Academic Calendar
Academic Year
NDSU operates on a semester system consisting of two 16-week fall and spring semesters, including final examination weeks. A 12-week summer session is also offered. Variable-length, short-term courses are offered each semester, however, the total contact (class) hours are the same as in regular semesters.
Mid-Term Grades
Upon request, all instructors shall inform students directly of their approximate mid-term grades before the end of the eighth week of the semester. In addition, instructors may notify students of mid-term grades via Campus Connection and/or Blackboard.
Dead Week
Only one exam or quiz per course may be given during the last two weeks of the semester (prorated accordingly for variable length courses), which includes finals week. Exceptions include summer classes, self-paced/correspondence courses, make-up exams, courses in which laboratory is incorporated with a lecture, one-credit courses, and quizzes that account for less than 5% of the students' overall grade. If a professor chooses to give an exam during the last week of classes, he/she is expected to make some instructional use of the final examination time.
Final Examinations
Final examinations in one-credit or variable length short courses are usually given during the last regular class period. Final examinations for all other courses are scheduled by the Office of Registration and Records and may not be rescheduled during the final examination period. According to State Board of Higher Education policy, the final examination period is instructional time and, if an examination is not given, some instructional use of this period is expected. Final examinations for summer school and distance and continuing education classes are arranged by the instructors.
No student shall be obligated to take more than three final examinations scheduled for the same calendar day. In the event that a student has four or more final examinations on the same calendar day, the student shall notify the instructor(s) from the highest numbered course(s) no later than two weeks before the last day of class to schedule a make-up examination to be administered at a mutually acceptable time.
The information provided on this page originated from the NDSU Course Catalog Bulletin and is subject to Reservation of Rights and Disclaimer statements.
