Bi-semester vs tri-semester: Which system is better for private universities?
While the tri-semester system promises efficiency and flexibility, it often leaves students with little breathing space between semesters and almost no time to recover from one term before another begins
Shahriar Shawon, a 10th-semester student in the Department of Computer Science at the American International University–Bangladesh (AIUB), feels his university years have passed in a blur.
"It feels like there are fewer classes compared to the number of exams, presentations, and assignments. It's like we're always running. That's because of the tri-semester system," he said.
For thousands of students like Shawon, this sense of never-ending pressure has become an inseparable part of private university life in Bangladesh. Unlike public universities that follow a traditional bi-semester calendar, most private institutions operate on a tri-semester system — Spring, Summer and Fall — compressing a four-year degree into roughly three to three and a half years.
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While the structure promises efficiency and flexibility, it often leaves students with little breathing space between semesters and almost no time to recover from one term before another begins.
The system was originally introduced to help private universities align with international academic schedules and attract students who wanted to graduate early. It also allows these universities to admit new students three times a year, maximising enrolment and resources.
But for many students, this fast-paced rhythm feels like an academic treadmill.
Rifat Ahmed, a final-year Civil Engineering student at the International University of Business Agriculture and Technology (IUBAT), finds both benefits and drawbacks in the model. "My graduation will be done within three and a half years, which would take four years in a bi-semester system. That's an advantage," he said.
"And if someone withdraws a course, they can retake it in the next semester — just a two or three-month wait. In a bi-semester system, it could take double that time."
Still, he admitted that the speed comes at a cost. "After the first few weeks, everything becomes a rush. We barely get breaks to rest or explore other things like internships, jobs, or hobbies."
In March 2022, the University Grants Commission (UGC) instructed private universities to switch from the trimester model to a bi-semester model starting from 1 July, arguing that this shift would allow institutions to adopt an outcome-based education framework and provide students and teachers more time for research, internships, and extracurricular activities.
In the trimester system, students get 14 weeks for completing a term — meaning they need at least 42 weeks a year for coursework, leaving only about 10 weeks for anything else. In contrast, the bi-semester system keeps students and teachers busy for 36 weeks a year — 18 weeks per term — allowing the remaining 16 weeks for research, seminars, writing papers, relaxation, and extracurricular activities.
The real question is whether we're establishing quality education — not just which semester system we use. Still, there are many complaints about the tri-semester format. The UGC has repeatedly issued orders to shift to the bi-semester system, but implementation remains minimal. We need to find out why this failure persists.
The commission argued that longer semesters would allow students more time for research, deeper engagement with coursework, and a healthier balance between study and rest. The move was also meant to bring private universities in line with international academic norms, where longer semesters are the standard.
Bangladesh currently has around 56 public universities and 116 private universities, according to data available on the UGC website. This higher education sector still lags behind in global rankings. No university from the country is among the top 300 in the latest Times Higher Education Asia University Rankings. Despite some progress, these figures show how far Bangladesh's universities remain from regional leaders in research and academic quality.
Yet, implementation of this directive has been slow and inconsistent. Some universities adopted the new calendar but reportedly continued to compress coursework, keeping the workload just as heavy. Many other universities have not shifted at all.
For teachers, the pressure can be just as intense like students. Dr Saleh Md Shahriar, Assistant Professor in the Department of History and Philosophy at North South University (NSU), described the strain of finishing complex courses within such short timeframes.
"When I teach a course under the tri-semester system, I get about only four months, including the break, to finish the course. You tell me — how can we properly complete such an important syllabus in that time?", he said.
"We manage to finish it but the pressure is tremendous. Even during breaks, we often have to handle administrative work or prepare for the next term. One of my colleagues had 80 students recently in a course that used to take around 40. He's always exhausted. Everyone — students and teachers — are under constant strain."
He added that when he previously worked under a bi-semester model, the experience was "more comfortable and truly learning-friendly." The slower pace, he said, allowed teachers to focus more on research and quality teaching rather than just rushing to finish syllabuses.
Dr Ahmed Abidur Razzaque Khan, Assistant Professor of General Education Department at the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB), pointed to a deeper reason behind the universities' reluctance to change. "UGC has instructed several times to move to the bi-semester model, but most universities ignored it because of business profit," he said.
"In the bi-semester system, universities can admit students twice a year; in the tri-semester system, they can do it three times. So the money keeps flowing."
He described the current structure as "academic chaos," adding, "In my university, there's only a five-minute gap between classes. One day you have midterms, the next day quizzes, then presentations, then finals. It's endless. That's one reason why private university students and teachers are less engaged in research."
However, Manzoor Ahmed, Professor Emeritus at BRAC University, argued that the key issue is not only the semester structure but whether quality education is being ensured.
"The real question is whether we're establishing quality education — not just which semester system we use," he said. "Still, there are many complaints about the tri-semester format. The UGC has repeatedly issued orders to shift to the bi-semester system, but implementation remains minimal. We need to find out why this failure persists."
To understand what the UGC was thinking about the issue and their next move, we contacted four UGC officials, including the director. Three said they were not authorised to comment on this matter without the director's permission, while the director himself could not be reached.
