for	a	term	or	payment	period,	at	least	one	scheduled	day	of	study	for	examinations	occurs;
or
In	a	program	offered	using	asynchronous	coursework	through	distance	education	or	correspondence	courses,	the
school	makes	available	the	instructional	materials,	other	resources,	and	instructor	support	necessary	for	academic
engagement	and	completion	of	course	objectives;	and
In	a	program	using	asynchronous	coursework	through	distance	education,	the	school	expects	enrolled	students	to
perform	educational	activities	demonstrating	academic	engagement	during	the	week.
The	term	"asynchronous	coursework"	refers	to	coursework	that	students	generally	complete	on	their	own	schedule,	at	any
time.	This	contrasts	with	"synchronous	coursework,"	in	which	students	and	their	instructors	are	in	communication	at	the
same	time.	For	information	on	distance	education	and	correspondence	coursework,	see	Volume	2,	Chapter	2.
Instructional	time	excludes	scheduled	breaks	and	activities	that	aren't	included	in	the	definition	of	"academic
engagement"	(see	Volume	5,	Chapter	2	3	Part	1	for	more	information)	or	periods	of	orientation	or	counseling.	Therefore,
the	weeks	of	instructional	time	may	be	less	than	the	number	of	calendar	weeks	that	elapse	between	the	first	day	of
classes	and	the	last	day	of	classes	or	examinations.	Note	that	the	Department	has	not	set	a	regulatory	standard	for	the
number	of	hours	of	instructional	time	that	make	up	one	day	of	instruction.	This	has	been	left	to	the	reasonable
interpretation	of	schools	and	their	accrediting	agencies.
Although	most	programs	are	at	least	one	academic	year	in	length,	some	eligible	programs	are	shorter	than	an	academic
year.	See	Volume	2,	Chapter	2	for	more	detail	on	the	requirements	for	such	programs.
Weeks	of	instructional	time:
Cannot	overlap,	and	a	school	cannot	use	a	single	day	of	scheduled	instruction,	exams,	or	study	time	to	create	more
than	one	week	of	instruction	(for	example,	a	school	may	not	end	a	week	of	instructional	time	on	one	day	and	begin
the	next	week	of	instructional	time	on	the	same	day);
May	begin	and	end	on	a	day	other	than	Monday,	provided	that	each	week	of	instructional	time	comprises	seven
consecutive	days	(for	example,	a	Wednesday	through	the	following	Tuesday)	that	include	at	least	one	day	of
scheduled	instruction,	exams,	or	study	time,	as	required	by	the	regulations;	and
May	begin	up	to	six	days	before	the	first	day	of	scheduled	instruction	or	exams	in	a	payment	period.
Note:	All	references	to	<weeks=	in	the	examples	that	appear	throughout	this	chapter	mean	weeks	of	instructional
time	as	defined	above.
Regulatory	Citations
Reductions	in	academic	year	length:	HEA	Sec.	481(a)(2)(B)	and	34	CFR	668.3(c)
34	CFR	600.2	(academic	engagement)
34	CFR	600.2	(distance	education)
Volume	3,	Chapter	1,	Example	1:	Counting	Weeks	of	Instructional	Time
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