COLLEGE STATION, TX — Texas A&M President Carol A. Fierke announced adjustments to the Spring 2021 calendar for graduate and undergraduate students in College Station and Galveston.
The spring semester will start on Tuesday, January 19, 2021, as scheduled. However, the semester will end earlier, with the last day of classes on Thursday, April 29, 2021, and the last day of finals on Friday, May 7, 2021. These changes reflect the following:
- The reduction of spring break from one full week to one day, Friday, March 19, 2021, to minimize extensive travel and allow the semester to conclude earlier for additional commencements;
- Additional time needed in May to conduct planned in-person commencement ceremonies over a two-week period, May 8-21, 2021, with safety and appropriate physical distancing in place;
- An additional day needed for final exams because of increased asynchronous remote delivery;
- The addition of a one-day break for Texas Independence Day on Tuesday, March 2, 2021 around midterms while keeping the Friday, April 2, 2021 reading day;
- The previously scheduled staff holidays on March 17-18, 2021 are changed to Wednesday, December 23, 2020 and Friday, May 28, 2021;
- March 19, 2021 will remain a staff holiday.
The full academic calendar for the spring semester has been updated and posted online.
At this time, departments are finalizing spring course offerings, and registration will begin as scheduled on November 5.
The spring schedule will be similar to the fall as they will once again have the goal of offering 50% of total course sections and 50% of undergraduate semester credit hours taught face-to-face.
Texas A&M's goal is to provide undergraduate students with at least two face-to-face classes. One new option they are providing is for some course sections to be offered only face-to-face, although those courses must either be an elective or also have a section of the course offered remotely.