as we progress and will publish the final calendar once available.

Currently, some courses and programs, e.g., in Medicine & Health, operate on a bespoke calendar. These programs will not automatically transition to the new academic calendar. We are currently reviewing the merits and implications on a case-by-case basis to determine the best approach and will keep relevant stakeholders updated as we progress.

While the calendar will be refined, the mid-semester and winter breaks will be more aligned with NSW school holidays and other domestic university schedules.

Consultation with key stakeholders will continue throughout the detailed design and implementation stages of the project to ensure all factors are considered for a smooth transition. You can also provide comments or feedback via the feedback page.

We understand that final semester dates are a priority for our partners and prospective students, and we are working hard to finalise these dates. We will share the updates on our website as soon as they are available.

You can provide feedback, comments or raise a concern via the feedback page on the project website using the ‘get in touch’Ìý´Ú´Ç°ù³¾.

Several activities outside the scope of the Academic Calendar Project are in progress or in planning stages to help address issues around workload as well as teaching and learning. These include:

• Transforming and reducing assessments
• Program re-design
• Future campus planning
• Process and system improvement including the workload model review, special considerations uplift, and admissions transformation.

Combined Track staff have been considered and consulted as part of the process. The Academic Calendar Project Team will continue working with staff representatives to understand and implement any required adjustments to minimise impacts to this cohort. If you have specific comments, feedback or concerns we encourage you to speak with your faculty executive team or get in touch via our website.

Education Focused staff have been considered and consulted as part of the process. The Academic Calendar Project Team will continue working with staff representatives to understand and implement any required adjustments and minimise impacts to this cohort.

If you have specific comments, feedback or concerns we encourage you to speak with your faculty executive team or get in touch via our website.