Michaelmas, Hilary and Trinity
Michaelmas, Hilary and Trinity are the three terms of the Oxford academic year, running roughly October to December, January to March and April to June. Hilary is the one that sets Oxford apart: Cambridge calls the same months Lent term, and the Oxford name comes from the feast of St Hilary in mid-January.
In practice
Teaching is concentrated in the eight weeks of each term known as "full term". Oxford numbers those weeks from Sunday to Saturday, first week to eighth week, and people use the numbers as dates: "the lecture is on Tuesday of fifth week". The week before term is "noughth week" and the week after is "ninth week"; both are busy with college exams, meetings and events. The University publishes the exact dates of term years in advance.
Why it matters to newcomers
The rhythm of the city follows the terms. Restaurants, buses and pubs fill up during full term and empty in the vacations, rents for short lets change with them, and many University events are only advertised by week number. Put the official dates of term in your calendar and learn to translate "sixth week" into a date.
Related
- Collections - the college exams of noughth week
- Summer Eights - the rowing races of Trinity term
- Encaenia - held on the Wednesday of ninth week of Trinity
- Battels - the termly college bill
Source: University of Oxford: dates of term.