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Web Strategy Documentation Library

Strategic considerations for web communications

The University of Washington follows several calendars which can provide you with much needed strategic communications considerations for your content. Below is a calendar, organized by month, with monthly themes, history and heritage months, and important dates that you can use to plan and coordinate your communications.

2025-2026 strategic considerations calendar

2025-2026 strategic considerations calendar

Theme

  • Theme: Our Public Promise
  • Hashtag: #UWserves

History and heritage month(s)

Important dates

  • Early January: Start of 2025 legislative session (UMAC)
  • January 1: New Year’s Day (2) (UWAC)
  • January 6: Instruction Begins – Winter 2025 (UWAC)
  • January 7: Orthodox Christmas (Christian Orthodox) (WSCOP)
  • January 15: First-year application deadline for UW Bothell and priority date for UW Tacoma (UMAC)
  • January 20: Martin Luther King Jr. Day (UWAC)
  • January 29: Lunar New Year (WSCOP)

Theme

  • Theme: Proven Impact
  • Hashtag: #UWdiscovers

History and heritage month(s)

Important dates

  • February 15: Admission Application for Transfer Students and Postbaccalaureate Students (UMAC)
  • February 17: Presidents’ Day (2) (UWAC)
  • February 25: Maha Shivaratri (Hindu) (3) (WSCOP)

Theme

  • Theme: Population Health
  • Hashtag: #PopulationHealth

History and heritage month(s)

Important dates

  • March 1: Beginning of Ramadan (Islamic) (3) (WSCOP)
  • March 5: Beginning of Lent (Christian Orthodox) (WSCOP)
  • March 5: Ash Wednesday (Christian) (WSCOP)
  • March 14: Last Day of Instruction – Winter 2025 (UWAC)
  • March 14: Purim (Jewish) (WSCOP)
  • March 14: Holi (Hindu) (5) (WSCOP)
  • March 15-21: Final Examination Week – Winter 2025 (UWAC)
  • March 22-30: Spring Break (UWAC)
  • March 27: Lailat al-Qadr (Islamic) (3) (WSCOP)
  • March 30: Eid al-Fitr (Islamic) (3) (WSCOP)
  • March 31: Instruction Begins – Spring 2025 (UWAC)

Theme

  • Theme: Husky Student Experience
  • Hashtag: #HuskyExperience

History and heritage month(s)

Important dates

  • April 6: Rama Navami (Hindu) (WSCOP)
  • April 12-20: Passover (Pesach) (Jewish) (4,6) (WSCOP)
  • April 18: Good Friday (Christian) (WSCOP)
  • April 18: Orthodox Good Friday (Christian Orthodox) (WSCOP)
  • April 20: Easter (Christian) (WSCOP)
  • April 20: Orthodox Easter (Christian Orthodox) (WSCOP)

Theme

  • Theme: Collaborative Innovation
  • Hashtag: #UWInnovates

History and heritage month(s)

Important dates

  • May 1: Deadline to accept fall 2025 admission at Seattle and UW Bothell; confirmation priority date for UW Tacoma (UMAC)
  • May 26: Memorial Day (2) (UWAC)

Theme

  • Theme: This is UW
  • Hashtag: #ThisIsUW

History and heritage month(s)

Important dates

  • June 1-3: Shavuot (Jewish) (4) (WSCOP)
  • June 6: Last Day of Instruction – Spring 2025 (UWAC)
  • June 7-13: Final Examination Week – Spring 2025 (UWAC)
  • June 13: Commencement – Tacoma (UWAC)
  • June 14: Commencement – Seattle (UWAC)
  • June 14-22: Summer Break (UWAC)
  • June 15: Commencement – Bothell (UWAC)
  • June 16: Eid al-Adha (Islamic) (3) (WSCOP)
  • June 19: Juneteenth (2) (UWAC)
  • June 23: Instruction Begins – Summer 2025 – Full-term (UWAC)
  • June 23: Instruction Begins – Summer 2025 – A-term (UWAC)
  • June 26 – July 24: Muharram (Al Hijrah New Year) (Islamic) (WSCOP)

