Term Dates

Undergraduate Programmes

Welcome Week (Freshers' Week) is from Sunday 17th September 2023 until Friday 22nd September 2023. New students are expected to attend this week as it is an important opportunity to adjust to University life.

New students:

* The dates above are for new students, returning students are advised to check Portal for details of the 2023/24 academic calendar.

The weeks commencing 11th December 2023 and 1st April 2024 are ‘Digital Skills Weeks’ the study in these two weeks will be conducted online and does not require attendance at the University.

Please note that these term dates do not apply to some professional programmes in the Faculty of Education and Children’s Services e.g., PGCE, or the Faculty of Health and Social Care e.g. Nursing or Midwifery. For more information please contact your Department.

Postgraduate Taught Programmes

As a postgraduate student, you will study over a calendar, rather than academic year. The standard dates for Postgraduate Taught full-time students are as follows:

• October intake:
  9th October 2023 – 11th October 2024
• January/February 2023 intake:
  Specific start dates vary depending on programme.
• May intake:
  1st May 2023 – 12th May 2024

The term dates apply to all intakes, including students who start their programme in October, January or May.

Student Vacation Weeks:

• 18th December 2023 – 1st January 2024
• 8th April 2024 – 19th April 2024
• 12th August 2024 – 23rd August 2024

Please note that you will need to refer to your individual programme timetable for details on specific start dates and induction sessions and if you are studying part time.

International Students Vacation Dates

In order to assist both international students who have Student visas, and their potential employers, the University has published the following vacation dates for the current academic year. 

The term dates apply to all intakes, including students who start their programme in September, October, January or May.

These are the official vacation dates during which international students can work full-time.

Postgraduate Programmes

For students on full-time programmes of study leading to the award of Master's Degrees (MA, MSc, MBA, LLM and MTh) or full-time Research Degrees (MPhil and PhD) study takes place over a calendar, rather than the academic year. 

Standard vacation dates for PG programmes are

First Day of Vacation	Last Day of Vacation
Saturday,12 August 2023	Monday, 28 August 2023 (public holiday)
Saturday, 16 December 2023	Monday, 1 January 2024 (public holiday)
Saturday, 6 April 2024	Sunday, 21 April 2024
Saturday, 10 August 2024	Monday, 26 August 2024

Undergraduate Programmes

For students on full-time programmes of study leading to the award of the Centre for Foundation Studies or Bachelor's Degree (BA, BSc, BA (QTS), BN, LLB and Integrated Masters MEng.).

First Day of Vacation	Last Day of Vacation
Saturday, 10 June 2023	Sunday, 17 September 2023 - New students Sunday, 24 September 2023 - Returning students
Saturday, 16 December 2023	Monday, 1 January 2024 (public holiday)
Saturday, 6 April 2024	Sunday, 21 April 2024
Saturday, 8 June 2024	Sunday, 22 September 2024

All dates are inclusive.

Guidance Notes

Under the UKVI rules students studying in the United Kingdom on a student visa, are restricted to specified working hours per week during the term-time as detailed in the individual student’s visa contained either on their Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) or their digital visa.  The restrictions are usually 20 hours per week, being the seven-day period from Monday to Sunday, for Bachelor's, Master's and Research Degrees and 10 hours per week (Monday to Sunday) for the Foundation programmes. 

However, during vacation periods, as detailed above, students on a student visa may be employed on a full-time basis. There are still some restrictions on the type of work that can be done at these times. Those on a student visa who are seeking employment can never:

• be employed as a doctor in training;
• be employed as a professional sportsperson (including a sports coach);
• be employed as an entertainer;
• be self-employed;
• engage in business activity; or
• fill a full-time, permanent vacancy

International students entering the UK with a Standard Visitor Visa may not take any paid or unpaid employment.

Potential employers are strongly advised to check both the restrictions detailed in an individual student’s visa and seek guidance from the UKVI directly or via the UKVI website regarding a migrant student’s legal right to work.  Employers are also advised to undertake a Right to Work check or use the Employer Checking Service available through UKVI. Our document Employing International Students from the University of Chester highlights some useful information for those employing student visa holders from the University of Chester.

Both employers and students are reminded that for the purposes of employment or working the UKVI define a 'week' as the seven-day period commencing on a Monday and ending on the following Sunday. Training also counts towards the total hours per week.

• Vacation dates 2023-24 (PDF file)