Academic Settings: Term Types

Term Types are templates that define how academic terms are created in Populi. If your school more or less follows the same schedule every academic year (e.g. "We start mid-August, go till mid-December, take a month off, get rolling again mid-January and sign off mid-May"), these'll come in handy. Term Types let you establish start/end dates, add/drop deadlines, and what the term can be used for elsewhere in Populi.

After setting up Term Types, they'll be automatically added to any academic years you create afterwards.

Adding a Term Type

1. Go to Academics > Settings > Term Types.
2. Click Add a Term Type and fill in the details...
   • Name and Display Name: The display name will be shown in term drop-downs and other places around Populi. It can include {START_YEAR} and {END_YEAR} placeholders, which Populi fills in when it generates the term. For example, a display name of Fall {START_YEAR} becomes Fall 2027 for the 2027-2028 academic year.
   • If Superterms are enabled for your school, you can pick a Level.
   • Default dates: Enter the default start and end dates for each term type, and select whether the date falls in the start or end date of the academic year. You can also choose whether to start/end the term on the weekday nearest that date.
   • Can Overlap: Can the term's timeframe overlap with other terms? (When Populi generates terms for a new academic year, terms that cannot overlap are sequenced so they do not overlap.)
   • Add/Drop Days: The number of days after the term start date that the add/drop period ends.
   • Use For: Check whether the term can be used for Campus Life purposes and/or as an entrance term on admissions applications. Superterms give you additional options for whether to show the term on transcripts and use it for billing. See below for details.
3. Click Save.

You can add as many term types as you need. Remember that all of these types will be included in all academic years you create, so only add what you need (if you have stray, one-off terms, you'll be able to add those to an individual academic year later). If you need to delete or retire a term type, click its name and then the appropriate button in the dialog. Deleting/retiring will not affect any terms that have already been created within an academic year.

Use For details

A term type's Use For settings control where individual terms appear throughout Populi:

• Campus Life: The term is available for room and meal plans, Campus Life fees, and Campus Life reports—anywhere you'll find a Campus Life term selector.
• Entrance Term: Only terms so marked will be available as an entrance term for admissions applications, inquiries, and leads.
• Transcript: Only Superterms or Subterms with this use will appear on transcripts and in any transcript-related tools.
• Billing: Only Superterms or Subterms with this use will appear in billing reports, invoices, and Profile > Financial > By Term—anywhere there's a billing-related term selector.