What is the difference between the Quarter and Semester System?
– (top) The quarter system is the division of the academic year into four equal parts. Each quarter is 10 weeks in length, and there are usually three quarters (fall, winter and spring) per academic year. All UC campuses, except Berkeley, are on a quarter system. In the UC system, three quarters constitute an academic year, with summer school considered an optional “quarter.” A semester is the other type of term within an academic year. Each semester is 18 weeks in length, and there are two semesters (fall and spring) in an academic year. Berkeley is the only U.C. campus on semester system. In addition, some colleges offer a fourth term during the summer. Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo has a summer quarter. However, most colleges offer summer classes with summer not considered an official term of the academic year.