Theme

  • Theme: Proven Impact
  • Hashtag: #UWdiscovers

Important dates

  • June 26 – July 24: Muharram (Al Hijrah New Year) (Islamic) (WSCOP)
  • July 4: Independence Day (2) (UWAC)
  • July 23: Last Day of Instruction – Summer 2025 – A-term (UWAC)
  • July 24: Instruction Begins – Summer 2025 – B-term (UWAC)

Theme

  • Theme: Our Public Promise
  • Hashtag: #UWserves

Important dates

  • August 16: Janmashtami (Hindu) (WSCOP)
  • August 22: Last Day of Instruction – Summer 2025 – Full-term (UWAC)
  • August 22: Last Day of Instruction – Summer 2025 – B-term (UWAC)
  • August 23 – September 23: Autumn Break (UWAC)

Theme

  • Theme: Be Boundless
  • Hashtag: #BeBoundless

History and heritage month(s)

Important dates

  • August 23 – September 23: Autumn Break (UWAC)
  • September 1: Labor Day (2) (UWAC)
  • September 4: Janmashtami (Hindu) (WSCOP)
  • September 5: Milad un-Nabi (birthday of Mohammad) (Islamic) (3) (WSCOP)
  • September 22-24: Rosh Hashanah (New Year) (Jewish) (4) (WSCOP)
  • September 24: Instruction Begins – Autum 2025 (UWAC)

Theme

  • Theme: Husky Student Experience
  • Hashtag: #HuskyExperience

History and heritage month(s)

Important dates

  • October 1-2: Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) (Jewish) (4) (WSCOP)
  • October 2: Navratri/Dussehra (Hindu) (WSCOP)
  • October 6-13: Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) (Jewish) (4,7) (WSCOP)
  • October 13: Indigenous Peoples Day (WSCOP)
  • October 15: Shemini Atzeret (Jewish) (4) (WSCOP)
  • October 15: Simchat Torah (Jewish) (4) (WSCOP)
  • October 20: Diwali (Hindu) (WSCOP)

Theme

  • Theme: Collaborative Innovation
  • Hashtag: #UWInnovates

History and heritage month(s)

Important dates

  • November 11: Veterans Day (2) (UWAC)
  • November 27: Thanksgiving (2) (UWAC)
  • November 28: Native American Heritage Day (2) (UWAC)

Theme

  • Theme: This is UW
  • Hashtag: #ThisIsUW

Important dates

  • December 5: Last Day of Instruction – Autumn 2025 (UWAC)
  • December 6-12: Final Examination Week – Autumn 2025 (UWAC)
  • December 13 – January 4: Winter Break (UWAC)
  • December 14-22: Hanukkah (Chanukah) (Jewish) (WSCOP)
  • December 25: Christmas Day (2) (UWAC)

Theme

  • Theme: Our Public Promise
  • Hashtag: #UWserves

History and heritage month(s)

Important dates

  • January 1: New Year’s Day (2) (UWAC)
  • January 5: Instruction Begins – Winter 2026 (UWAC)
  • January 7: Orthodox Christmas (Christian Orthodox) (WSCOP)
  • January 19: Martin Luther King Jr. Day (2) (UWAC)

Theme

  • Theme: Proven Impact
  • Hashtag: #UWdiscovers

History and heritage month(s)

Important dates

  • February 6: Lunar New Year (WSCOP)
  • February 15: Maha Shivaratri (Hindu) (3) (WSCOP)
  • February 16: Presidents’ Day (2) (UWAC)
  • February 18: Ash Wednesday (Christian) (WSCOP)
  • February 18: Beginning of Ramadan (Islamic) (3) (WSCOP)
  • February 18: Beginning of Lent (Christian Orthodox) (WSCOP)

