Gallaudet University values diverse religious perspectives and beliefs. Our students celebrate and value a variety of religious traditions. We are committed to supporting our students in observing their religious holidays while also maintaining their commitment to their academic efforts.

The University recognizes the importance of religious holidays and encourages all faculty to make reasonable accommodations necessary for students’ observances. Students should provide faculty with reasonable prior notice of religious holidays on which they will be absent. For more information about the University’s guidance to students regarding potential conflicts between academic and religious calendars, please visit the Registrar’s Office website.

It is important to note that the faculty has the authority to set their attendance policies and have the discretion to designate a student’s absence as “excused” or “unexcused” based on academic judgments.

A representative list of holy days for the 2025-2026 academic year from several major traditions follows. These are only representative holidays, and this list is not exhaustive.

For a more complete listing, please visit the Interfaith Calendar.

Dates Observance
Friday, *Sept. 11 – Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026 Rosh Hashanah
Sunday, *Sept. 20 – Monday, Sept. 21, 2026 Yom Kippur
Friday, *Sept. 25 – Friday, Oct. 2, 2026 Sukkot
Friday, *Oct. 2 – Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026 Shemini Atzeret
Saturday, *Oct. 3 – Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026 Simchat Torah
Sunday, Oct. 11 – Monday, Oct. 19, 2026 Navratri
Sunday, November 8, 2026 Diwali
Friday, *Dec. 4 – Saturday, Dec. 12, 2026 Hanukkah
Wednesday, February 10, 2027 Ash Wednesday
Sunday, Feb. 7 – Monday, Mar. 8, 2027 Ramadan
Tuesday, Mar. 9 – Wednesday, Mar. 10, 2027 Eid al-Fitr
Friday, March 26, 2027 Good Friday
Wednesday, *April 21 – Thursday, April 29, 2027 Pesach/Passover
Thursday, May 6, 2027 Ascension Day

*After sundown

Religious Holidays 2026-2027

Contact