Lancaster University Delays Semesterisation until 2027

Lancaster University Senate has voted to delay the implementation of much of the Curriculum Transformation Programme (CTP) until the 27/28 academic year. University Senate were informed by management that large elements of the CTP including semesterisation are not ready to be implemented next academic year as planned.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Steve Decent laid out the changes in an email sent to all staff on Friday. In the email, he outlined that Senate has agreed to the implementation of the new curriculum beginning next academic year. Decent said, however, that ‘Given the risk that we will not be able to get all of the necessary work done in time for the start of the next academic year’, several aspects have been postponed.

Among them is semesterisation, the transition from three academic terms per year to two academic semesters. Semesterisation also involves the introduction of a winter exam period and two reading weeks per year. The two-semester structure, planned to be implemented next academic year, involved moving forward the start of teaching to mid-September. All of these changes are now postponed until at least the 27/28 academic year.

Additionally, changes to the marking scheme, which would see the university move away from the system of 24 aggregation points, have been delayed.

Prof Decent also announced a reversal in plans to eliminate many of Lancaster's joint honours programmes. Some of these programmes, which until now were not admitting new students for 26/27, will be open for students applying to Lancaster via Clearing. Most of the remaining programmes will be re-introduced for 27/28.

The reasons for the delay have not been announced. However, it is known that the Cross-Faculty Approval Panels, responsible for approving the module and course changes, were suspended for part of last term to accommodate work on the LU Future redundancy programme.

The precise student impact of the delays is still not entirely clear. The shift in term dates could mean some students will need to adjust their plans for when they arrive in Lancaster. The 2026/27 academic year will now run from Monday 5 Oct 2026 – 27 June 2027.

In a statement to SCAN, Lancaster University said, 'Lancaster is known as a research-led university that excels in teaching. Our new and updated curriculum is designed to continue to give our students the best education possible and provide skills that employers value in a changing world. Phasing our decisions around semesters allows us to conduct a thorough Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) to test that our next steps will work for all. We will look to take a flexible and supportive approach to university accommodation and will communicate the change to the broader private landlord market.'

As the implementation of the new curriculum in 26/27 is still going ahead, it is not clear what adaptations, if any, will have to be made for it to function within a three term/one exam period structure.

Speaking to SCAN, Students’ Union President Rory O’Ceallaigh said, ‘I believe the new management has made the right decision to course correct CTP, it's just a shame it was picked up so late in the process.’

O’Ceallaigh expressed concern that the delays could impact promises made to incoming students by the university's advertising. He also highlighted how this shift could 'potentially break long-standing promises made about CTP fixing the Wednesday Afternoons issue that LUSU has been campaigning on for years.' Many students at Lancaster still have teaching hours on Wednesday afternoons, affecting their ability to compete in sports fixtures.

Summarising, O’Ceallaigh said, ‘The priority for the University now needs to be to mitigate the risks I've mentioned to ensure the minimum negative impact to students.’

On Monday, Lancaster University published a letter to students about the changes.

The full message sent to staff by Prof Decent is as follows:

Dear Colleagues,

In the past six weeks I have met regularly with members of our community, and I have been greatly impressed by our wonderful staff and their commitment to our students.

The tremendous effort and enthusiasm put into our Curriculum Transformation Programme (CTP) has stood out as a fantastic example of this dedication from our staff.

After extremely constructive discussions with Senate members, which includes student representatives, it has been agreed to move forward immediately to introduce the new curriculum for 2026-27 for continuing and new students. 

I’ve heard a very clear message from staff since I have been here of the importance of joint honours degrees to Lancaster. With this in mind, we will reintroduce some laid-down joint honours programmes via Clearing for 2026-27 and most of the remaining laid-down joint honours programmes for 2027-28.

We also know that our students value flexibility and optionality in our degrees to ‘tailor’ their programme to reflect their interests and ambitions. This is a distinctive feature of Lancaster University’s brand in the marketplace, and we want this to be enhanced as we further develop our revised curriculum. I have met with Heads of Department and Heads of School and asked them to prioritise this feature of our degrees as we further enhance our curriculum following implementation of the Curriculum Transformation Programme.

You may have heard me talk about my priority for safe landings of complex projects given the volume of change in the University. Given the risk that we will not be able to get all of the necessary work done in time for the start of the next academic year, Senate also agreed to:

1. defer the introduction of semesters. The start of the academic year 2026-27 will be Monday 5 October 2026, and the year will have three terms (with no consolidation/reading week in Michaelmas Term and no refresh week in Lent Term) and extend through to Friday 27 June 2027
2. defer the introduction of an additional University-wide winter examination period
3. defer the removal of the 24-point aggregation marking scale and the changes to condonation regulations planned for first-year undergraduate students.

Senate is especially keen to move ahead as soon as possible with introducing two examination periods.

We must now move forward to implement these changes. Current students will be informed of these decisions in an email planned for next week, following a briefing of Student Academic Reps on Monday afternoon. Programme Leads will soon be provided with resources to enable them to communicate their programme-level transition arrangements for 2026-27 to their continuing students.

Meanwhile, colleagues will ensure applicants and prospective students have access to updated information, and staff representing the University at recruitment and conversion events have the details they need.

The next steps and a project implementation plan will be provided soon. I recognise that this message does not include all the detail we will need, but I wanted to inform you of the decisions of Senate as quickly as possible. If you have questions in the meantime, please contact your Head of Department or Divisional Director in the first instance who can answer your queries.

I realise that these adjustments to the initial plan will impact the work and planning of many colleagues, and I thank all involved for your brilliant efforts.

As always, I remain impressed by our fantastic staff, and I thank you for your commitment to Lancaster University.

With very best wishes,

Steve