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.
Further guidance
Example
Under a style that prescribes the Merton pattern, write “the 2025/26 academic year.” Another institution may require “2025–2026,” so the local guide controls.
Practical Application
Treat academic-year notation as an institutional style choice. If the governing style specifies “2025/26,” use the slash, no spaces, and shortened second year consistently; do not assume that pattern applies everywhere.
Reader Check
Before standardizing dates, check the institution’s current house style for separator, spaces, and whether the second year is shortened or written in full.
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