UKZN Important Sessional Dates for 2023 – Registrar’s Office
Sessional Details
A brief overview of the sessional details of UKZN for 2023 is as follows.
FIRST SEMESTER:
The initial term at UKZN will begin on Monday, 13th February and conclude on Tuesday, 27th June.
EASTER BREAK:
During this session, the Easter break will span from Friday, 7th April to Sunday, 16th April.
WINTER BREAK:
The winter break will take place from Wednesday, 28th June until Sunday, 23rd July.
SECOND SEMESTER:
Similarly, the second semester at UKZN will commence on Monday, 24th July and end on Monday, 4th December.
MID-TERM PAUSE:
The mid-term break will be observed from Saturday, 23rd September to Sunday, 1st October.
After providing a brief overview, let’s delve into the session in detail, following the chronological order of events.
New Year’s Day:
The session will commence with New Year’s Day, a public holiday, on Sunday, 1st January.
Public Holiday:
This will be followed by another public holiday on Monday, 2nd January, and the University will reopen on Tuesday, 3rd January.
Online registrations for returning students:
Remote online registration for returning students will open on Tuesday, 10th January.. On this day, School Higher Degree Committees will review re-registration appeals from postgraduate students, which will then be recommended to the CAAB.
January 13 is the deadline to apply to sit in second semester exams. This is also the final date for submitting applications for Special exams having Senate permission.
Last Date for giving in barring appeals:
Wednesday, 18th January is the cutoff for the submission of barring appeals from undergraduate, honors, and postgraduate diploma students.
USAf download of NSC results:
On Friday, 20th January, the USAf download of National Senior Certificate (NSC) results will take place, albeit provisionally.
CAECOM meetings:
CAECOM meetings are scheduled for Friday, 3rd February.
Parents Day:
Saturday, 4th February is designated as Parents Day.
Online Registration Week:
An exclusive orientation and dedicated remote online registration week will be organized specifically for first-time entering new students (FTEN) from Monday, 6th February to Saturday, 11th February.
AECOM Meeting:
Wednesday, 8th February is the date for the AECOM meeting.
Deadline for submission of bound examination copies:
Thursday, 9th February is the deadline for higher degree pupil to hand in their bound or final examination copies if they had previously indicated their intention to submit them during the second semester of 2022. It is important to note that this submission can be made without the need to register for the first semester of 2023.
Semester 1
The following is a detailed breakdown of the events in the first semester:
Commencement of lectures:
Lectures for the first semester will commence on Monday, 13th February.
Special exams week:
A special exams week will be held for students with a maximum of 2 outstanding modules, provided they were registered for those modules in 2022. This week will take place from Monday, 13th February to Friday, 17th February.
Marking of special exams:
The marking of special exams and the release of results will occur from Monday, 20th February to Tuesday, 21st February.
Submission of curriculum changes and other events:
Friday, 24th February is the final date for submitting curriculum changes and requests for deferred assessments (Deferred Papers) for modules that had DPs in 2022. On this date, it’s imperative to meet the final deadline for making the basic tuition fee to complete your registration, as well as the deadline for academic registration for the first semester. Missing these deadlines may result in delays in your enrollment process.
Deadline for capturing graduation decisions:
Friday, 17th March is the last day for Recording degree conferral choices on ITS for Bachelor’s, Honors, Diplomas, and Certificates.
Human Rights Day:
Marked as a public holiday, Tuesday, 21st March is dedicated to observing Human Rights Day, emphasizing the significance of human rights and their universal recognition.
End of lectures:
Lectures for the first semester will conclude on Thursday, 6th April.
Deadline for droppimg module:
The crucial deadline for both module dropping and University dropping (Semester 1) falls on Thursday, 6th April. Make sure to take action before this date if you need to withdraw from a module or the University for the current semester.
Release of exam timetable:
Thursday, 6th April is the date for the release of the schedule for the main and supplementary examinations of the first semester.
Deadline for capturing degree conferral choices (Masters students):
Master’s and doctoral students must ensure to Record degree conferral choices on ITS before Thursday, 6th April, as this marks the last day for capturing those decisions.
