Setting Up Your Academic Year, Terms & Sessions

TL;DR: Define your academic year dates, divide it into terms/semesters, and configure exam periods. This is foundational — attendance, fees, grades, and reports all depend on it.

---

Why This Matters

Your academic year configuration affects:

• Attendance tracking — Which days count as working days
• Fee billing — When installments are due
• Exam scheduling — When assessment periods occur
• Report cards — Term-wise grade calculation
• Promotions — Year-end class advancement

---

Step 1: Create the Academic Year

1. Go to Settings → Academics → Academic Year.
2. Click + New Academic Year.
3. Fill in:
   • Session Name — e.g., "2026-2027"
   • Start Date — e.g., April 1, 2026
   • End Date — e.g., March 31, 2027
4. Mark it as Active to make it the current session.

---

Step 2: Define Terms / Semesters

1. Under the academic year, click + Add Term.
2. Create your term structure:

Example: Two-Semester System

Example: Three-Term System

Example: Quarterly System

---

Step 3: Configure Exam Periods

For each term, optionally define exam windows:

1. Click on a term → Add Exam Period.
2. Set exam start and end dates.
3. Name the exam (e.g., "Mid-Term", "Final Exam", "Unit Test 1").

These exam periods will appear in the Exam module and Report Card generation.

---

Step 4: Set Working Days & Holidays

1. Go to Settings → Academics → Working Days.
2. Define which days of the week are working days (default: Mon-Sat).
3. Add holidays:
   • Click + Add Holiday.
   • Enter the date and holiday name.
   • Choose if it applies to all campuses or specific ones.

---

Step 5: Activate & Verify

1. Return to Settings → Academics → Academic Year.
2. Verify all terms, holidays, and exam periods look correct.
3. Click Set as Active if not already active.
4. The system will recalculate working days and update all dependent modules.

---

Managing Multiple Academic Years

Year-End Transition

When the academic year ends:

1. Create the new academic year with fresh terms.
2. Run Student Promotion to advance students to the next class.
3. Set the new year as Active.
4. The previous year's data remains accessible under historical records.

Mid-Year Corrections

If you need to adjust term dates mid-year:

1. Edit the term under Settings → Academics → Academic Year.
2. Modify the dates.
3. Click Recalculate to update attendance and fee calculations.

---

Troubleshooting

Q: I can't create a new term — "overlapping dates" error. A: Term dates cannot overlap. Ensure there are no gaps or overlaps between your terms. Vacation periods between terms are fine.

Q: Attendance isn't showing for certain dates. A: Those dates may be marked as holidays or fall outside the active academic year. Check Settings → Working Days.

Q: Fee installments aren't aligning with terms. A: Fee schedules are configured separately. Go to Finance → Fee Structure to align payment dates with your term schedule.

---

Need help planning your academic calendar? Talk to our implementation team.