Southeastern's 2026-27 academic calendar, read with a clinical plan in mind
Southeastern Louisiana University's fall 2026 semester runs August 19 to December 11 and spring 2027 runs January 20 to May 14, while summer is a short semester of about nine weeks. Graduate nursing courses are planned by full semester, so every clinical course's hours fit one of those windows. Here are the dates that matter, start terms by program, and how to line up each preceptor in time.
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Fall 2026 and spring 2027, date by date
Southeastern's Office of the Registrar keeps the official calendar, and the 2026-27 catalog links straight to it. Each semester has a full-length schedule plus two shorter sessions, Term I and Term II. Graduate nursing follows the full semester: the catalog states clinical hours per semester, such as the 200 practicum hours in NURS 6820, and the only nursing program Southeastern describes in 8-week terms is the online RN to BSN.
| What | Fall 2026 | Spring 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Open registration closes (5:00 pm) | Aug 10 | Jan 11 |
| First day of classes | Aug 19 | Jan 20 |
| Term I | Aug 19 to Oct 13 | Jan 20 to Mar 11 |
| Term II | Oct 14 to Dec 11 | Mar 15 to May 14 |
| Graduation application, on-time date | Sep 15 | Feb 15 |
| Graduation application, final date (late fee) | Nov 1 | Apr 1 |
| Last day to withdraw or resign (full semester) | Oct 30 | Apr 8 |
| Priority registration for the next term | Nov 16 to 20 (spring 2027) | Apr 19 to 23 (summer and fall 2027) |
| Last class day | Dec 4 | May 7 |
| Semester ends | Dec 11 | May 14 |
| Commencement | Dec 12 | May 15 |
Closures: Labor Day (September 7), Fall Break (October 8 and 9), Thanksgiving (November 25 to 27), Winter Break (December 22 to January 1), Martin Luther King Jr. Day (January 18), Mardi Gras (February 8 and 9) and Spring Break (March 26 to April 2). The spring table labels its April priority window summer and fall 2026, which can only mean 2027, and the Registrar notes the calendar may change, so recheck the live page before relying on a date.
Summer is the short semester
The summer 2026 semester ran June 3 to August 3, with Term I from June 3 to July 1 and Term II from July 2 to July 30. Graduation applications were due June 15 (on time) or July 1 (final), the last withdrawal day was July 8, and summer graduates walk in December. Summer 2027 dates were not yet posted in late September 2026.
Summer matters because several catalog plans put clinical work there. The BSN to DNP FNP plan places NURS 6820 Family Health I, with its 200 practicum hours, in a summer semester, and the BSN to DNP PMHNP plan puts the observation hours of NURS 6900 and NURS 8210 Residency I in summers. By our arithmetic, 200 hours spread evenly over roughly nine summer weeks is about 23 hours a week, against about 12 across a 16-week fall or spring. Course faculty can tell you when hours may begin and must be finished.
Summer hours stack up fast: 200 hours in nine weeks is nearly three clinical days a week (our arithmetic), so have a summer preceptor confirmed, approved and under contract before June.
Start terms and application dates by program
Your first semester sets the season of every clinical course that follows, so the start term is the first calendar decision you make. The dates below come from Southeastern's admission pages and the 2026-27 catalog; where a page gives no date, the row says so.
| Program | Start terms | Application due |
|---|---|---|
| MSN: FNP, PMHNP or Nursing Education | Summer, spring, fall | Nov 15 (spring), May 16 (summer), Jul 15 (fall) |
| BSN to DNP: FNP or PMHNP | Fall, spring, summer | Nov 15 (spring), Apr 15 (summer), Jul 15 (fall) |
| BSN to DNP: Nurse Executive Leadership | Summer and fall only on the admissions page; the catalog says students enter as a cohort | Apr 15 (summer), Jul 15 (fall) |
| Post-master's DNP, with or without the PMHNP certificate | Fall only | Jul 15 |
| Post-master's FNP or PMHNP certificate | Spring and fall | Not stated; ask the graduate nursing office |
| RN to BSN (online) | January, June, August | Not stated |
| BSN (traditional or accelerated) | Spring, summer (accelerated), fall | Sep 1 (spring entry), Feb 1 (summer or fall entry) |
PMHNP seasons differ by plan: the MSN marks its four psychiatric courses fall only or spring only, the BSN to DNP runs them in other seasons, and one DNP plan puts NURS 6970 in a summer its course listing does not offer. Treat your advisor's plan of study as your calendar; the PMHNP hours guide covers each course.
Registering in Workday, plus the consortium form
Registration runs through Workday, which replaced LeoNet on July 1, 2026. Workday shows your registration appointment time, your schedule and any hold that would block registering; the online student tools guide covers it in more depth. Aim for the priority week, not the last day of open registration.