Good Friday:
Friday, 7th April is Good Friday, a public holiday.
Easter Vacation:
The Easter vacation or student mid-term break will take place from Friday, 7th April to Sunday, 16th April.
Easter Monday:
Easter Monday will be observed as a public holiday on Monday, 10th April.
Commencement of lectures:
Lectures will resume on Monday, 17th April.
Eid ul Fitr:
The provisional date for Eid ul Fitr is Saturday, 22nd April, which will be considered a condoned day of absence.
Compensatory Day:
Wednesday, 26th April will serve as a compensatory day following the Thursday timetable.
Freedom Day:
Thursday, 27th April marks Freedom Day, a public holiday.
Workers Day:
Monday, 1st May is recognized as Workers Day, a public holiday.
Graduation Ceremonies:
Graduation ceremonies in Pietermaritzburg (PMB) will take place from Wednesday, 3rd May to Thursday, 4th May, while graduation ceremonies in Westville are scheduled from Saturday, 6th May to Saturday, 13th May.
Publishing DP Refusals:
DP refusals for modules with traditional written exams will be published on Tuesday, 23rd May.
End of lectures:
Wednesday, 24th May will be the conclusion of lectures for modules that require traditional written exams. However, lectures for online modules with formative evaluation will persist beyond that date.
Deadline for submission of DP Refusals:
For this course, the deadline for the fee submission is currently 26th May ie Friday.
First Semester Examinations:
First-semester examinations, including Saturdays, will commence on Tuesday, 30th May for modules with traditional written exams and conclude on Tuesday, 13th June. There will be a break from Wednesday, 14th June to Monday, 19th June.
Youth Day:
Friday, 16th June is observed as Youth Day, a public holiday.
Supplementary Examinations:
Supplementary examinations, including Saturdays, will begin on Tuesday, 20th June for modules with traditional written exams and end on Tuesday, 27th June.
End of 1st Semester Lectures:
All online-taught modules, with their formative evaluation opportunities, will have their first-semester lectures concluded on Friday, 23rd June.
End of 1st Semester:
The first semester will end for all students on Tuesday, 27th June.
Deadline for Readmission Applications:
Reinstatement applicants have until Friday, 30th June to submit their readmission applications for the second semester of 2023.
Teaching days and leaves for the 1st semester:
The total number of teaching days will be 64, with 13 weekdays allocated to each week, except for Fridays, which will have 12. A compensatory day will be observed on Wednesday, 26th April, following the Thursday timetable. Five days of leave will be provided as study leaves. The main examinations will span 14 days, while supplementary exams will last for 7 days.
2nd SEMESTER
Mid-Year Break:
The Mid-Year Break, also known as the winter vacation, will take place from Wednesday, 28th June to Sunday, 23rd July.
Semester 2:
Here are the details of the events in the second semester:
Capturing of supplementary exam marks:
By Thursday, 6th July, all supplementary exam marks for traditional written exams and continuous assessments must be captured on SMS.
Examination boards and release of results:
On Thursday, 13th July, the School Examination Boards will convene, and the results will be released at 00:01 on Friday, 14th July.
Commencement of second semester registrations:
Monday, 17th July marks the beginning of second semester registration.
Submission of bound examination copies:
For higher degree students, The deadline for submitting thesis, without the need of applying for the second semester of 2023, for any will to submit received in the first semester of 2023 is Thursday, 20th July.
Deadline for appeals for reassessment:
Friday, 21st July is the last day to submit appeals for reassessment for modules with traditional written exams in the first semester of 2023. It is also the deadline for the submission of exclusion appeals.
Commencement of lectures:
Second semester lectures will commence on Monday, 24th July.
Dates for meetings:
CAECOM meetings are scheduled for Wednesday, 26th July, and AECOM meetings will be held on Friday, 28th July.
Submission of curriculum changes:
Friday, 4th August is the final date for submitting curriculum changes.
