Photo by Kasey Shamis | The Triangle
In August 2027, Drexel University will implement its academic overhaul, branded the Academic Transformation. A key aspect is the official calendar switch from quarters to semesters.
Drexel University administrators shared an outline of the new semester calendar today, which will take effect on Aug. 23, 2027.
This transition alone will not impact current students’ ability to graduate as planned, provided that they continue to make satisfactory progress in their current degree programs. In addition, costs to students will not increase as billing and financial aid are adjusted to reflect the new semester calendar.
Students will also remain able to complete multiple six-month co-ops as part of their program, and most programs will be able to accommodate any number from none to three.
In an interview with The Triangle, Provost Paul Jensen emphasized that the change was about improving the student experience — not budgetary or enrollment issues. “This will have a nicer pace to it that will support learning better,” he shared.
The quarter calendar will be reduced to three semesters: fall, spring, and summer.
The fall and spring semesters will consist of 14 weeks of classes, a two-day reading period, and one week for final exams. The reading period will facilitate a smoother transition from the end of classes to final exams, providing students with a buffer of no classes.
The summer term will be shorter, with 12 weeks of classes and one week of final exams. However, for students participating in co-op, it will be split into two six-week halves. By scheduling co-ops for the entire fall or spring semester, plus one half of the summer semester, co-ops will remain up to six months long. Existing co-op partnerships are expected to adapt to the new schedule.
For co-op students, the remainder of the summer semester offers options for half-term courses, real-world experiences such as study abroad and research, or a summer break.
The shift in schedule is also anticipated to improve opportunities for co-op positions and summer internships by having both cycles partially overlap with the summer internship season.
“One of the historical challenges we’ve had with our co-op cycle has been the asymmetry of the fall/winter and spring/summer. Most people ended up co-oping in the spring summer cycle… now, both co-op cycles will be summer neutral,” Jensen highlighted.
The new academic schedule will be built around an 18-credit billing cap, rather than the current 20-credit cap. Jensen explained that redesigned programs will avoid having 18-credit terms, which would be the equivalent of a current 20-credit term.
One of the main objectives of the transition is to align the university’s schedule with those of other schools and partners. Jensen cited better opportunities to collaborate with schools abroad and to create an easier pathway for students to transfer in from the Community College of Philadelphia, for example.
To assist with the transition, university administrators have promised that each student enrolled during the transition period will receive a personalized plan of study from their academic advisor.