Academic Term Form

Field reference for academic term configuration.

Fields

Backed by records.academic_terms.

Field	Column	Type	Required	Notes
Term ID	term_id	Integer	Auto	Primary key
Academic Year	academic_year_id	Integer (FK)	Yes	Parent academic year
Term Code	term_code	Text(20)	Yes	e.g. 2024FA
Term Name	term_name	Text(100)	Yes	e.g. Fall 2024
Term Type	term_type_id	Select (Lookup)	Yes	TERM_TYPE
Credit System	credit_system_id	Integer (FK)	Yes	Semester, quarter, etc.
Term Slot	term_slot_id	Integer (FK)	No	Position within the year
Start Date	start_date	Date	Yes
End Date	end_date	Date	Yes
Census Date	census_date	Date	No	Enrolment snapshot date for reporting
Registration Opens	registration_open_date	Date	No	First day anyone may register. Blank = no restriction. With registration windows it is the floor: no window opens before it, and it cannot be moved after the earliest window
Add/Drop Deadline	add_deadline	Date	No	Last day to add a section and last day to drop one without a W. On or before the withdrawal deadline (refused on save otherwise). Colleague TERM_ADD_END_DATE
Drop Deadline	drop_deadline	Date	Read-only	Equals the add/drop deadline (migration 300); not entered and not accepted by the API. A drop on or before it is recorded as DROPPED: it leaves the transcript but stays in the student's enrollment history. Exception: on past summer terms, whose Colleague add deadline is the end of the term (after the withdrawal deadline), it keeps Colleague's TERM_DROP_GRADE_REQD_DATE ("W grade required after this date"). Always on or before the withdrawal deadline (database CHECK)
Withdrawal Deadline	withdrawal_deadline	Date	No	Last day after the add/drop deadline that a section can be withdrawn. A request after the add/drop deadline is recorded as WITHDRAWN (a W on the transcript, excluded from GPA). After this date registration refuses the request unless the registrar overrides the deadline. Colleague TERM_DROP_END_DATE. Migration 280 swapped these two columns' values so the names match the schedule. Whether an advisor must approve a student's own drop or withdrawal is set separately under Admin > Academic Settings (DROP_REQUIRES_ADVISOR_APPROVAL, WITHDRAWAL_REQUIRES_ADVISOR_APPROVAL)
Grades Due	grades_due_date	Date	No
Midterm Grades Open	midterm_grade_start_date	DateTime	No
Midterm Grades Close	midterm_grade_end_date	DateTime	No
First Billing Date	first_billing_date	Date	No
Housing Start / End	housing_start_date, housing_end_date	Date	No
Meal Start / End	meal_start_date, meal_end_date	Date	No
Offered at All Campuses	is_offered_at_all_campuses	Boolean	Yes
Is Current	is_current	Boolean	Yes	No is_active column exists

There is no single "registration closes" column — adding closes at the add deadline (or the end of the term when none is set). Dropping is governed by the drop and withdrawal deadlines; a term that has neither is not restricted. See Drops and Withdrawals.

Important Dates Sub-Form

Field	Type	Required	Notes
Registration Start	Date	No	registration_open_date: when students can register (the floor under any registration windows)
Add/Drop Deadline	Date	No	add_deadline: last day to add a course and last day to drop one without a W. drop_deadline is set from it. Must be on or before the withdrawal deadline
Last Day to Withdraw (W)	Date	No	withdrawal_deadline: last day to withdraw after the add/drop deadline; a withdrawal is recorded as a W. Later requests need a registrar override
Grade Entry Opens	DateTime	No	When faculty can enter grades
Grade Entry Deadline	DateTime	No	Grade submission deadline
Census Date	Date	No	Official enrollment count date

Computed Fields (Read-Only)

Field	Description
Section Count	Number of course sections offered
Enrollment Count	Total student enrollments
Term Type Display	Human-readable term type

Validation Rules

1. Term Code must be unique
2. Start Date and End Date must fall within academic year dates
3. End Date must be after Start Date
4. Important dates should be in logical order (registration before classes, etc.)
5. Add/Drop Deadline cannot be after Withdrawal Deadline (refused on save; the stored drop deadline is also held to it by the ck_academic_terms_drop_before_withdrawal CHECK)
6. Registration Opens cannot be after the term's earliest registration window

Registration Windows

Staged start dates for groups of students (migration 289), edited in the term's Registration windows panel with the ACADEMIC.REGISTRATION_WINDOWS permission. Backed by records.term_registration_windows. See Registration Windows.

Field	Column	Type	Required	Notes
Window ID	term_registration_window_id	Integer	Auto	Primary key
Term	term_id	Integer (FK)	Yes	Deleting the term deletes its windows
Name	name	Text(100)	Yes	Shown to the student, e.g. "Seniors"
Opens	start_date	Date	Yes	On or after the term's Registration Opens date
Students this window is for	rule_json	JSONB	No	Expression over campus, major, minor, cohort, student list, academic level, class standing, academic status and cumulative GPA. NULL = everyone else; at most one such window per term
Sort Order	sort_order	Integer	No	Display order

A student may register from the earliest window whose rule they match. A term with no windows opens on Registration Opens for everyone. Windows only open registration: the add deadline still closes it.

Sub-Term Configuration (Optional)

Terms can have accelerated sub-terms (e.g., 8-week sessions):

Field	Type	Required	Notes
Sub-Term Code	Text	Yes	Unique within term
Name	Text	Yes	Display name
Start Date	Date	Yes	Within parent term dates
End Date	Date	Yes	Within parent term dates
Is Default	Boolean	No	Default sub-term for sections

Related Screens

• Academic Year - Parent academic year
• Sections - Sections offered in this term