Last Date for applying for deferred assessments:
Friday, 4th August is the deadline for applying for deferred assessments for semesters having DPs in 2022.
Deadline for basic tuition fee payment:
Friday, 4th August is the final date for the submission of basic tuition fee asked for registration.
Deadline for second semester registration:
Friday, 4th August is the deadline for second semester academic registration.
National Women’s Day:
Wednesday, 9th August is National Women’s Day, a public holiday.
Deadline for capturing graduation decisions:
Friday, 18th August is the last day for Recording degree conferral choices on ITS (Bachelors, Honors, Diplomas, and Certificates). Friday, 1st September is the final day for Recording degree conferral choices on ITS (Masters and Doctoral Students).
Compensatory day:
Monday, 4th September will serve as a compensatory day following a Wednesday timetable.
Deadline for dropping the module:
Friday, 15th September is the final date for dropping a module and for dropping the University (Semester 2). On the same day, the final schedule for main and supplementary exams will be displayed.
Spring graduation ceremonies:
Spring graduation ceremonies in Westville are scheduled from Monday, 18th to Friday, 22nd September.
Student mid-term break:
The student mid-term break will be observed from Saturday, 23rd September to Sunday, 1st October.
Heritage Day:
Monday, 25th September is Heritage Day, a public holiday.
Deadline for readmission applications:
Saturday, 30th September is the deadline for Reinstatement requests for Reinstatement into Semester 1, 2024.
Resumption of lectures:
Lectures will resume on Monday, 2nd October.
Publication of DP refusals:
On Monday, 30th October, DP refusals for modules with traditional written exams will be published on notice boards.
End of lectures:
Lectures for modules with traditional written exams will end on Tuesday, 31st October. However, lectures for online modules and assessed by formative evaluation will keep proceeding.
Deadline for submission of Disciplinary Proceedings appeals:
Thursday, 2nd November is the final date for giving in disciplinary proceedings demands to offices for modules with traditional written exams.
Commencement of examinations:
Second semester examinations, including Saturdays, will commence on Monday, 6th November for modules with traditional written exams.
End of examinations:
Examinations will conclude on Monday, 20th November for modules with traditional written examss.
Commencement of supplementary examinations:
Second semester supplementary examinations will start on Monday, 27th November for modules with traditional written exams.
Deadline for submission of thesis:
Friday, 1st December is the final date for giving in theses to the Higher degrees offices for possible April 2024 graduation.
End of lectures:
Friday, 1st December will mark the conclusion of second-semester lectures for all online-taught modules, encompassing all opportunities for formative evaluation.
End of second semester supplementary examinations:
Second semester supplementary examinations will end on Monday, 4th December for modules with traditional written exams.
End of second semester:
The second semester will end for all students on Monday, 4th December.
Summary of semester 2:
The total number of teaching days for the second semester will be 66, including 13 weekdays in each week, except for Tuesdays, which will have 14. Monday, 4th September will be a compensatory day following a Wednesday timetable. Students will have study leaves, with 14 examination days and 7 supplementary examination days.
Year-end break:
The year-end break will take place from Monday, 4th December to Friday, 22nd December. During this break, the following events will occur:
Capturing of supplementary exam marks: Supplementary exam marks must be captured on SMS by 12:00 on Tuesday, 12th December.
Day of Reconciliation: Saturday, 16th December is the Day of Reconciliation, a public holiday.
School Examination Boards and release of results: The School Examination Boards will convene on Tuesday, 19th December, and the results will be released on Wednesday, 20th December at 00:01.
Closure of University offices: University offices will close at 12:00 on Friday, 22nd December.
Academic calendars for the Medicine and the Education schools will be published separately.
The dates for BComAcc, BComHons(Acc), and PG Diploma (Acc) may vary and will be published separately.
All BA students of nursing are required to attend Practical training and Volunteer work during leaves from 1st January 2023 to 31st December 2023.
The University of KwaZulu-Natal has the authority to modify any aspect of the Academic calendar as it deems fit, without assuming responsibility for any inconvenience or loss resulting from these alterations.