For federal aid purposes, Barton defines "academic year" as a period that begins on the first day of classes and ends on the last day of classes or examination, and includes a minimum of 30 weeks of instructional time in which a full-time student is expected to complete at least 30 semester hours. At Barton, the beginning of the award year is the Fall semester which is followed by the Spring semester. Summer is considered a "trailer" and is not part of the academic year definition, but if any aid is leftover from the fall or spring semester, the student may be able to use it during the summer term. Go to Sidebar Content