Theme

  • Theme: Population Health
  • Hashtag: #PopulationHealth

History and heritage month(s)

Important dates

  • March 4: Purim (Jewish) (WSCOP)
  • March 4: Holi (Hindu) (8) (WSCOP)
  • March 13: Last Day of Instruction – Winter 2026 (UWAC)
  • March 14-20: Final Examination Week – Winter 2026 (UWAC)
  • March 16: Lailat al-Qadr (Islamic) (3) (WSCOP)
  • March 20: Eid al-Fitr (Islamic) (3) (WSCOP)
  • March 21-29: Spring Break (UWAC)
  • March 26: Rama Navami (Hindu) (WSCOP)
  • March 30: Instruction Begins – Spring 2026 (UWAC)

Theme

  • Theme: Husky Student Experience
  • Hashtag: #HuskyExperience

History and heritage month(s)

Important dates

  • April 1-9: Passover (Pesach) (Jewish) (4,9) (WSCOP)
  • April 3: Good Friday (Christian) (WSCOP)
  • April 5: Easter (Christian) (WSCOP)
  • April 10: Orthodox Good Friday (Christian Orthodox) (WSCOP)
  • April 12: Orthodox Easter (Christian Orthodox) (WSCOP)
  • May 21-23: Shavuot (Jewish) (4) (WSCOP)
  • May 27: Eid al-Adha (Islamic) (3) (WSCOP)

Theme

  • Theme: Collaborative Innovation
  • Hashtag: #UWInnovates

History and heritage month(s)

Important dates

  • May 25: Memorial Day (2) (UWAC)

Theme

  • Theme: This is UW
  • Hashtag: #ThisIsUW

History and heritage month(s)

Important dates

  • June 5: Last Day of Instruction – Spring 2026 (UWAC)
  • June 6-12: Final Examination Week – Spring 2026 (UWAC)
  • June 12: Commencement – Tacoma (UWAC)
  • June 13: Commencement – Seattle (UWAC)
  • June 13-21: Summer Break (UWAC)
  • June 14: Commencement – Bothell (UWAC)
  • June 16 – July 14: Muharram (Al Hijrah New Year) (Islamic) (WSCOP)
  • June 19: Juneteenth (2) (UWAC)
  • June 22: Instruction Begins – Summer 2026 – Full-term (UWAC)
  • June 22: Instruction Begins – Summer 2026 – A-term (UWAC)

Theme

  • Theme: Proven Impact
  • Hashtag: #UWdiscovers

Important dates

  • June 16 – July 14: Muharram (Al Hijrah New Year) (Islamic) (WSCOP)
  • July 3: Independence Day, Observed (2) (UWAC)
  • July 22: Last Day of Instruction – Summer 2026 – A-term (UWAC)
  • July 23: Instruction Begins – Summer 2026 – B-term (UWAC)

Theme

  • Theme: Our Public Promise
  • Hashtag: #UWserves

Important dates

  • August 21: Last Day of Instruction – Summer 2026 – Full-term (UWAC)
  • August 21: Last Day of Instruction – Summer 2026 – B-term (UWAC)
  • August 22 – September 29: Autumn Break (UWAC)

Footnotes

  1. If a federal holiday falls on a weekend (Saturday or Sunday), it is generally observed on the nearest workday – Monday for a Sunday holiday and Friday for a Saturday holiday. Please check with your employer for additional details.
  2. Denotes a university holiday. Classes are not in session on the following holidays. All offices and most University buildings are also closed.
  3. Date not fixed; some of these dates are not fixed to a calendar but based on the actual sighting of the moon and therefore there may be some variance by day.
  4. These holidays (or dates within holidays) are designated non-work (observance) days.
  5. Begins evening of March 14 and ends the evening of March 15.
  6. April 13-14 and 19-20 primary obligation days.
  7. October 7-8 primary observation days.
  8. Begins evening of March 3 and ends the evening of March 4.
  9. April 1-2 and 8-9 primary obligation days.

Sources