STARKVILLE — Mississippi State is announcing a revised fall academic calendar, keeping the health and safety of the university family top-of-mind while delivering the highest quality academic experience possible for students.

Considering the potential effect of a late fall peak of the coronavirus, the restructured calendar has students beginning classes on Aug. 17 with commencement set for Nov. 25 in Starkville and Dec. 1 at MSU-Meridian.

“As we all know, this is an unprecedented time for Mississippi State, and we are taking a proactive approach to designing our path forward. With the directive to resume operations from the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning, this university has been at the forefront in working to set policies and procedures to best meet the needs of students this fall,” MSU President Mark E. Keenum said.

The new fall calendar substitutes Fall Break [Oct. 8-9] with class days and class days [November 23-24] with final exam days.

Along with calendar changes, the university is establishing additional health protocols and enhancing campus operations that follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, state and local public health officials and university COVID-19 task forces that include administration, faculty, staff and students.

Important dates to remember include:

• August 14: New freshmen and transfer student orientation
• August 27: Fall Convocation
• September 7: Labor Day Holiday
• October 8-9: Classes meet; Fall Break suspended
• November 18-20, 23 & 24: Final exams
• November 25: Starkville commencement
• December 1: MSU-Meridian commencement

MSU will announce more fall semester information in the coming weeks on health protocols, student affairs and campus life, athletics and more.