Drexel's Transformation: What it Means for You
Your Drexel experience remains our top priority. Here's how we're supporting you through the change.
Built Around You
Drexel is evolving to better support your academic journey — creating a more flexible, supportive and enriching student experience. The following is a high-level overview of key changes that are most relevant to current students:
- Transitioning to a semester calendar: Deeper learning experiences in longer academic terms.
- Summer term: More flexibility for experiential learning, classes or a break.
- Co-op timing: Same six-month length after the transition, but now aligned with industry hiring cycles.
- Expanded experiential learning: Optional for current students, but available and supported.
Explore the drop downs to learn more about these exciting changes for the Drexel student experience.
Keeping Your Goals on Track
These changes are designed to enhance your experience—not disrupt it.
- Your graduation plans remain secure: Custom transition plans will ensure you stay on track.
- Personalized guidance: Your advisor will work with you one-on-one to map your program in the semester calendar.
- Flexibility in co-op and academics: New structures will give you more options in how to combine coursework with experiential learning.
- Tuition and aid remain stable: The total cost of your program will not increase due to the calendar transition alone. Billing, financial aid, and scholarships will simply be adjusted to reflect semesters (rather than quarters), with careful attention to continuity and transparency.
Support Every Step of the Way
Our students are our top priority. Drexel will provide proactive academic advising, planning tools, and clear communication to help you navigate this transition. Representatives from the Undergraduate Student Government Association and Graduate Student Association have been engaged throughout implementation to provide critical student feedback and guidance to ensure we are meeting the student experience goals of Transformation and communicating effectively with our students.
At this time, faculty and department leaders are revising program curricula to reflect the semester calendar and to incorporate other exciting changes, including more flexible academic pathways and integrated experiential learning. Starting in mid-to-late summer 2026, colleges, departments and academic advisors will have more details to share, including program-specific plan of study and course registration information, as well as options to complete remaining degree requirements. In the summer and over the coming academic year, students will work with advisors on a customized plan of study for each student.
Visit the implementation timeline for a list of what is happening when.
What Should I Be Doing Now?
Now is a great time to start preparing for plan of study conversations with your advisor. Here are some tips for getting prepared:
- Follow your current plan of study and spend time reviewing your DegreeWorks audit.
- Prioritize key courses and pre-requisites in your major. If you need help prioritizing classes, you can always ask your advisor! Pay attention to university emails and any communication from your advisor.
- Focus on building and maintaining good study habits. Seek academic coaching, tutoring and workshops at the Center for Learning and Academic Success Services (CLASS) and the McGonigal Academic Resource Center (ARC).
- Make a plan to register for classes on time each term.
- Understand your remaining degree requirements. Your advisor will explain how these requirements will translate to the semester calendar.
- As always, understand that taking key classes off sequence, or making changes to your plan may impact your graduation timeline.
Frequently Asked Questions
As long as you continue to make satisfactory progress in your current degree program, the transition to semesters, by itself, will not extend the time needed to complete your degree. Each student will receive a customized plan of study and advising support to ensure their time to graduation does not increase solely as a result of Drexel’s change to a semester calendar. More information will soon be shared about how course schedules will adapt during the one-time transition to the semester calendar in August 2027.
There are a variety of factors that may impact time to complete a degree program, including the student’s academic performance, decision to switch degree programs or to add a degree program, or if the student takes a leave of absence. These situations should be discussed with the student’s academic advisor.
More Questions?
If you have questions or concerns, you can share them with the Academic Transformation team here.