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Timetables & Classroom Scheduling

The Office of the University Registrar’s goal is to provide consistency and transparency in the timetable and classroom scheduling process for students, staff, and faculty. The established processes aim to promote a wider array of available class times, ensure the effective use of academic space across campus, and provide opportunities to build flexible and accessible course schedules to enable progress toward degree completion. We remain committed to continuous improvement in scheduling practices that support the academic success and overall experience of the Volunteer community. For questions and concerns, contact timetable@utk.edu

Guidelines and Best Practices

To ensure fair and effective use of campus classrooms and support student success, here are some important scheduling rules to keep in mind: 

Departments should schedule no more than 70% of their classes during peak hours (also known as “prime time”). Spreading out class times makes it easier for students to find courses that fit their schedules. 

Be mindful of offering a mix of upper- and lower-division courses throughout the week. This helps avoid scheduling conflicts for students who need to take classes at different levels. 

If you’re offering cross-departmental courses (like co-requisites, cohort courses, or minor requirements), work closely with other departments to coordinate schedules. This ensures students can take all the classes they need without unnecessary conflicts. 

To use a centrally managed (campus-hosted) classroom, a class must fill at least 80% of the room’s capacity. Classes that don’t meet this requirement may be reassigned to a different space. 

Classes that do not meet the standard minimum must be scheduled in department-owned rooms. Standard class size minimums are as follows: 

  • Lower-division Undergraduate Courses: 15 Student Minimum
  • Upper-division Undergraduate Courses: 12 Student Minimum
  • Graduate-level Courses: 9 Student Minimum

Standard minimum class size rules do not apply to evening classes that start after 5 PM ET. 

Classes must begin and end at approved times to qualify for campus-hosted rooms. If your class uses an unapproved time, it may not be assigned a room unless reviewed and approved by the Vice Provost, Associate Dean, and the Office of the University Registrar. Standard class times receive priority consideration for campus-hosted classrooms. Lab sections must also follow this rule— make sure all times are valid and aligned with approved time blocks. 

Classes meeting once a week during prime time must be held in department-owned rooms. This includes lectures, seminars, and discussion or recitation sections. This rule does not apply to fourth-hour components of 4-credit courses. 

Classrooms across all areas of campus— including the west/agriculture campus— will be used to ensure efficient and appropriate assignments based on university guidelines. 

All classroom assignments will be visible to students when the timetable is published to provide time for students to build schedules that align with their needs. As such, the Registrar strives to keep the timetable as stable as possible once published.

Once the timetable is live, you can make the following updates without affect classroom assignments: 

  • Assigning or changing the course instructor
  • Cancelling the course section
  • Adjusting class size (as long as the room size still works)

Changes that do affect room assignments must be requested through the Office of the University Registrar. 

 

Timetable Dates & Deadlines for Schedulers and Advisors

Timetable Released for Editing June 30, 2025
Timetable Edit Period Closes* September 12, 2025
Classroom Assignments Finalized September 15 – October 10, 2025
Timetables Go Live for Students September 15, 2025
Registration Begins** All Groups: September 29, 2025

*Timetable Edit Period Closes— This is the deadline for Colleges and Departments to complete their timetables for courses needing classroom assignments. Classroom assignments will be determined according to the sections active in the timetable at this date. 

Timetable Released for Editing June 30, 2025
Timetable Edit Period Closes* September 12, 2025
Classroom Assignments Finalized September 15 – October 10, 2025
Timetables Go Live for Students October 13, 2025
Registration Begins** Priority: October 20, 2025

Senior: October 27, 2025

Junior: November 3, 2025

Sophomore: November 10, 2025

Freshman: November 17, 2025

*Timetable Edit Period Closes— This is the deadline for Colleges and Departments to complete their timetables for courses needing classroom assignments. Classroom assignments will be determined according to the sections active in the timetable at this date. 

Timetable Released for Editing November 3, 2025
Timetable Edit Period Closes* February 6, 2026
Classroom Assignments Finalized February 9 – February 20, 2026
Timetables Go Live for Students February 23, 2026
Registration Begins** Priority: March 2, 2026 

Senior: March 3, 2026

Junior: March 4, 2026

Sophomore: March 5, 2026

Freshmen: March 6, 2026

*Timetable Edit Period Closes— This is the deadline for Colleges and Departments to complete their timetables for courses needing classroom assignments. Classroom assignments will be determined according to the sections active in the timetable at this date. 

Timetable Released for Editing November 3, 2025
Timetable Edit Period Closes* February 6, 2026
Classroom Assignments Finalized February 9 – March 20, 2026
Timetable Goes Live for Students March 23, 2026
Registration Begins** Priority: March 30, 2026

Senior: April 6, 2026

Junior: April 13, 2026

Sophomore: April 20, 2026

Freshman: April 27, 2026

 

*Timetable Edit Period Closes— This is the deadline for Colleges and Departments to complete their timetables for courses needing classroom assignments. Classroom assignments will be determined according to the sections active in the timetable at this date. 


Important Information for Schedulers

What to Include When Editing Sections

When making changes to the timetable, please be sure to specify: 

  • The requested campus-hosted classroom, if needed
  • The department-owned classroom or lab assignment, if applicable
  • If the section does not need a room (for example, if it’s fully online)
  • The teaching format (modality) of all sections— even those that haven’t changed.

Check for Reusable Section Numbers

Don’t forget to review your timetable report! Look for sections that are still marked as canceled— you can reactivate these and reuse their section numbers when adding new sections. 

