What are Terms in Canvas?
In Canvas, a term is the length of time when a site is fully active. Courseware Support collaborates with the Courseware Advisory to determine a term’s duration. Most Canvas sites are aligned with the course’s academic semester.
For courses that do not align with an academic semester, instructors may request that the Canvas site be assigned to a special term:
- Penn Term: no date restrictions.
- Academic Year Term: courses that run for a full academic year or multiple semesters.
Canvas site availability
Canvas sites are fully available to all enrolled users (faculty, TAs, students, etc.) for the duration of a site’s associated term. You can view the start and end dates of your site’s term on its Settings page.
Teachers, TAs, and Designers are typically granted full access several months before the start of a term. Students are granted access a few weeks before the start of a term; however, course faculty and staff may keep course sites or materials unpublished until the date when students should have access.
Concluded Canvas Sites
Canvas sites “conclude” when the term ends. Concluded sites may disappear from the User Dashboard, but they can be accessed in your Past Enrollments list by clicking Courses > All Courses.
Concluded sites are in a read-only state, which means that all enrolled users can view the content but cannot perform actions, such as submitting or grading work.
Instructors may copy content from a concluded course into an active one, and the copied content can then be edited in the active course.
Current and Upcoming Terms
The Penn Academic Calendar outlines when courses begin and end, along with university holidays, important deadlines, and events.
Canvas terms 2025-2026
| Fall 2025 | Dates |
|---|---|
| Term runs | August 12, 2025 – January 6, 2026 |
| Student access | August 1, 2025 – January 6, 2026 |
| Teacher/TA/Designer access | Whenever – February 28, 2026 |
| Spring 2026 | Dates |
|---|---|
| Term runs | January 2, 2026 – May 31, 2026 |
| Student access | January 2, 2026 – May 31, 2026 |
| Teacher/TA/Designer access | Whenever – June 30, 2026 |
| Summer 2026 | Dates |
|---|---|
| Term runs | May 1, 2026 – August 31, 2026 |
| Student access | May 1, 2026 – August 31, 2026 |
| Teacher/TA/Designer access | Whenever – September 30, 2026 |
| Academic Year 2025-2026 | Dates |
|---|---|
| Term runs | August 1, 2025 – May 31, 2026 |
| Student access | August 1, 2025 – May 31, 2026 |
| Teacher/TA/Designer access | Whenever – June 30, 2026 |