🌍 American vs British · vocabulary

semester vs term

A division of the academic year during which courses are taught.

American
semester

“I'm taking five classes this semester.”

British
term

“I'm taking five modules this term.”

Good to know

American schools and universities are usually split into two "semesters," while British ones traditionally use three "terms" per year. "Semester" is increasingly used at some UK universities too.

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