Religious Holidays & Religious Creeds

The following list of religious and cultural holidays may be used by instructors developing class syllabi and for planning or by supervisors of student employees.

Although many of these days are not university holidays, instructors or supervisors can use this information at their discretion when responding to student requests for accommodations for religious purposes. Making accommodations does not excuse a student from any course requirements but rather supports adjustments to honor their religious observances. This is not an exhaustive list and is not intended to include all religious observances; there may be other holidays that pose conflicts for students.

Religious Accommodation and Observance

Religious Accommodation

In accordance with California State Education Code section 92640, it is UCSB policy that an instructor will make a reasonable attempt to accommodate to a student's needs in the case of serious incompatibility between religious creed and a scheduled test or examination. In the event of a scheduling incompatibility with the course calendar, keep in mind of the following:

1. Accommodation for alternative examination dates will be worked out directly and on an individual basis between the student and the instructor involved.
2. Students should make religious accommodation requests during the first two weeks of an academic term, or as soon as possible after a particular examination date is announced by the instructor.
3. Students or faculty with questions may contact the Dean of the related school or college.

Religious Observance

Students may also observe religious holidays that are not official university holidays. Observance of these holidays may impact test or examination schedules. When looking over the course's calendar, it is important to note that the date(s) religious holidays fall on may vary by year. Particularly with Muslim Holy Days, observance begins at sundown on the preceding day. Although Muslim Holy Days are always on the same day of the Islamic calendar, the date on the Gregorian calendar varies from year to year (since the Gregorian calendar is a solar calendar and the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar). This difference in calendars means Muslim Holy Days move in the Gregorian calendar approximately 11 days every year. The date of a Muslim Holy Day may also vary from country to country, depending on whether the moon has been sighted or not.

Religious and Cultural Holidays

Reference: Thanks to UC Berkeley, UC Santa Cruz, Cornell University, Stonybrook University, Duke University, and Xavier University for compiling these lists.

Note: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and the first night/day of Passover are observed by the majority of Jews and are among the most important dates on the calendar for familial and Jewish communal gatherings. The Baha’i day ends and a new one begins at sunset; consequently, the day on which a holy day is observed begins at sunset the day before the Gregorian calendar dates given below.