ETSU's 2026-27 calendar, read for clinicals
East Tennessee State University (ETSU) runs fall 2026 from August 24 to December 3 and spring 2027 from January 19 to April 29, and its approved calendar sets Summer 2027 at May 17 to August 13. For a practicum, the dates that matter most are the first day of class, census, the withdrawal deadlines and the closures that take clinic days out of a term.
Match your search to ETSU's calendar
Tell us the term your practicum starts. We plan the preceptor search back from that date.
Where these dates come from
Two ETSU sources cover 2026-27: the Board of Trustees-approved academic calendar, approved February 16, 2024, and the registrar's live Academic Dates page, updated August 26, 2026. They agree for fall and spring. The live page still showed Summer 2026 when this guide was checked, so Summer 2027 rests on the approved calendar alone until the registrar posts it.
ETSU keeps one calendar for undergraduate and graduate students, so these dates apply whether you are in a BSN clinical group or a DNP residency. Your plan of study tells you which terms hold practicums; this page shows how much room each term gives you. Program events such as DNP intensives are set by your program and do not appear on the university calendar, so watch D2L and your ETSU email for those.
Fall 2026 dates for clinical students
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| Aug 24 | Classes begin, along with the first 7-week and first 5-week sessions |
| Sep 6 | Census; last day to drop without a W |
| Sep 7 | University closed |
| Oct 12 | Last day to withdraw from a course without the dean's permission |
| Oct 12 to 13 | Fall break closure |
| Nov 11 | University closed |
| Nov 25 to 27 | Thanksgiving closure |
| Dec 1 | Last day to withdraw from the university |
| Dec 3 | Last day of classes |
| Dec 5 to 10 | Final exams |
| Dec 12 | Commencement |
| Dec 14 | Grades due |
The fall 7-week sessions run August 24 to October 9 and October 19 to December 3. The 5-week sessions run August 24 to September 25, September 28 to October 30 and November 2 to December 3.
One date pairing deserves attention: the last day to withdraw from a course without the dean's permission falls on October 12, the first day of fall break. If a fall practicum is in trouble, have the conversation with your course faculty the week before the break, while offices are open.
Spring 2027 dates for clinical students
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| Nov 2, 2026 | Spring registration opens |
| Jan 19 | Classes begin |
| Feb 1 | Census; last day to drop without a W |
| Mar 5 | First 7-week session ends |
| Mar 8 | Second 7-week session begins |
| Mar 9 | Last day to withdraw from a course without the dean's permission |
| Mar 15 to 21 | Spring break |
| Mar 26 | Good Friday, university closed |
| Apr 27 | Last day to withdraw from the university |
| Apr 29 | Last day of classes |
| May 1 to 6 | Final exams |
| May 8 | Commencement |
| May 10 | Grades due |
Spring starts later than many students expect, on January 19, which leaves a long gap after fall grades post. Use it: a spring preceptor who is approved before January has every one of the 15 weeks available. If your preceptor's clinic stays open during spring break, ask your course faculty whether hours logged that week count toward the course before you schedule them.
Parts of term: which clock your practicum runs on
Fall and spring each have a 15-week full term, three 5-week sessions (first, middle and last, coded FA, FB and FC) and two 7-week sessions (FD and FE). Summer has its own set, from a 3-week Pre-Summer to a 13-week complete term, plus a Winter Session listed on the calendar. Every Summer 2027 session is set out on the summer semester page.
The calendar does not say which part of term each nursing section uses, so check your registration in GoldLink or ask your course faculty. It matters for your preceptor: a practicum in a 7-week session has half the weeks of a full-term one to reach the same hours. Undergraduate plans mix lengths too, since the LPN to BSN combines 7-week and 15-week courses in one semester and runs its practicums as clinical intensives. Where each ETSU system fits into your clinicals is covered on the student systems page.
Census and withdrawal dates when a placement stalls
Census is the last day to drop a course without a W on your record: September 6 in fall and February 1 in spring. After census a course withdrawal earns a W, and once the dean-permission date passes (October 12 or March 9), the grade becomes a W or WF depending on whether you were passing. College of Nursing students may receive WF grades in no more than one semester per academic year.
