Start of the academic year in Europe
The start of the academic year significantly influences feasibility and planning of student and staff mobility. If academic years began at similar times, planning mobility periods for students and staff would be considerably easier. In contrast, institutions with differing academic calendars may need to establish specific agreements to facilitate such mobility.
The two indicators below cover tertiary education, ranging from short-cycle tertiary education to doctoral or equivalent levels (ISCED levels 5 to 8, according to the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED). This information covers 40 European countries that are part of the Eurydice network and includes both the public and private sectors.
The data were collected with the contribution of the Eurydice network member countries.
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Definition
Top-level authority: The highest level of authority with responsibility for education in a given country, usually located at the national (state) level. However, for Belgium, Germany and Spain, the communautés, Länder and comunidades autónomas, respectively, are responsible for all or most areas relating to education. Therefore, these administrations are considered as the top-level authority for the areas where they hold the responsibility, including the start of the academic year.
Catalogue number: EC-01-25-076-EN-Q
ISBN: 978-92-9488-966-9
ISSN: 2443-5317
doi: 10.2797/9286107
© European Commission, 2025.