ANU Academic Calendar Key Dates: Enrolment, Exams and Holidays at a Glance

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The Australian National University (ANU) operates a two-semester system (Semester 1 & 2), supplemented by a Summer Session and a Winter Session, with its academic calendar reviewed and published annually by the University’s Academic Board. In the 2025 academic year, ANU’s Semester 1 teaching period runs from 17 February to 30 May, a total of 14 weeks including a 1-week mid-semester break. According to the Australian Department of Education’s 2023 Higher Education Student Data Report (Department of Education, 2024), full-time ANU undergraduates enrol in an average of 4 courses (24 units) per semester, and getting the release dates of the enrolment window and examination timetable right directly affects credit progress and graduation planning. Based on the official ANU 2025 academic calendar and past policy documents, this article systematically sets out the key dates for enrolment, exams and holidays, providing current and prospective students with a practical scheduling reference.

Semester Structure and Key Time Points

The ANU academic year is built around Semester 1 (S1) and Semester 2 (S2). The two semesters are of equal length, each comprising 12 teaching weeks and 1 exam week (Exam Week). In 2025, Semester 1 begins on Monday 17 February and Semester 2 on Monday 21 July, with a 2-week formal examination period at the end of each semester. The University publishes the full academic calendar for the coming year (Academic Calendar PDF) around October each year. Students should note the start and end dates of O-Week (Orientation Week), because some colleges hold compulsory Course Introduction Sessions during O-Week, and missing them may affect enrolment privileges.

Semester 1 (S1) Key Dates

The Census Date for Semester 1 courses usually falls on the Friday of teaching week 4 — for 2025, that is 14 March. Withdrawing (Withdraw) before this date incurs no tuition liability and leaves no record on the transcript; withdrawing after it results in a WN (Withdrawn without Failure) or WF (Withdrawn with Failure) notation. The mid-semester break is scheduled from 7 April to 18 April, a total of 2 weeks. The final exam period runs from 2 June to 13 June, and the Results Release Date is 26 June.

Semester 2 (S2) Key Dates

The Semester 2 Census Date is 15 August (2025), with the mid-semester break from 8 September to 19 September. The final exam period runs from 27 October to 7 November, and results are released on 20 November. Note that for year-long courses, the Census Date is the same as for Semester 1, but the withdrawal deadline extends to week 4 of Semester 2; exact dates should be checked in the Course Outline.

Enrolment Windows and How They Work

Enrolment at ANU operates in two phases: Priority Enrolment and General Enrolment. The Priority Enrolment period opens about 6 weeks before the semester starts and is available only to enrolled senior students (third year and above) and honours students. For Semester 1 2025, the Priority Enrolment window runs from 6 January to 17 January. General Enrolment opens the day after Priority Enrolment ends and remains open until the Census Date closes it.

Enrolment System and Time Windows

All enrolment is done through ISIS (Interactive Student Information System). Each course appears in ISIS under a unique Class Number, and students must complete the “Add” action within the enrolment window. For popular courses (such as COMP1110 and ECON1101), seats can fill within 24 hours of opening, and the University does not guarantee additional places later. The 2024 ANU Student Experience Survey (QILT, 2024) shows that around 18% of undergraduates had at one point been unable to enrol in a required course because they missed the enrolment window, delaying their semester plan.

Course Changes and the Waitlist Mechanism

Before the Census Date, students can freely adjust their courses (Swap/Drop) without applying. If a target course is full, the system offers a Waitlist function, allowing students to join the waitlist for up to 3 courses at the same time. Waitlists are filled automatically in order of submission, usually updated at 11:59 PM (Australian Eastern Standard Time) each night. From 2025, ANU extended the validity of waitlists to 48 hours before the Census Date; anyone not admitted by then must find an alternative course themselves.

Exam Arrangements and Results Release

ANU formal assessments fall into three types: on-campus exams, online exams and continuous assessment. On-campus exams are usually held Monday to Saturday in the last two weeks of semester, with three daily sessions: 9:00 AM-12:00 PM, 2:00 PM-5:00 PM and 6:30 PM-9:30 PM. Online exams are conducted through the Quiz module of Wattle (the ANU learning management system) or a third-party invigilation platform (Proctorio); the time window is usually 24 hours, but the time allowed to answer is fixed.

Exam Timetable Release

The Final Exam Timetable is released 4 weeks before the exam period begins. In 2025, the Semester 1 timetable was published on 5 May and the Semester 2 timetable on 29 September. Students must check the exam times and course codes within 7 days of release; if there is a clash (two exams less than 3 hours apart, or at the same time), they can submit an “Exam Clash Request” in ISIS. Under the ANU Examination Policy 2024, the University notifies the outcome by email within 5 working days.

Grade Bands and How Results Are Released

Grades are HD (High Distinction, 85-100%), D (Distinction, 75-84%), CR (Credit, 65-74%), P (Pass, 50-64%) and N (Fail, 0-49%). On results release day, from 9:00 AM (AEDT/AEST), students can view their results through ISIS or the official ANU App. In Semester 2 2024, ANU opened the “Grade Review Request” window within 48 hours of results release for the first time; this window continues in 2025, with the deadline at 5:00 PM on the 5th working day after results release.

Holidays and Teaching Breaks

ANU’s holiday system comprises mid-semester breaks, semester breaks and public holidays. Mid-semester breaks last 2 weeks each time and are usually scheduled between weeks 6 and 7 of the semester. Semester breaks refer to the gap between the end of Semester 1 and the start of Semester 2 (about 5 weeks), as well as the summer break from the end of Semester 2 to the start of Semester 1 the following year (about 13 weeks).

