Dean of Undergraduates: Guidelines for Religious Accommodations

Both Rice's policy of non-discrimination on the basis of religion and our core values of diversity and inclusion require instructors to make reasonable accommodations to help students avoid negative academic consequences with their religious obligations conflict with academic requirements.

Every reasonable effort should be made to allow members of the university community to observe their religious holidays without jeopardizing the fulfillment of their academic obligations. It is never acceptable for an instructor to compel a student to choose between religious observation and academic work.

Absence from classes or examinations for religious reasons does not relieve students from responsibility for any part of the course work required during the period of the absence. It is the obligation of students to provide faculty with reasonable notice of the dates of religious holidays on which they will be absent.

Dates Religion Holiday
9/5/2023 Labor Day
9/15/2023 Jewish Rosh Hashanah (New Year)
9/19/2023 Hindi Ganesh Chaturthi
9/24/2023-9/25/203 Jewish Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement)
9/26/2023-9/27/2023 Islamic Mawlid al-Nabi (birthday of Mohammad)
9/29/2023-10/6/2023 Jewish Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles)
10/6/2023-10/8/2023 Jewish Shemini Atzeret
10/7/2023-10/8/2023 Jewish Simchat Torah
10/9/2023 Indigenous Peoples Day
10/15/2023-10/24/2023 Hindu Navaratri/Dussehra
11/11/2023 Veterans Day
11/12/2023 Hindu Diwali
11/23/2023 Thanksgiving
11/24/2023 Native American Heritage Day
12/7/2023-12/15/2023 Jewish Hanukkah (Chanukah)
12/25/2023 Christian Christmas Day
1/1/2024 New Years Day
1/7/2024 Christian Orthodox Orthodox Christmas
1/15/2024 Martin Luther King Jr. Day
2/10/2024 Lunar New Year
2/14/2024 Christian Ash Wednesday
2/19/2024 President's Day
3/8/2024 Hindu Maha Shivaratri
3/10/2024-4/09/2024* Islamic Ramadan
3/18/2024-5/4/2024 Christian Orthodox Orthodox Lent
3/23/2024-3/24/2024 Jewish Purim
3/24/2024 Hindu Holi
3/29/2024 Christian Good Friday
3/31/2024 Christian Easter
4/6/2024 Islamic Lailat al-Qadr
4/10/2024* Islamic Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan)
4/17/2024 Hindu Ramanavami
4/22/2024-4/30/2024 Jewish Passover (Pesach)
5/3/2024 Christian Orthodox Orthodox Good Friday
5/5/2024 Christian Orthodox Orthodox Easter
5/27/2024 Memorial Day
6/11/2024-6/13/2024 Jewish Shavuot
6/16/2024-6/19/2024 Islamic Eid al-Adha
6/19/2024 Juneteenth
7/4/2024 Independence Day
7/17/2024 Islamic Muharram (Al Hijrah New Year)

* Dates tentative, based on lunar cycle

This list is not a complete listing of religious holidays. If you would like a religious holiday added to the list, please provide the information via email to ugdean@rice.edu.