Michaelmas term

{{For|the Jacobean play by Thomas Middleton|Michaelmas Term (play)}}

Michaelmas ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|ɪ|k|əl|m|ə|s}} {{Respell|MIK|əl|məs}}) term is the first academic term of the academic year in a number of English-speaking universities and schools in the northern hemisphere, especially in the United Kingdom. Michaelmas term derives its name from the Feast of St Michael and All Angels, which falls on 29 September. The term runs from September or October to Christmas.

The legal year

The term is also the name of the first of four terms into which the legal year is divided by the Courts of England and Wales and the Courts of Northern Ireland.

While the name is not used in the legal systems of the United States, where most American courts operate on continuous year-round calendars without terms, the U.S. Supreme Court roughly follows the English custom by beginning its annual nine-month term on the first Monday in October, a few days after Michaelmas.

Universities

Universities in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland which use the name 'Michaelmas term' as of July 2018 include:

University of Cambridge{{cite web|url=https://www.cam.ac.uk/about-the-university/term-dates-and-calendars|title=Term dates and calendars|date=28 January 2013 |publisher=University of Cambridge|access-date=28 July 2018}}
Canterbury Christ Church University{{cite web|url=https://www.canterbury.ac.uk/students/academic-services/timetables-and-dates/university-dates-2017-18.aspx|title=University Dates 2017-18|publisher=Canterbury Christ Church University|access-date=28 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180729112036/https://www.canterbury.ac.uk/students/academic-services/timetables-and-dates/university-dates-2017-18.aspx|archive-date=29 July 2018|url-status=dead}}
Trinity College, Dublin, The University of Dublin{{cite web|url=https://www.tcd.ie/calendar/academic-year-structure/academic-year-structure.pdf|title=Academic Year Structure 2018 – 19|publisher=TCD|access-date=28 July 2018}}
Durham University{{cite web|url=https://www.dur.ac.uk/dates/|publisher=Durham University|title=Dates of meetings and events|access-date=28 July 2018}}
Lancaster University{{cite web|url=http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/term-dates/|title=Term Dates|publisher=Lancaster University|access-date=28 July 2018}}
University of Oxford{{cite web|url=https://www.ox.ac.uk/about/facts-and-figures/dates-of-term?wssl=1|title=Dates of Term|publisher=University of Oxford|access-date=28 July 2018}}
Swansea University{{cite web|url=http://www.swansea.ac.uk/the-university/world-class/semesterandtermdates/|title=Semester and Term Dates|publisher=Swansea University|access-date=28 July 2018}}
Aberystwyth University{{Cite web|title=Aberystwyth University - : Session 2020/2021|url=https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/dates-of-term/dates-2020/|access-date=2020-07-16|website=www.aber.ac.uk|language=en}}

In addition, the name is used unofficially in several other University of London colleges. It also used to be the third and final term at the University of Sydney before it swapped over to the two-semester system in 1989. It was formerly used at Heythrop College, King's College London, University of Kent, London School of Economics{{Cite web|url=https://info.lse.ac.uk/current-students/term-dates|title=Term dates|website=info.lse.ac.uk|access-date=20 November 2023}} and University of Wales, Lampeter. The University of Exeter no longer seems to use the name officially, as it formerly did (the term dates on their website don't use it), but their Anglican Chaplaincy retains the name.[https://www.exeter.ac.uk/chaplaincy/christian/anglican/termdates]/

At the University of Oxford, following the resolution made by Council on 8 May 2002, Michaelmas Term begins on and includes 1 October and ends on and includes 17 December.[http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/examregs/03-00_REGULATIONS_ON_THE_NUMBER_AND_LENGTH_OF_TERMS.shtml Oxford University: Regulations on the number and lengths of terms] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080527150600/http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/examregs/03-00_REGULATIONS_ON_THE_NUMBER_AND_LENGTH_OF_TERMS.shtml |date=2008-05-27 }}, University of Oxford, UK. In the Michaelmas Term, as in Hilary Term and in Trinity Term, there is a period of eight weeks known as Full Term, beginning on a Sunday, within which lectures and other instruction prescribed by statute or regulation are given. The dates on which each Full Term will begin and end in the next academic year but one are published by the Registrar in the University Gazette during each Hilary Term.