MSN students have one extra step. Courses in the Intercollegiate Consortium for a Master of Science in Nursing can be taught by faculty at any of the four member schools, and the consortium handbook asks you to request them through its Online Enrollment Form during advising. Skip the form and the handbook warns that your seat in the course may not be held. Register for a clinical course early enough that the course seat, the preceptor and the facility contract all come together before the first day.
The graduation application comes early
The calendar gives each term two graduation application dates: an on-time date (September 15 for fall 2026, February 15 for spring 2027) and a final date that carries a late fee (November 1 and April 1). The graduate catalog asks for something earlier still: apply during the semester before the one in which you expect to finish.
Those two readings do not match. The calendar lists its dates as deadlines for the current term, while the catalog points to the term before. The safer route is to file during your next-to-last semester and never later than the on-time date of your final term. If you apply and then do not finish that term, the catalog requires a new application and another application fee for each later term.
The final clinical course carries the most risk to that date: a preceptor who steps away mid-semester, or a contract that stalls, can push hours past the last class day. Settling that preceptor early protects the term you filed for.
Mapping a preceptor search onto the semesters
The consortium handbook warns that a new facility contract can take several weeks to months, and every preceptor needs course faculty approval and the graduate coordinator's review before the first hour counts. Southeastern publishes no single preceptor deadline; the handbook points to your school's designated deadline, which course faculty set out. Working backward from the first day of class gives this timeline, which is our suggestion rather than a Southeastern rule:
- Two semesters outName the population your next course needs, such as pediatrics and child-bearing women for
NURS 6820, and start searching in your part of Louisiana. - One semester outConfirm the preceptor's willingness, raise the choice with course faculty, and check whether the facility already has a contract or letter of agreement with Southeastern.
- Registration windowRegister in Workday, file the Online Enrollment Form for consortium courses, and chase any pending contract.
- Before the first clinical dayConfirm the contract, the preceptor's vita, the signed letter of agreement and your health records are on file with the graduate nursing office.
- During the semesterKeep your schedule current in the tracking system and your hours on pace for the last class day.
The facility contracts guide explains the contract step, the part of this timeline most likely to run long.
Planning with the placement desk
Every search we run is built around your semester dates. Tell us your program, your next clinical course and the term it starts, and your placement advisor goes looking for a Louisiana-licensed preceptor who fits that course's population, ideally a full semester or more ahead. We check whether the facility already holds a Southeastern contract, put together what course faculty need for the approval conversation, and stay on call through the semester in case a preceptor has to step away.
Students with a summer clinical course, or a final course tied to a graduation date, gain the most from starting early. Read how it works for the full process, or send your program and term through the form below.
Questions Southeastern students ask
Do Southeastern's graduate nursing courses run in 8-week terms?
No Southeastern page describes the NP courses in 8-week sessions; the catalog lays them out by full semester with clinical hours stated per semester. Term I and Term II exist for courses that use them, and the online RN to BSN is the nursing program Southeastern describes with two 8-week terms each fall and spring. Workday shows each course's actual dates.
Can I schedule clinical hours during Mardi Gras or Spring Break?
Both are university holidays on the calendar, and Southeastern publishes no rule about clinical hours on those days. Your preceptor's clinic may stay open, so ask course faculty before booking hours during a closure, and keep the approved schedule in the clinical tracking system current.
When will Southeastern post the summer 2027 calendar?
It was not on the Registrar's page when we checked in late September 2026. Summer 2026 ran June 3 to August 3, a fair guide for rough planning, but wait for the posted dates before committing a preceptor to specific weeks. Priority registration for summer and fall 2027 is listed for April 19 to 23.
What if I miss the graduation application date?
The on-time date is followed by a final date that carries a late fee, September 15 and November 1 for fall 2026. The calendar prints nothing after the final date, so contact the Registrar or your advisor right away if you miss both. If you apply and do not finish that term, the catalog has you reapply with another fee.
Does summer graduation have its own ceremony?
No. Summer graduates walk at the December commencement, December 12 in 2026, and spring 2027 graduates walk on May 15. If your last clinical course runs in summer, your graduation application still follows the summer dates, which in 2026 were June 15 on time and July 1 final.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-27
We check these pages against Southeastern's own catalog, program pages and consortium handbook, and Louisiana rules. Your course faculty, the graduate coordinator and your advisor have the final word.
Southeastern asks you to choose your preceptor. We find one near you.
Tell us your Southeastern track, where in Louisiana you live and when your next clinical course starts. We find Louisiana-licensed preceptors who fit the course, confirm whether the facility is already under contract with the university, and hand you what your course faculty need to approve it before the semester.
- Pediatric and women's health preceptors for
NURS 6820, adult and older-adult primary care forNURS 6830andNURS 6840 - Psychiatric preceptors for
NURS 6910toNURS 6930, with the child and older-adult focus each course sets - Across Louisiana, from the Northshore to Shreveport
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