St Andrews term dates 2026/27 and 2027/28
Compiled from University of St Andrews's published calendar · last checked 12 September 2026
These are University of St Andrews's published term dates for 2026/27 and 2027/28: when each term starts and finishes, with the vacations between them. We take the dates from the university's own calendar (linked below) and recheck them each academic year. Reading weeks, exam periods and welcome week arrangements sit in the notes under each year where the university publishes them.
St Andrews term dates 2026/27
| Period | Starts | Ends | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martinmas semester 2026 term | Monday, 14 September 2026 | Monday, 21 December 2026 | 14 weeks |
| Vacation vacation | Tuesday, 22 December 2026 | Sunday, 24 January 2027 | |
| Candlemas semester 2027 term | Monday, 25 January 2027 | Saturday, 22 May 2027 | 17 weeks |
- Semester start dates are the published teaching start dates. Orientation week begins on Monday 7 September 2026.
- Martinmas: Independent Learning Week is the week commencing 19 October 2026, revision week the week commencing 30 November, and the semester 1 exam diet runs from Saturday 5 December to Monday 21 December 2026.
- Christmas vacation starts on Tuesday 22 December 2026, with the inter semester break running until teaching begins on 25 January 2027.
- Candlemas: spring vacation is the week commencing 1 March 2027, Independent Learning Week the week commencing 5 April, revision weeks the weeks commencing 26 April and 3 May, and the semester 2 exam diet runs from Saturday 8 May to Saturday 22 May 2027.
- The extended exam diet runs from Monday 24 May to Friday 4 June 2027.
- Graduation ceremonies for the class of 2027 are in the week commencing 28 June 2027.
- Exam diet dates are published on the key dates page for students at https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/semester-dates/2026-2027/key-date-students/.
St Andrews term dates 2027/28
| Period | Starts | Ends | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martinmas semester 2027 term | Monday, 13 September 2027 | Monday, 20 December 2027 | 14 weeks |
| Vacation vacation | Tuesday, 21 December 2027 | Sunday, 23 January 2028 | |
| Candlemas semester 2028 term | Monday, 24 January 2028 | Sunday, 21 May 2028 | 17 weeks |
- Semester start dates are the published teaching start dates. Orientation week begins on Monday 6 September 2027.
- Martinmas: Independent Learning Week is the week commencing 18 October 2027, revision week the week commencing 29 November, and semester 1 examinations are in the weeks commencing 6 and 13 December 2027. Christmas vacation starts on Tuesday 21 December 2027.
- Candlemas: spring vacation is the week commencing 28 February 2028, Independent Learning Week the week commencing 3 April, revision week the week commencing 24 April, and semester 2 examinations are in the weeks commencing 8 and 15 May 2028.
- The extended examination diet starts in the week commencing 22 May 2028; St Andrews had not published an exact end date for the main semester 2 exam diet when checked, so the semester end shown is the day before the extended diet begins.
- Graduation ceremonies for the class of 2028 are in the week commencing 26 June 2028.
Common questions
When does St Andrews term start?
The next term at University of St Andrews is Candlemas semester 2027, starting Monday, 25 January 2027.
Do these dates apply to every course?
They're the university's published dates for standard undergraduate teaching. Postgraduate, medicine, law conversion and some professional courses often run longer or start earlier, and welcome week sits before the first term for new students. Your course handbook is the authority for anything that costs money to get wrong.
Where do these dates come from?
From University of St Andrews's own published term dates page, linked below, checked on 12 September 2026. Nothing is estimated.