Please note: in the interest of making semesterly CalMessages more concise and making information easier to find, we are providing key information in this email and more detailed content in new sections of the EVCP and Undergraduate Education websites. You will find additional relevant links below.
Dear colleagues,
As we approach the start of the fall semester, we wish to call your attention to important campus policies and guidelines concerning academic accommodations for religious observance, illness, disability, hardship, athletics, pregnancy, and other situations. We have both ethical and legal obligations to provide accommodations and other supportive measures to our students. Thank you for all you do to support the accommodations needs of our students.
Academic Accommodations Hub
The Academic Accommodations Hub is the student and instructor portal for academic support resources, including accommodations and supportive measures that students may request. The hub provides customized guidance to instructors who receive such requests from students, or campus offices supporting those students. The Supportal website is a useful companion to the Academic Accommodations hub. Supportal is a hub site for supportive resources for the entire campus community, including students, faculty, and staff. We strongly encourage all instructors to provide a link to the Academic Accommodations Hub and to Supportal in their course syllabi.
You can find more detailed guidance on some of the more common requests for flexibility or accommodation on the following webpages:
Technology and Accessibility
Fostering an equitable learning experience for all Berkeley students and instructors by supporting accessible academic technology tools is a high priority. We strongly recommend instructors use Research, Teaching, and Learning’s supported learning tools, which offer the benefits of accessibility, privacy, and security. The campus is unable to provide assistance for unsupported tools. If you have questions, please contact rtl-general@berkeley.edu
Guidance for Digital Accessibility of Web Content
In 2022, the campus entered into a Consent Decree with the Department of Justice concerning the need to ensure that web content is accessible to persons with disabilities. As part of the agreement, the Digital Accessibility Program has created a short mandatory training on How to Comply with the Web Accessibility Procedure. You can take it now, and it will also be assigned to employees in the UC Learning Center in spring 2026.
Moreresources and educational materials are available on the website dap.berkeley.edu, Please email improving-accessibility@berkeley.edu if you have any questions or would like to meet with a digital accessibility specialist.
Important Semester Dates
See the fall 2025 Academic Calendar maintained by the Office of the Registrar for the latest calendar information (students in degree programs that do not align with the standard academic calendar should consult with their department). You can also find a summary of important dates for the semester on the UE website. Below are some important dates in the semester:
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Fall Semester Begins: Wednesday, August 20, 2025
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Instruction Begins: Wednesday, August 27, 2025
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Academic and Administrative Holiday: Monday, September 1, 2025
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Midpoint grading rosters open for instructors: Monday, September 29, 2025
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Affordability Deadlinefor instructors to submit spring 2026 textbook adoptions to the Cal Student Store: Friday. October 17, 2025
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Deadline for instructors to enter midterm deficient grades: Tuesday, October 21, 2025
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Academic and Administrative Holiday: Tuesday, November 11, 2025
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Non-Instructional Day: Wednesday, November 26, 2025
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Academic and Administrative Holiday: Thursday, November 27 and Friday, November 28
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Disability Accommodation Deadline for instructors to submit spring 2026 textbook adoptions to the Cal Student Store: Tuesday, December 2, 2025
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Formal Classes End: Friday, December 5, 2025
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Reading/Review/Recitation Week: Monday, December 8 - Friday, December 12, 2025
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Final examinations: Monday, December 15 - Friday, December 19, 2025
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Academic and Administrative Holiday: Wednesday, December 24 and Thursday, December 25
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Academic and Administrative Holiday: Wednesday, December 31, 2025 and Thursday, January 1, 2026
Thank you for your continued dedication, creativity, and flexibility as we begin the new academic year.
Sincerely,
Benjamin E. Hermalin
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost
Oliver M. O’Reilly
Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education
Lisa García Bedolla
Vice Provost for Graduate Studies and Dean of the Graduate Division
Amani Nuru-Jeter
Chair, Berkeley Division of the Academic Senate
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