Michaelmas (/ˈmɪkəlməs/ MIK-əl-məs) term is the first academic term of the academic year in a number of English-speaking universities and schools in the northern hemisphere, especially in the United Kingdom.
Michaelmas term derives its name from the Feast of St Michael and All Angels, which falls on 29 September.
While the name is not used in the legal systems of the United States, where most American courts operate on continuous year-round calendars without terms, the U.S. Supreme Court roughly follows the English custom by beginning its annual nine-month term on the first Monday in October, a few days after Michaelmas.
It also used to be the third and final term at the University of Sydney before it swapped over to the two-semester system in 1989.
The University of Exeter no longer seems to use the name officially, as it formerly did (the term dates on their website don't use it), but their Anglican Chaplaincy retains the name.