APU's academic calendar, read for clinical students

Three terms, four session lengths

The published academic calendar names the sessions formally: a Sixteen-Week Session and two Eight-Week Sessions in fall, spring and summer, with a Twelve-Week Session in summer only. Study Away and Higher Education/PhD sessions also appear but sit outside most nursing students' plans.

The DNP and ELM FAQs describe 16-week fall and spring terms; ELM summers run 12 weeks, and DNP summer courses run 8 or 12. APU's professional calendar sets aside its 12-week summer session, May 3 to July 23, 2027, for nursing programs.

The calendar never says which session a particular NP clinical course uses. Check the section dates when you register, and ask your advisor or course faculty if the listing leaves you unsure.

Fall 2026 dates that shape a rotation

Fall 2026 is term 2267. The 16-week session carries most of the deadlines below; the 8-week sessions keep their own add, drop and withdrawal dates.

Holiday weeks deserve a place in your hour plan. If your preceptor's clinic closes over Thanksgiving, spread those shifts across other weeks early, since APU's recent guidelines expect an even pace through the term.

Spring and Summer 2027 at a glance

Spring 2027 is term 2271. Its 16-week session sets the main deadlines, and a mid-semester break in early March separates the two 8-week sessions.

Summer 2027, term 2274, opens registration on March 16, 2027. The 16-week session runs May 3 to August 20, with add/drop by May 10, withdrawal by July 15 and an August 21 confer date. The 12-week session ends July 23, with withdrawal by June 25 and a July 24 confer date.

Ignore one stale date. The MSN NP and DNP program pages still advertise a May 4 summer start, while the calendar opens summer on May 3. APU also reserves the right to change any calendar date, and late enrollment or withdrawal needs an Enrollment Activity Form and a fee.

How clinical units sit inside a term

Because APU treats summer as a complete graduate term, clinical units can land in any of the three. The catalog counts 6 units in any term as full time for master's, credential and certificate students. APU's recent guidelines (the 2023-24 edition) allow DNP students up to 9 didactic units and require approval for heavier loads, mainly because placements and preceptor time are shared.

FNP and AGPCNP students may take GNRS 600 at 2 to 6 clinical units a term with faculty approval. Multiply by APU's 45 hours per unit and one term's load comes to between 90 and 270 hours; the 45 hours per clinical unit page covers the arithmetic for other courses.

Session length changes the weekly load more than anything else. Three clinical units, or 135 hours, spread over a 16-week session works out to a little under 8.5 hours a week; squeezed into 8 weeks it would be nearly 17. APU also asks that didactic and clinical courses run together without front- or back-loading, so read the rotation rules before agreeing to a preceptor's schedule.

When clinical requirements are due

The School of Nursing posts each term's compliance deadline on its student hub. The Fall 2026 deadline fell on August 1, 2026, a little over three weeks before classes began. Earlier cycles used similar dates: December 15, 2023 for Spring 2024, March 31, 2024 for new Summer 2024 students, and August 1 for Fall 2024.

The Spring 2027 date was not yet posted in the sources we reviewed, so watch the hub from October onward. CastleBranch review can take 7-10 business days, so upload well before the deadline.

Items that renew on a calendar of their own

• The Student Data Questionnaire, submitted or updated every semester.
• Bloodborne Pathogens, HIPAA and Aerosol Transmissible Diseases training, renewed every year.
• TB screening, the flu vaccine or declination, and the annual physical.
• Your BLS card, renewed before it expires.
• Your California RN license, current for the whole rotation.

Our guide to immunizations and health requirements covers what each item involves.

Working backward from the first day of term

1. Name the preceptor two months outThe placement coordinator needs to hear about any new preceptor between 6 and 8 weeks before the semester, APU's recent guidelines say, to vet them and put a contract in place. Counting back from January 4, 2027, that lands between about November 9 and November 23, 2026.
2. Send the request formEach preceptor gets their own Graduate Preceptor Request form; send it the moment they say yes so the Graduate Placement Team can start reviewing.
3. Register when your window opensSpring 2027 registration opens November 3, 2026, and Summer 2027 registration opens March 16, 2027, both through the Enrollment tab at home.apu.edu.
4. Answer any offer within a weekAPU's recent guidelines give students one week to confirm a placement offer from the placement team.
5. Close out compliance earlyUpload every renewed item before the hub's deadline, leaving room for vendor review.
6. Start after written clearanceYour first clinical day follows the placement team's written sign-off on the site.

If a term opens without a placement, the first third of the semester is the deciding stretch, a little over five weeks of a 16-week session; the no-placement drop rule explains what APU's guidelines ask of you.

Why APU students choose us for term timing

Our search runs on APU's calendar. Tell us the term your clinical course begins and we work toward APU's lead times: a preceptor lined up ahead of the 6-8 week notice window, request details ready for the Graduate Placement Team, and an early check on whether an APU affiliation agreement already covers the clinic, since a new agreement adds weeks.

If the term has already started, we move at the pace the first-third window demands, looking near home for a preceptor who fits your course and the weeks you have left. We also keep your session's add/drop and withdrawal dates in view, so any late change of site is weighed against the deadlines that still apply to you. Pick your start term in the form below.

Questions APU students ask