Make These Fixes Before Registration Starts

Some section details can’t be changed once students are registered, so double-check the following before registration opens: 

  • Instructional Method*
  • Part of Term Code
  • Campus Code

*Online and Distance Education sections must use Instructional Method “02”. 

Credit Hours and Class Times

The Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs explain what a credit hour is and how it’s measured— usually by the number of contact minutes (time spent in class). Each academic department is responsible for ensuring their courses meet these requirements. Departments are the experts in their subject areas. That means they are in the best position to decide how their courses should be taught, whether it’s through lectures, labs, group work, or other teaching methods. The Office of the University Registrar manages the pool of campus-hosted classrooms. We work to ensure fair and balanced access to classroom space for all academic departments across campus. 

Prime Time Class Hours

Monday/Wednesday/Friday— 9:10 AM EST to 2:40 PM EST

Tuesday/Thursday— 9:45 AM EST to 3:45 PM EST

Fall & Spring Terms

To help students and instructors get the most out of their schedules, standard class times (also called valid time blocks) are used during the Fall and Spring terms. These time blocks are designed to: 

  • Reduce scheduling conflicts for students
  • Make the best use of classroom space

Even if a course uses online tools or other teaching methods, classes during Fall and Spring should still follow the approved time blocks. This helps avoid overlapping classes and makes it easier to assign rooms. If you would like to use a campus-hosted classroom for your course, it is essential that you follow all timetable scheduling guidelines. 

Valid Class Times: 70 Instructional Days

All 3-credit course offerings during Fall and Spring terms should adhere to valid class time options. Courses worth a different number of credits should start or end in alignment with a valid class time. 

 

MWF 50-Minute Classes TR 75-Minute Classes
8:00 – 8:50 AM EST 8:10 – 9:25 AM EST
9:10 – 10:00 AM EST 9:45 – 11:00 AM EST
10:20 – 11:10 AM EST 11:20 – 12:35 PM EST
11:30 – 12:20 PM EST 12:55 – 2:10 PM EST
12:40 – 1:30 PM EST 2:30 – 3:45 PM EST
1:50 – 2:40 PM EST 4:05 – 5:20 PM EST
3:00 – 3:50 PM EST 5:40 – 6:55 PM EST
4:10 – 5:00 PM EST 7:15 – 8:30 PM EST
5:20 – 6:10 PM EST
6:30 – 7:20 PM EST
7:40 – 8:30 PM EST

Mini and Summer Sessions allow for greater flexibility in scheduling. Departments may set their own class times and often integrate various instructional methods to offset reduced contact minutes. Examples of possible meeting times for all sessions can be found below. 

Synchronous mini-term offerings are expected to meet during all 10 available instructional days during the mini-term. This would result in 70 minutes per credit hour per meeting. 

Here are examples of how synchronous summer offerings might be scheduled by a department. Due to increased flexibility with classroom space, departments may choose their own times for their offerings. Departments should collaborate with complementary subjects to try and avoid conflicts for students enrolled in multiple offerings. The following examples use a 5-day a week meeting pattern. 

Full Summer Session: 35 Instructional Days (MTWRF) Full Summer Session: 35 Instructional Days (MTWRF) 1st or 2nd Session Summer: 26 Instructional Days (MTWRF) 1st or 2nd Session Summer: 26 Instructional Days (MTWRF)
3-Credit Class 4-Credit Class 3-Credit Class 4-Credit Class
8:00 – 9:00 AM EST 8:00 – 9:20 AM EST 8:00 – 9:25 AM EST 8:00 – 9:50 AM EST
9:20 – 10:20 AM EST 9:40 – 11:00 AM EST 9:45 – 11:10 AM EST 10:10 – 12:00 PM EST
10:40 – 11:40 AM EST 11:20 – 12:40 PM EST 11:30 – 12:55 PM EST 12:20 – 2:10 PM EST
12:00 – 1:00 PM EST 1:00 – 2:20 PM EST 1:15 – 2:40 PM EST 2:30 – 4:20 PM EST
1:20 -2:20 PM EST 2:40 – 4:00 PM EST 3:00 – 4:25 PM EST 4:40 – 6:30 PM EST
2:40 – 3:40 PM EST 4:20 – 5:40 PM EST 4:45 – 6:10 PM EST
4:00 – 5:00 PM EST


Frequently Asked Questions

The edit period follows a set schedule to make sure all classroom assignments are finalized before students can view the timetable. If you need extra help, the Office of the University Registrar offers office hours for one-on-one support. 

Yes! You can replace a class scheduled during prime time with a different course, even if it meets at a different valid prime time slot. Just note that the original classroom is not guaranteed as room assignments depend on overall prime time availability. 

No. Recitations and discussions must be scheduled: 

MWF: at 8:00 AM or after 2:40 PM ET

TR: at 8:10 AM or after 3:45 PM ET

No. You can’t replace canceled or unused courses with recitations unless those recitations follow the approved time blacks listed above. 

MW classes are included in prime time. Recitations must be scheduled outside prime time, even if scheduled on Fridays. 

Yes, but this decision is made at the Department Head or Dean’s level. If a recitation is online:

  • It can be asynchronous or synchronous
  • It must have a meeting line in the timetable so students are informed
  • It will also require a Hybrid modality designation.

Prime time recitations are allowed online if in-person sessions take place in department-owned spaces. 

Yes, those can still be accommodated! As long as the class meeting times stay the same, your classroom assignment will be kept. 

Course modality changes must be approved by your department head or dean. Schedulers should contact the Registrar’s Timetable team if: 

  • A new section is added
  • A section changes its modality

This ensures the correct modality attribute is listed in the system.