BBAY	calendar,	an	academic	year	could	consist	of	any	two	consecutive	terms	such	as	spring-summer	or	summer-fall.
Academic	progress	is	measured	in	semester	or	trimester	credit	hours,	and	full	time	is	at	least	12	semester	or	trimester
credits.
Quarters	contain	between	nine	and	13	weeks	of	instructional	time.	As	with	programs	using	semesters	or	trimesters,	a
summer	term	in	a	quarter-based	program	may	contain	fewer	than	nine	weeks.	An	academic	calendar	using	quarters
typically	includes	four	terms	in	the	fall,	winter,	spring,	and	summer,	three	of	which	comprise	an	academic	year.	For
example,	the	fall,	winter,	and	spring	quarters	would	comprise	an	academic	year	in	a	program	using	an	SAY	calendar.	In	a
program	using	a	BBAY	calendar,	an	academic	year	could	be	any	three	consecutive	terms,	such	as	spring-summer-fall,	or
summer-fall-winter.	Academic	progress	is	measured	in	quarter	credit	hours,	and	full	time	is	at	least	12	quarter	credits.
Semesters	may	contain	as	few	as	14	weeks	and	quarters	may	contain	as	few	as	nine	weeks.	Therefore,	a	school	that
defines	the	academic	year	for	a	program	as	24	semester	hours	or	36	quarter	hours	and	30	weeks	of	instructional	time
could	have	fall	and	spring	semesters	of	14	weeks	each,	resulting	in	28	weeks	of	instruction,	or	fall,	winter,	and	spring
quarters	of	nine	weeks	each,	resulting	in	27	weeks	of	instructional	time.	However,	because	the	academic	year	for	a
program	that	measures	academic	progress	in	credit	hours	must	include	a	minimum	of	30	weeks	of	instructional	time,	a
school	with	such	an	academic	calendar	would	be	required	to	calculate	Pell	Grant	awards	using	either	Pell	Grant	Formula	2
or	Pell	Grant	Formula	3	(see	
Volume	7,	Chapter	4).
For	Direct	Loan	purposes,	two	14-week	semesters	or	three	9-week	quarters	could	not	constitute	an	SAY	or	BBAY,	since	the
number	of	weeks	of	instructional	time	in	an	SAY	or	BBAY	must	generally	meet	the	minimum	30-week	statutory
requirement	(see	Volume	8,	Chapter	6).	For	its	fall	and	spring	semesters	or	fall,	winter,	and	spring	quarters	to	comprise	an
SAY	or	BBAY,	the	school	would	need	to	modify	its	calendar	to	ensure	that	there	are	at	least	30	weeks	of	instruction	in	the
fall	and	spring	semesters	or	fall,	winter,	and	spring	quarters	combined.	For	example,	the	school	could	have	a	16-week	fall
semester	and	a	14-week	spring	semester.	Another	option	would	be	for	the	school	to	extend	the	SAY	or	BBAY	to	include	an
additional	term	so	that	the	total	number	of	weeks	of	instructional	time	meets	the	30-week	minimum.	For	instance,	the
school	could	have	an	SAY	consisting	of	14-week	fall	and	spring	semesters	and	a	10-week	summer	term,	or	a	BBAY
consisting	of	any	four	consecutive	9-week	quarters.
Standard	terms	need	not	be	of	equal	length.	For	example,	a	school	could	offer	a	program	using	semesters	with	the
academic	year	consisting	of	a	14-week	fall	semester	and	a	20-week	spring	semester,	or	a	program	using	quarters	with	the
academic	year	consisting	of	a	13-week	fall	quarter,	a	9-week	winter	quarter,	and	an	11-week	spring	quarter.
In	addition,	the	number	of	weeks	in	a	standard	term	may	vary	from	year	to	year	over	the	course	of	a	program.	For
example,	a	school	could	offer	a	two-year	program	with	the	first	academic	year	consisting	of	two	15-week	semesters,	and
the	second	academic	year	consisting	of	two	20-week	semesters.
In	a	standard	term	academic	calendar,	a	term	may	contain	an	occasional	class	or	classes	that	are	longer	than	the	normal
term	or	that	begin	or	end	beyond	the	normal	start	or	end	date	of	the	term,	as	long	as	the	class	or	classes	do	not	overlap
another	term	(see	below).	However,	if	classes	routinely	extend	a	week	or	more	beyond	the	normal	term	start	or	end
dates,	the	school	must	revise	the	official	length	of	the	term.
Generally,	if	the	combined	length	of	a	term	and	an	extended	class	or	classes	is	greater	than	the	maximum	number	of
weeks	allowed	for	a	standard	term,	the	program	must	be	considered	a	nonstandard	term	program	for	
Title	IV	program
purposes.	For	example,	if	a	17-week	semester	contains	a	class	that	does	not	end	until	five	weeks	after	the	normal
semester	end	date,	the	term	must	be	considered	nonstandard,	because	the	combined	length	of	the	term	and	the
extended	class	is	22	weeks,	which	exceeds	the	maximum	21	weeks	permitted	for	a	semester.
There	is	an	exception	to	this	general	rule	for	standard	quarters	that	are	12	weeks	in	length.	A	12-week	quarter	may	still
be	considered	a	standard	term	if	it	contains	a	class	or	classes	that	begin	not	more	than	two	weeks	before	the	official
beginning	date	of	the	term	or	that	end	not	more	than	two	weeks	after	the	official	ending	date	of	the	term	(for	a	total
period	not	to	exceed	two	weeks).	For	example,	a	12-week	quarter	containing	a	class	that	extends	two	weeks	beyond	the
normal	term	ending	date	may	still	be	considered	a	standard	term,	even	though	the	combined	length	of	the	term	and	the
extended	class	(14	weeks)	exceeds	the	maximum	13	weeks	allowed	for	a	quarter.
The	limited	exception	for	12-week	quarters	preserves	a	flexibility	that	was	allowed	under	the	policy	on	standard	term
length	that	was	in	effect	prior	to	the	implementation	of	the	changes	described	in	the	November	5,	2019	Electronic
Announcement.	Under	prior	policy	a	quarter	could	not	exceed	12	weeks,	but	a	quarter	with	a	class	or	classes	that
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