Public Holidays and Teaching-Free Days

Public holidays in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) directly affect ANU’s teaching arrangements. The main public holidays in 2025 are: New Year’s Day (1 January), Australia Day (Monday 27 January), Canberra Day (Monday 10 March), Good Friday (18 April), Easter Monday (21 April), Anzac Day (25 April), King’s Birthday (Monday 9 June), Labour Day (Monday 6 October) and Christmas Day (25 December). The Easter holiday (18-21 April) partially overlaps with the Semester 1 mid-semester break, and the University does not schedule make-up classes.

Summer and Winter Sessions

In addition to the main semesters, ANU offers a Summer Session (usually November to February the following year) and a Winter Session (June to July), each lasting 4-6 weeks. The course registration deadline for the 2025 Summer Session was 5 December 2024, and for the Winter Session it is 6 June. Credit from these short sessions is equivalent to main-semester credit, but tuition is charged per course on the basis of units; the 2025 international student summer course fee is AUD 5,040 per course (ANU Fees Schedule, 2025).

Special Notes for International Students

International students holding a student visa (Subclass 500) must meet the attendance requirement and the academic progress requirement. ANU reports student status to the Department of Home Affairs at the end of each semester; students with more than 20% absence, or a fail rate above 50% for two consecutive semesters, risk visa cancellation.

Visa Compliance and Study Load

International students must enrol in at least 3 courses (18 units) per semester, though most choose 4 courses (24 units) to maintain full-time status. The Census Date is the last day for international students to adjust their study load: if withdrawing after the Census Date would bring units below 18, students must submit a “Reduced Study Load Request” with medical or compassionate grounds. In 2024, ANU International Student Services processed 1,247 such applications, with an approval rate of 76% (ANU Annual Report, 2024).

Insurance and Tuition Payment

International students must purchase Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) before the semester starts and ensure tuition fees are received before the Census Date. For cross-border tuition payments, some study-abroad families use specialised channels such as Flywire tuition payments to complete the currency exchange, avoiding the risk of late payment due to exchange rate fluctuations or bank delays. Students who fail to pay on time are automatically deregistered (Cancellation of Enrolment) and must pay a re-enrolment fee of AUD 250.

Trends in the Academic Calendar Across the Years

Comparing ANU academic calendars from 2020 to 2025 reveals three notable changes: semester start and end dates moved earlier, exam periods were compressed and holiday lengths were adjusted. In 2020, Semester 1 began on 24 February; by 2025 it had moved earlier to 17 February, a shift of 1 week overall. The exam period was shortened from 3 weeks to 2 weeks to reduce the gap between results release and the start of the next semester.

Post-COVID Adjustments

In 2021-2022, ANU introduced a “Flexible Semester” in response to the pandemic, allowing students to withdraw from courses free of charge within 2 weeks of the semester start. That policy ended in 2023, but the University retained the “Late Withdrawal without Penalty” application channel for students unable to complete a course due to medical or family emergencies. From 2024, the application deadline for this was extended from 4 weeks after the Census Date to 2 weeks before exams begin.

Future Calendar Planning Directions

According to the ANU Strategic Plan 2023-2027, the University plans to trial a “Trimester System” in 2026, shortening each semester to 10 weeks to increase course flexibility and international exchange opportunities. The proposal is currently in the staff consultation phase, and the list of pilot colleges is expected to be announced in August 2025.

Cross-Institutional Study and Credit Transfer

ANU is a member of the Group of Eight (Go8) universities and has signed Cross-Institutional Enrolment Agreements with other members of the alliance (such as the University of Melbourne and the University of Sydney). Students may take one course at another Go8 university during the main semester, with the credit counting directly towards their ANU degree requirements.

Application Process and Deadlines

Applications for cross-institutional study must be submitted to the ANU Student Centre 4 weeks before the semester starts; for Semester 1 2025, the deadline is 20 January. Once approved, students must complete registration in the host university’s enrolment system and pay that university’s tuition fees (usually calculated by unit). ANU does not cover the tuition difference for cross-institutional courses, but it recognises the grades awarded.

Credit Transfer Rules

Each cross-institutional course can be transferred for a maximum of 6 ANU units, and the grade must meet the host university’s Pass standard (usually 50%). For grade conversion, ANU uses an equivalence table: a host university’s HD maps to ANU HD, D to D, and so on. In 2024, ANU approved 312 cross-institutional enrolment applications, 68% of which came from business and engineering students (ANU Student Mobility Report, 2024).

FAQ

Q1: If I miss the enrolment window, can I still add courses?

Yes, but you must submit a “Late Enrolment Request” through ISIS before the Census Date and pay a late enrolment fee of AUD 100 (2025 rate). The University reviews it within 3 working days, with an approval rate of around 45% (ANU Student Administration, 2024). It is recommended to use the Waitlist function first rather than relying on Late Enrolment.

Q2: What do I do if my final exams clash?

If two exams are less than 3 hours apart or completely overlap, you must submit an “Exam Clash Request” within 7 days of the exam timetable being released. ANU will reschedule one of the exams to another slot within the exam period within 5 working days; the success rate for handling clash requests in 2024 was 98%.

Q3: Can international students go home during the summer break?

Yes, but you must return to Australia before the next semester starts and keep your OSHC valid while away. The summer break (November to February the following year) lasts 13 weeks; if you plan to be away for more than 8 weeks, it is advisable to update your “temporary departure” status in ISIS to avoid affecting your visa compliance record.

References

• Department of Education, 2024, 2023 Higher Education Student Data Report
• QILT, 2024, Student Experience Survey 2024: Australian National University
• ANU Academic Policy Office, 2024, ANU Examination Policy
• ANU Fees and Scholarships Office, 2025, 2025 Fees Schedule
• ANU Student Administration, 2024, ANU Annual Report 2024: Student Services Section