Washington State University understands, values and respects the unique spiritual and secular practices and needs of students, faculty, and staff. Doing so is at the core of our commitment to affirming and validating the holistic needs and experience of our community members. It is also our responsibility to comply with the State of Washington SB 5166 from 2019, which requires WSU to “Accommodate student absences to allow students to take holidays for reasons of faith or conscience or for organized activities conducted under the auspices of religious denomination, church, or religious organization, so that students’ grades are not adversely impacted by the absences.”
Additionally, in 2024 the Faculty Senate approved revisions to Academic Regulations 72, 82, and 104 to provide a request and appeal process for students seeking religious accommodations for absences related to faith, conscience, and organized religious activities. A reasonable religious accommodation is a modification to a policy or practice within an academic, housing, or extracurricular environment to enable a student to avoid conflict with their sincerely held religious beliefs or practices. A religious accommodation is reasonable if it does not cause undue hardship to WSU operations; factors include safety, cost, efficiency, academic requirements, business needs, and the rights of others. Reasonable religious accommodations are individualized to the needs of the students who request them and the settings for which they are requested.
Please see the WSU Student Religious Accommodations Policy, Executive Policy 15 (the WSU policy prohibiting discrimination and harassment), and the Interfaith Calendar immediately below, for more information.
WSU Interfaith Calendar
This calendar of WSU holidays, traditional observances, and major days of religious significance covers the current academic year. You can use the calendar to help identify classes, exams, activities, or events which may intersect with religious observances.
Interfaith Calendar 2026-27
| Summer Term 2026 | ||||
| Shavuot | Jewish | Thursday, May 21 - Friday, May 23, 2026 | Holiday commences at sundown of the first day and ends at sundown or nightfall of the end date. | Occasion on which the precept of a particular tradition, and the practice of many of its adherents, includes significant restrictions on academic activity. |
| Declaration of the Bab | Baha'i | Friday, May 22 - Saturday, May 23, 2026 | Holiday commences at sundown of the first day and ends at sundown or nightfall of the end date. | |
| Pentecost | Orthodox Christian | Sunday, May 24, 2026 | ||
| Memorial Day | All University Holiday | Monday, May 25, 2026 | ||
| Eid al-Adha - Sacrifice Day | Islam | Tuesday, May 26 - Friday, May 29, 2026 | Holiday commences at sundown of the first day and ends at sundown or nightfall of the end date. | |
| Ascension of Baha'u'llah | Baha'i | Friday, May 29, 2026 | Holiday commences at sundown of the first day and ends at sundown or nightfall of the end date. | |
| al-Hijra - New Year begins | Islam | Tuesday, June 16, 2026 | ||
| Ashura | Islam | Thursday, June 25, 2026 | ||
| Independence Day | All University Holiday | Saturday, July 4, 2026 | ||
| Martyrdom of the Bab | Baha'i | Friday, June 10, 2026 | ||
| Fall Term 2026 | ||||
| Mawlid an Nabi | Islam | Tuesday, August 25, 2026 | ||
| Labor Day | All University Holiday | Monday, September 7, 2026 | ||
| Rosh Hashanah | Jewish | Friday, September 11 - Sunday, September 13, 2026 | Holiday commences at sundown of the first day and ends at sundown or nightfall of the end date. | Occasion on which the precept of a particular tradition, and the practice of many of its adherents, includes significant restrictions on academic activity. |
| Yom Kippur | Jewish | Sunday, September 20 - Monday, September 21, 2026 | Holiday commences at sundown of the first day and ends at sundown or nightfall of the end date. | Occasion on which the precept of a particular tradition, and the practice of many of its adherents, includes significant restrictions on academic activity. |
