Here is a breakdown of the 2018 / 2019 term dates or important dates for Wits University:

2018

Activity	Dates
Registration	Friday 12 January – Thursday 01 February
Orientation week	Monday 29 January – Friday 02 February
First teaching block	Monday 05 February – Friday 23 March (34 days)
Mid-term Vacation/Study/Research break	Saturday 24 March – Monday 02 April (10 days)
Second teaching block	Tuesday 03 April – Thursday 17 May (31 days)
Study Break Examinations	Friday 18 May – Friday 25 May (10 days) Monday 28 May – Friday 22 June (20 days)
Winter Vacation/Study/Research break	Saturday 23 June – Sunday 15 July (23 days)
Third teaching block	Monday 16 July –  Friday 31 August (34 days)
Mid-term Vacation/Study/Research break	Saturday 01 September – Sunday 09 September (9 days)
Fourth teaching block	Monday 10 September – Tuesday 23 October (31 days)
Study Break Examinations	Wednesday 24 October – Tuesday 30 October (7 days) Wednesday 31 October – Tuesday 27 November (20 days)
Summer Vacation/Study/Research break	Wednesday 28 November

Please note:

• The Faculty of Health Sciences’ term dates differ from those of the University and they may commence with lectures as early as the first working day in January.
• Consult the University’s website for more detailed information about dates of registration for different cohorts of students

 

2019

Activity	Dates
Registration
Orientation week
First teaching block	Monday 04 February – Wednesday 20 March (33 days)
Mid-term Vacation/Study/Research break	Thursday 21 March – Sunday 31 March (11 days)
Second teaching block	Monday 01 April – Friday 17 May (32 days)
Study Break Examinations	Friday 17 May – Sunday 26 May (10 days) Monday 27 May – Monday 24 June (20 days)
Winter Vacation/Study/Research break	Tuesday 25 June – Sunday 14 July (20 days)
Third teaching block	Monday 15 July –  Friday 30 August (34 days)
Mid-term Vacation/Study/Research break	Saturday 31 August – Sunday 08 September (9 days)
Fourth teaching block	Monday 09 September – Tuesday 22 October (31 days)
Study Break Examinations	Wednesday 23 October – Sunday 27 October (5 days) Monday 28 October – Friday 22 November (20 days)
Summer Vacation/Study/Research break	Saturday 23 November

Public and religious holidays/holydays recognised by the University in 2018

Date	Name of holiday	University status
Monday 1 January	New Year’s Day	University closed
Wednesday 21 March	Human Rights Day	University closed
Saturday 31 March	Pesach (day 1)**
Sunday 1 April	Pesach (day 2)**
Friday 30 March	Good Friday	University closed
Monday 02 April	Family Day	University closed
Friday 6 April	Pesach (day 7)**
Saturday 7 April	Pesach (day 8)**
Friday 27 April	Freedom Day	University closed
Tuesday 1 May	Workers’ Day	University closed
Thursday 17 May	First day of Ramadan*
Sunday 20 May	Shavuoth (day 1)**
Monday 21 May	Shavuoth (day 2)**
Friday 15 June	Eid-ul-Fitr*
Saturday 16 June	Youth Day	University closed
Thursday 9 August	National Women’s Day	University closed
Wednesday 22 August	Eid-ul-Adha*
Monday 10 September	Rosh Hashanah (day 1)**
Tuesday 11 September	Rosh Hashanah (day 2)**
Wednesday 19 September	Yom Kippur**
Monday 24 September	Heritage Day Succot (day 1)**	University closed
Tuesday 25 September	Succot (day2)**
Monday 1 October	Sh’mini Atzeret**
Tuesday 2 October	Simchat Torah**
Tuesday 06 November	Diwali (South India)
Wednesday 07 November	Diwali (North India)
Sunday 16 December	Day of Reconciliation	University closed
Monday 17 December	Public Holiday	University closed
Tuesday 25 December	Christmas Day	University closed
Wednesday 26 December	Day of Goodwill	University closed

 

* = Islamic Holy Day – commences the previous evening; exact date depends on sighting of new moon

** = Jewish Holy Day – commences the previous evening

 

Proposed Public School Term Dates in 2018

Term	All Provinces
Term 1	17 January – 28 March
Term 2	10 April – 22 June
Term 3	17 July – 28 September
Term 4	09 October – 12 December