Written by Kelsey
23 Dec 2025
In the United States, I was used to finishing up the semester by the second week of December. After finals season, it was nice to head home for the holidays. You could rest and recharge, without worrying about school work. In Sweden, the fall semester doesn’t end until mid-January. This means that I ended up with a final paper due during my winter break!
Academic Calendar
The academic year in Sweden is divided into 2 semesters— each 20 weeks long. For the 2025-2026 year, the autumn semester starts on September 1 and ends on January 18. The spring semester goes from January 19 to June 7. The semesters are basically split in half. At least for my degree programme, you take two classes during the semester. My first course started September 1, and the second started November 5.
Winter Holidays
At the University of Gothenburg, there is no formal winter break. Days like Christmas are public holidays, which means no school. But besides that, GU leaves it up to each department to decide what days we will have off. In practice, there is usually a break from classes around Christmas and New Year’s. This year, my last day of class ended up being December 12th. Our final paper must be submitted by January 2nd, and our final presentation will be either January 8 or 9. So, our winter break is December 13- January 7.
This year, I flew back to the United States to celebrate Christmas with my family. As much as I love being home, I usually struggle to be productive. Home is a cozy environment with plenty of distractions. Plus, anytime I come back home, my social calendar quickly gets filled up with plans with family and friends. So, it’s not ideal to have a paper due right after New Year’s Day. To get around this, I tried to make some progress before my flight home. If you’re in the same situation, it’s probably a good idea to plan ahead.
After Christmas – Spring Semester & Summer Break
As I mentioned earlier, our (mandatory) final presentation will be on January 8 or 9. The spring semester doesn’t start until January 19, though. This means that after our final presentation, we have about 10 days off with no classes. While an extra break sounds great, this is also slightly frustrating. For myself and many of my classmates, it’s a bit annoying to fly back to Sweden for one two-hour long final seminar, just to have 10 more days off. Especially considering the long and tiring journey from Gothenburg to Florida, I’d much rather have spent an extra week in the United States. Of course, my studies are my top priority, but the timing isn’t ideal.
During the spring semester, Good Friday and Easter Monday are official public holidays. Again, though there is not an official Easter break in the academic calendar, in practice there is usually a break from classes around public holidays. These dates are also determined by each department at GU. Summer break seems to be a bit more solidified. After the spring semester ends in June, students get a 2 and a half month break, until the autumn semester starts. This gives you a great opportunity to do an internship, travel, or visit your loved ones.
This is based on my experience at the University of Gothenburg. The academic calendar and breaks may vary, so be sure to check with your university! You can read more about Usisipho’s experience with the academic calendar at Chalmers here.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, this new academic calendar just takes a bit of getting used to. I’ve grown up with the US academic calendar so I’m definitely a little biased. Sure, I’d prefer to finish up my classes before the holidays. But with a little bit of planning and working ahead, you can still complete your final assignments and enjoy the holidays at the same time!