| Sukkot | Jewish | Friday, September 25 - Friday, October 2, 2026 | Holiday commences at sundown of the first day and ends at sundown or nightfall of the end date. | Occasion on which the precept of a particular tradition, and the practice of many of its adherents, includes significant restrictions on academic activity (First 2 days) |
| Shemini Atzeret | Jewish | Friday, October 2 - Saturday, October 3, 2026 | Holiday commences at sundown of the first day and ends at sundown or nightfall of the end date. | Occasion on which the precept of a particular tradition, and the practice of many of its adherents, includes significant restrictions on academic activity. |
| Simchat Torah | Jewish | Saturday, October 3 - Sunday, October 4, 2026 | Holiday commences at sundown of the first day and ends at sundown or nightfall of the end date. | Occasion on which the precept of a particular tradition, and the practice of many of its adherents, includes significant restrictions on academic activity. |
| Navaratri | Hindu | Sunday, October 11 - Monday, October 19, 2026 | ||
| Diwali (Deepavali) | Hindu-Jain-Sikh | Sunday, November 8, 2026 | ||
| Birth of the Báb/Birth of Baha'u'llah | Baha'i | Tuesday, November 10, 2026 | ||
| Veteran's Day | All University Holiday | Wednesday, November 11, 2026 | ||
| Birthday of Guru Nanak Jayanti | Sikh | Tuesday, November 24, 2026 | ||
| Day of the Covenant | Baha'i | Thursday, November 26, 2026 | ||
| Thanksgiving Day | All University Holiday | Thursday, November 26, 2026 | ||
| Native American Heritage Day | All University Holiday | Friday, November 27, 2026 | ||
| Ascension of Abdu’l-Bahá | Baha'i | Saturday, November 28, 2026 | ||
| Bodhi Day (Rohatsu) | Buddhism | Tuesday, December 8, 2026 | ||
| Immaculate Conception of Mary | Catholic Christian | December 8, 2026 | ||
| Hanukkah | Jewish | Friday, December 4 - Saturday, December 12, 2026 | Holiday commences at sundown of the first day and ends at sundown or nightfall of the end date. | |
| Christmas Eve | Christian | Thursday, December 24, 2026 | ||
| Christmas | Christian | Friday, December 25, 2026 | ||
| Spring Term 2026 | ||||
| New Year's Day | All University Holiday | Friday, January 1, 2027 | ||
| Martin Luther King Jr. Day | All University Holiday | Monday, January 18, 2027 | ||
| Shevat | Jewish | Saturday, January 23, 2027 | ||
| Presidents' Day | WSU Class Holiday | Monday, February 15, 2027 | ||
| Ramadan | Islam | Sunday, February 7 - Monday, March 8, 2027 | Holiday commences at sundown of the first day and ends at sundown or nightfall of the end date. | |
| Laylat al-Qadr | Islam | Friday, March 5, 2027 | ||
| Maha Shivaratri | Hindu | Saturday, March 6, 2027 | ||
| Purim | Jewish | Monday, March 22 - Tuesday, March 23, 2027 | Holiday commences at sundown of the first day and ends at sundown or nightfall of the end date. | |
| Holi | Hindu | Monday, March 22, 2027 | ||
| Eid al Fitr - Ramadan ends | Islam | Tuesday, March 9, - Wednesday, March 10, 2027 | Holiday commences at sundown of the first day and ends at sundown or nightfall of the end date. | |
| Naw-Rúz (New Year) | Baha'i | Sunday, March 21, 2027 | ||
| Palm Sunday | Christian | Sunday, March 21, 2027 | ||
| Memorial of Jesus’ Death | Jehovah's Witness Christian | Monday, March 22, 2027 | ||
| Good Friday | Christian | Friday, March 26, 2027 | ||
| Easter Sunday | Christian | Sunday, March 28, 2027 | ||
| Baisakhi (Vaisakhi) | Sikh | Wednesday, April 14, 2027 | ||
| Rama Navami | Hindu | Thursday, April 15, 2027 | ||
| Mahavir Jayanti | Jain | Monday, April 19, 2027 | ||
| Pesach (Passover) | Jewish | Wednesday, April 21 - Thursday, April 29, 2027 | Holiday commences at sundown of the first day and ends at sundown or nightfall of the end date. | Occasion on which the precept of a particular tradition, and the practice of many of its adherents, includes significant restrictions on academic activity (First 2 days) |
| Ridvan | Baha'i | Wednesday, April 21 - Sunday, May 2, 2027 | Holiday commences at sundown of the first day and ends at sundown or nightfall of the end date. |