Understanding academic years
Information for students to help work out what academic year their course falls under.
Your academic year
This is determined by your course start date. If you apply for funding for the wrong academic year, it could delay your student finance.
How to work out your academic year
The academic year which applies to you depends on your course start date.
| If your course starts between: | Your academic year is: |
|---|---|
| 1 August 2024 to 31 July 2025 | 2024 to 2025 |
| 1 August 2023 to 31 July 2024 | 2023 to 2024 |
| 1 August 2022 to 31 July 2023 | 2022 to 2023 |
Your university or college will be able to confirm your academic year if you don’t know it.
Academic year start and end dates
For the majority of students, each academic year will run from 1 September to 31 August but there are 4 official start dates in each academic year with each lasting 12 months.
You can find the one which applies to you based your course start date.
| If your course starts between: | Your academic year will run from: |
|---|---|
| 1 August and 31 December | 1 September to 31 August |
| 1 January and 31 March | 1 January to 31 December |
| 1 April and 30 June | 1 April to 31 March |
| 1 July and 31 July | 1 July to 30 June |
Your university or college will be able to confirm your course start date if you don’t know it.
Open University
The Open University provides a flexible approach to study with numerous start dates available. Knowing which academic year your course falls under is especially important before you complete and return any forms. If you’re not sure which form to complete, speak to your university or college.
Updates to this page
Published 7 June 2022Last updated 26 January 2024 + show all updates
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Added 2024 to 2025 academic year and removed 2021 to 2022
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First published.