Sügissemestriks

Sügissemestriks is an Estonian term used to denote the autumn semester, the first major division of the academic year in Estonian higher education institutions and many schools. It refers to the period during which courses are offered, examinations are scheduled, and academic requirements apply for that term. In practice, sügissemestriks is commonly seen in official documents, calendars, and course catalogs to indicate deadlines, registration periods, and funding or scholarship conditions.

The word is formed from sügis (autumn) and semester, with the translative suffix -iks, producing a function similar to "for the autumn semester" or "as the autumn semester." It is used in sentences such as "registreeruda sügissemestriks" (to register for the autumn semester) or "sügissemestriks kehtivad tingimused" (the conditions apply for the autumn semester).

In the Estonian academic calendar, sügissemestriks marks the first semester of the academic year and is typically followed by kevadsemestriks for the spring semester. The term is primarily used in educational and administrative contexts, including registries, course catalogs, and scholarship or funding terms. It denotes a time frame rather than a specific program, and it is contrasted with kevadsemestriks to distinguish between the autumn and spring terms.