Happy New Year!
As 2026 dawns, the college stands ready to write a fresh chapter in academic excellence. After four months of rest and rejuvenation, campus gates will swing open once more on Tuesday, January 6, welcoming students back to a community built on innovation, discovery, and shared purpose.
The journey for freshmen begins before arrival. On Saturday, January 3, incoming freshmen will participate in a virtual orientation session, a digital bridge between their former lives and the university experience awaiting them. This carefully designed introduction demystifies campus life, addresses common concerns, and ensures that when students step onto KNUST soil three days later, they arrive not as strangers, but as informed members of a community eager to embrace them.
Tuesday, January 6 marks the official arrival of freshmen to campus and their halls of residence. But arrival is merely the beginning. From Wednesday, January 7, through Friday, January 9, the college hosts orientation sessions that transform nervous newcomers into confident students. These three days offer more than logistical information. They provide the foundation for lasting friendships, introduce students to faculty who will shape their intellectual journeys, and illuminate the academic paths they have chosen to pursue. Meanwhile, online course registration, which opens January 5 and runs through January 29, allows freshmen to thoughtfully construct their first semester schedule while completing mandatory biometric registration at designated college /campus centers.
Continuing students return to familiar ground on Saturday, January 10, carrying the wisdom of experience and the confidence of previous success. Their online course registration will opened earlier, December 23, 2025 and extends through February 6, 2026, accommodating the varied schedules of students who may have spent their break on internships, research projects, or with family across the country. These returning students serve an invaluable role: their presence reassures freshmen that the challenges ahead, while real, are surmountable.
The importance of early arrival cannot be overstated. Students who settle into halls and hostels ahead of the January 12 lecture start date position themselves for success. This buffer period allows time for mandatory health screenings, participation in college and departmental programs, acclimation to campus rhythms, and the mental preparation necessary for academic rigor. It transforms what could be a frantic scramble into a measured transition.
When lectures commence on Monday, January 12, they launch a carefully calibrated first semester running through April 3. The semester unfolds with purpose: matriculation from January 30-31 formally welcomes freshmen into the KNUST family; mid-semester examinations from February 23-27 provide crucial feedback on academic progress; and first semester examinations from April 7-24 test the semester's accumulated knowledge. Between these milestones, a Special Congregation from March 25-28 celebrates graduate students fulfilling graduation requirements, a powerful reminder of what dedication achieves.
The college prioritizes continuous improvement in teaching and learning. From March 30 through April 3, students gain dedicated access to their lecturers for clarification, deeper exploration of course material, and crucially, the opportunity to assess teaching effectiveness. This feedback loop ensures that KNUST's educational standards remain dynamic and responsive to student needs.
The first semester concludes April 25, 2026, yielding to a month-long break before the second semester begins May 23. This second phase mirrors the first in structure but carries its own momentum. Online course registration runs from May 18 through June 19, with lectures spanning May 25 to August 14. Mid-semester examinations fall between July 6-10, while lecturer assessments occur August 10-14, immediately preceding final examinations from August 17 through September 4. Students depart campus September 5, 2026, completing the academic cycle.
The year's final movements occur largely behind the scenes but deserve recognition nonetheless. Academic staff take a well-earned break from October 16 through November 9 before supplementary examinations (November 16-27) and a final Special Congregation (November 23-28) close the 2025/2026 chapter.
This meticulously planned calendar reflects more than administrative efficiency. It embodies KNUST's commitment to student success. Every registration window, orientation session, and examination period has been positioned to maximize learning while minimizing unnecessary stress. The structure provides clarity; the flexibility acknowledges that students are complex individuals with competing demands on their time and attention.
As the College prepares to welcome its community back, the message is clear: this is more than a return to routine. It is an invitation to possibility, a call to excellence, and a promise that the knowledge, skills, and relationships forged in the coming months will resonate far beyond campus boundaries. The halls await. The laboratories stand ready. Faculty members prepare to inspire, challenge, and guide. Welcome back, and welcome forward, to everything 2025/2026 holds.
