Chapter	1
Academic	Years,	Academic	Calendars,	Payment	Periods,	and
Disbursements
Academic	Year	Requirements
Every	eligible	program	must	have	a	defined	academic	year.	A	school	may	have	different	academic	years	for	different
academic	programs.	For	example,	a	school	may	choose	to	define	the	academic	year	for	a	term-based	program	differently
from	a	non-term	program.	In	some	cases,	the	academic	year	definition	must	be	different	for	different	programs,	such	as
in	the	case	of	a	clock-hour	program	and	a	credit-hour	program.	For	
Title	IV	purposes,	the	academic	year	is	defined	in
weeks	of	instructional	time	and	credit	or	clock	hours.	The	program9s	academic	year	does	not	have	to	coincide	with	the
school9s	academic	calendar	(see	<Academic	year	definition	and	effect	on	awards=	later	in	the	chapter).
A	school	may	treat	two	versions	of	the	same	academic	program	(day	and	night,	for	example)	as	separate	programs	and
define	different	academic	years	for	each	version.	If	a	school	establishes	separate	versions	of	a	program,	with	different
academic	years,	but	allows	individual	students	to	take	courses	from	both	versions,	it	must	be	able	to	demonstrate	which
program	the	student	is	actually	enrolled	in.	Generally,	to	be	considered	enrolled	in	a	particular	program	or	version	of	a
program,	a	student	must	be	taking	most	of	their	coursework	in	that	program.	Although	a	school	may	have	different
academic	years	for	different	programs,	it	must	use	the	same	academic	year	definition	for	all	Title	IV	awards	for	students
enrolled	in	a	particular	program,	and	for	all	other	Title	IV	program	purposes.
Weeks	of	Instructional	Time	in	an	Academic	Year
For	both	undergraduate	and	graduate	programs,	the	law	and	regulations	require	an	academic	year	to	include	a	minimum
number	of	weeks	of	instructional	time.
For	a	program	offered	in	credit	hours,	the	academic	year	must	include	at	least	30	weeks	of	instructional	time.
For	a	program	offered	in	clock	hours,	the	academic	year	must	include	at	least	26	weeks	of	instructional	time.
Note:	See	Volume	2,	Chapter	2	for	information	about	academic	year	requirements	for	direct	assessment	programs,	which
do	not	measure	academic	progress	using	credit	or	clock	hours.
The	number	of	weeks	of	instructional	time	is	based	on	the	period	that	generally	begins	on	the	first	day	of	classes	in	the
academic	year	and	ends	on	the	last	day	of	classes	or	the	last	day	of	examinations,	whichever	is	later.
Schools	that	provide	2-	or	4-year	associate	or	baccalaureate	degree	programs	may	apply	to	the	Department	if	they	want
to	request	approval	to	establish	a	full	academic	year	of	less	than	30	weeks	of	instructional	time.	The	Department	is
permitted	to	grant	a	reduction	for	good	cause	to	no	less	than	26	weeks	of	instructional	time.	These	requests	are	handled
on	a	case-by-case	basis.	To	request	approval,	contact	the	School	Participation	Division	that	oversees	your	school.	A	listing
of	contact	information	for	the	regional	School	Participation	Divisions	can	be	found	in	the	Knowledge	Center.
For	all	Title	IV	programs,	a	week	of	instructional	time	is	any	period	of	seven	consecutive	days	in	which	3
At	least	one	day	of	regularly	scheduled	instruction	or	examinations	occurs,	or,	after	the	last	scheduled	day	of	classes
Regulatory	Citations
Academic	year	minimums:	34	CFR	668.3(a)
Weeks	of	instructional	time:	34	CFR	668.3(b)