Those dates are the real deadline for a missing preceptor. If census is close and your placement still is not approved, talk to course faculty and to the graduate clinical coordinator before it passes rather than after. A leave of absence request is also due by the term's census date and cannot be made retroactively.
The incompletes and leave page covers leave and Incompletes in depth, and grades and progression explains what a W or WF means for your standing.
Other 2026-27 dates tied to clinicals
Several College and Graduate School dates sit outside the term tables but still shape when you need a preceptor or when your clinical work has to be finished.
- Graduation filing: graduate students apply by September 1 to finish in spring and by March 1 to finish in summer or fall.
- College nurse-led clinic rotations: the Office of Practice takes spring requests from October 1, summer requests from March 1 and fall requests from May 1, and anything sent sooner is not considered.
- Admission deadlines: MSN applications are due May 1 for fall and November 1 for a spring FNP start; BSN-to-DNP is due May 1 and MSN-to-DNP March 1.
- Degree Works and Navigate: the Academic Dates page sets a Degree Works exceptions deadline and a faculty academic-alert window in Navigate each term.
- Grades due: December 14 for fall and May 10 for spring, after which grade reports post in GoldLink.
MyETSU is planned to replace GoldLink in October 2027, after this academic year ends, and login credentials are not expected to change.
Why ETSU students choose us
We plan your preceptor search against ETSU's calendar rather than a generic one. Give us your term and course, and we work back from the first day of classes, allowing time for faculty approval, the credential check, the contract and your ProjectConcert requirements, all of which must be settled before clinical hours can start. For a spring practicum that means searching through the fall; for summer, through the winter.
When a term is already underway, we move quickly and keep census and withdrawal dates in view, so you have options before a deadline instead of after it. Every match arrives with the preceptor and site details the Intent Form asks for, and if a preceptor drops mid-term, we look for a replacement right away so the hours you still owe fit the weeks that remain. Start with the form.
Questions ETSU students ask
Is ETSU closed over Thanksgiving 2026?
Yes. The 2026-27 calendar closes the university November 25 to 27, and fall break closes it October 12 and 13. Closures apply to ETSU, not to your clinical site, so ask your course faculty whether hours you log with a preceptor on those days count, and agree the plan with your preceptor early.
When are ETSU final exams in fall 2026 and spring 2027?
Fall 2026 finals run December 5 to 10, with grades due December 14. Spring 2027 finals run May 1 to 6, with grades due May 10. Your preceptor's final evaluation and your hour log should be complete before your course faculty submit grades, so ask when they need them.
What is the last day to withdraw from a course at ETSU in 2026-27?
Without the dean's permission, the last day is October 12 in fall 2026 and March 9 in spring 2027. Later withdrawals need permission and bring a W or WF by passing status, and withdrawing from the university entirely is allowed until December 1 or April 27. Talk to your advisor first, since nursing limits WF grades.
Are the Summer 2027 dates final?
They come from the Board of Trustees-approved 2026-27 calendar, approved in February 2024. The registrar's live Academic Dates page had not posted Summer 2027 when this guide was checked, so confirm the dates there before you give a preceptor a firm start date.
Do DNP intensives appear on the ETSU academic calendar?
No. The university calendar lists term dates, sessions, deadlines and closures, while DNP intensives are scheduled by the program. ETSU's pages describe them in different ways, from one to two per semester to a 2 to 5 day intensive at the start of each semester, so check D2L and your program's messages.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-25
We check these pages against ETSU's own catalog, College of Nursing pages, plans of study and ProjectConcert guides. Your plan of study, your syllabus, your course faculty and the graduate clinical coordinator have the final word.
ETSU asks you to lead the preceptor search. We make it the fastest part of your program.
Tell us your ETSU concentration, where you live and which semester your next practicum starts. We find preceptors who fit the course's patient population and prepare everything your Preceptor Intent Form and ProjectConcert entry need.
- Preceptors matched to the course: young and middle adults for
NRSE 5012, older adults forNRSE 5014, women forNRSE 5022, children forNRSE 5024, psychiatric care forNRSE 5405 - Credentials, license numbers, certification dates and the site's patient mix ready for faculty approval
- In your own community, in Northeast Tennessee or wherever ETSU approves your clinicals
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