Academic Year Formatting
Academic-year labels often span two calendar years, but punctuation and year shortening are house-style choices. Merton Council, for example, specifies a slash with no spaces and the form 2025/26; other institutions may use a dash or both four-digit years.
Follow the institution’s house style for academic years; a form such as 2025/26 is valid in styles that explicitly prescribe a slash and shortened second year.
Key details
Important caveats
House Style Boundary
Merton Council’s published style uses a slash without spaces, as in 2025/26.
Variation Boundary
That notation is a documented house style, not a universal English rule; institutions can prescribe different separators or year lengths.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Style guide (opens in a new tab)Merton Council · Official house-style example for academic-year notation using a slash, such as 2025/26