Semester dates 2015/16
Semester and vacation dates for the 2015/16 year are given below.
Undergraduate students
| Semester 1 | 21st September 2015 - 21st December 2015 |
| Christmas vacation | 22nd December 2015 - 10th January 2016 |
| Semester 2 | 11th January 2016 - 3rd April 2016 |
| Spring vacation | 4th April 2016 - 15th April 2016 |
| Semester 2 resumes | 16th April 2016 - 20th May 2016 |
| Summer vacation | 21st May 2016 - 19th September 2016 |
Postgraduate taught students
Students on full-time postgraduate taught programmes usually study for a full calendar year.
| Semester 1 | 21st September 2015 - 21st December 2015 |
| Christmas vacation | 22nd December 2015 - 10th January 2016 |
| Semester 2 | 11th January 2016 - 3rd April 2016 |
| Spring vacation | 4th April 2016 - 15th April 2016 |
| Semester 2 resumes | 16th April 2016 - 31st August 2016 |
Postgraduate research students
Postgraduate research (e.g. PhD) students do not have standard defined vacation periods. A student can request leave from their studies in the form of a holiday based on their own research timescales. This period does not usually exceed 60 days in any one period and is only granted if it does not interrupt their ability to complete their studies within the statutory period.
The University of Edinburgh does not stipulate fixed periods of annual leave allowance for research students. It is normally expected that a student takes no more than 6 weeks as holiday in any given year of their studies