The Semester vs. Quarter System in College

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U.S. colleges and universities use different academic calendars to organize courses, terms, and campus events. The two most common calendars are the semester system and the quarter system.

Each system has its own unique characteristics and offers students different benefits and challenges. Whether you’re a prospective student trying to decide between schools or a current student considering transferring between these systems, it’s important to understand the differences between them to make an informed decision.

We’ll go over the differences between the quarter and semester systems before looking at the advantages and drawbacks of both. This structure could influence which college you choose.

A semester system generally consists of two 15-week terms, while a quarter system consists of four 10-week sessions.

A semester school year typically starts in late August and concludes in early May, with one term in the fall (followed by a winter break) and one term in the spring (followed by a summer break). The average full-time student takes 3-5 courses per term, or roughly 12-15 credits.

A quarter system consists of four 10-week sessions in the fall, winter, spring, and summer. The average full-time student takes 3-4 courses per term, or 9-12 credits.

An academic year on the quarter system normally runs from mid-September through early June. The summer quarter is optional, allowing you to take more classes and possibly graduate early.

The academic year in the quarter system is divided into four parts: fall, winter, spring, and an optional summer term. Each term lasts about 10 weeks, and you’ll usually take 3-5 classes each term. This structure can offer both benefits and challenges for students.

The quarter system allows you to delve into a variety of classes and fields over the course of a year. However, the short nature of the quarter system requires professors to impart the same volume of material in less time, which requires good time management skills.

The semester system divides the academic year into two main terms: fall and spring, each spanning roughly 15 weeks. There is a winter break following the fall term and a summer break following the spring term. Full-time students typically enroll in 4-6 classes each semester, depending on how many credits each course is worth.

The semester system provides a more relaxed pace, giving you more time to absorb the material. It also gives you more time to connect with your professors and classmates, fostering deeper relationships and networking opportunities.

Though less popular, several well-known institutions utilize the quarter system, including:

These institutions opt for the quarter system as it offers a wider array of courses each year, allowing students to delve into diverse subjects and enhance their GPA.

Quarter-system colleges convert incoming semester credits to quarter credits. Generally, your semester credits will be multiplied by 1.5 when transferring to a quarter system. At the University of Washington, for example, “a student who earns 30 credits in an institution on a semester calendar would have earned 45 quarter credits at the UW.”

Similarly, if you are transferring quarter credits to semester credits, you’ll need to divide your quarter credits by 1.5. For instance, if a UW student transferred into a program at Walla Walla Community College with 5 quarter credits under their belt, they’d now have 3.3 semester credits.

Many schools allow only a certain number of transfer credits — usually up to 60.