Winter Session

Extended Studies (EXST) has developed the following Scheduling, Budgeting, Faculty Contracting, and Payroll Instructions for Winter Session 2026 (term = 2512). The three-week Winter Session dates are January 5-23, 2026.

Winter Session is a 3-week term that is part of the approved semester-based academic calendar. Winter Session has a specific start and end date with corresponding technical, record integrity and business-related specifications. As such, non-standard undergraduate offerings must occur within the scheduled 3-week term and are permitted so long as they satisfy the required MHEC contact hours. Students enroll to prevent academic dismissal and/or as prerequisites for spring courses; for these reasons, courses cannot extend beyond the published end date of Winter Session.

In addition, undergraduate courses may not begin earlier than the first day of Winter Session. The accessibility of DIT and EXST resources is reduced and/or unavailable during the break immediately preceding Winter Session.

Departments enter Winter Session course proposals into the Student Information System (SIS) in two phases.

• Phase I: Begins with the activation of the online scheduling system during which time departments enter the course offerings that will appear in Testudo in mid-September.
• Phase II: Begins with departments entering course budgetary data into the EXST Budgets and Contracts System for submission to college-level approvers by the last week of October.

For course and program assistance, contact Anne Baum, Associate Director, Summer, Winter, and Undergraduate Programs, at abaum@umd.edu. For budgeting assistance, contact Andrew Leighton, Director of Finance and Operations at aleighto@umd.edu.