Student accommodation
Academic year
The academic year is the period of classes and exams in a university year. In Spain it generally runs from September to June, with two semesters and exams in January or February and in June, and it is the unit in which places in a student residence are usually contracted.
Also known asacademic session · university year · curso académico
How it shapes a residence's year
A residence lives to the rhythm of the academic year. Arrivals are concentrated in September, by October the building is full, it half empties at Christmas and Easter, goes quiet during exam weeks and empties again in June. Anyone who has to sit the resit session, which each university sets in its own calendar, sometimes needs to stay a few weeks longer, and that has to be planned for before the beds are committed for the summer.
| When | What happens in the building |
|---|---|
| September | Arrivals, check-in and introducing the rules |
| January and February | First-semester exams; arrivals and departures of those who come for half the year |
| Winter and spring | Rebooking campaign for the following year |
| June and July | Exams, departures and, in many buildings, summer stays |
In the United Kingdom the university year is usually organised in terms, and contracts in a private residence are often signed for a number of weeks that can run beyond teaching. In Spain it is usual to contract the academic year and treat the summer separately, and in a colegio mayor (a Spanish hall of residence with a formative programme) the year also shapes the activity programme and community life. That difference changes how the bed and the occupancy rate are counted.
Sources
Related terms
- RebookingRebooking is a resident renewing their place for the next academic year, usually in a campaign that opens months before the current year ends. It is the part of occupancy that does not have to be found from outside, and the clearest sign of whether the people living in the building want to stay.
- Summer stayA summer stay is the use of a student residence's beds in the months when the academic year leaves them free: summer schools, language groups, conferences, sports teams or short stays. It keeps the building from standing empty all summer, but it changes completely how the building runs.