American universities have different school calendars, length of school year which includes differing school holidays and starting and ending of classes. However, the prevailing national school calendar is of two types: semester system and quarter system

1. Semester
The semester system is classified into two kinds: the first kind is that each school year is composed of two semesters with sixteen weeks each semester. The other type is an hour-to-hour basis where the school year is divided into semesters where each semester is composed of eleven weeks.

2. School System Quarter
Each school year is divided into three quarters with ten weeks each quarter. In addition, many schools offer a variety of summer courses for the purpose of giving the students earn advance credits to make their next regular classes more convenient. Primary and secondary schools also offer summer vacation learning courses, which provide convenient and exciting multi-grade classes.  
  

American universities use the term “credit” to indicate the earned degree of the student. To be able to graduate from a particular program, the student must earn all the required credits including the prescribed number of elective and professional courses. Different courses have different credits, which are usually based according to number of hours to be completed. American universities have different policies on the maximum and minimum credits to be enrolled within a year. Students who take a two-year degree are required to finish 60 to 64 credits while those students who obtain a four-year degree must finish 120-128 credits. To pursue master's and doctoral degrees, the student must complete 30 credits for him to graduate. Foreign students are required to take prescribed minimum elective courses within the first semester. This is to give the students enough time to finally decide the major he/she wants to take.

  American higher education is generally classified into the following three types :

Two-year colleges
    This is also known as the two-year junior college or technical college. Moreover, since this type is usually organized and established by the public, it is also called community colleges. Community colleges offer courses in two categories: one is for the transitional arts courses, which is may be continued as a four-year education. When the students have completed the first two years, they will be given the diploma. These students, if they plan to continue their study, will be admitted to the third year of the university education. The advantage is that, the student can now seek employment upon completing the first two years of their course in the community college. Generally speaking, the degree conferred by community colleges is associate.    

Community colleges have open, diverse and flexible features. They have simple admission conditions such as: no age limit and no entrance examination. Moreover, community colleges have flexible learning schedule and time. Students may choose from different learning schedule such as Full-day, half-day, weekend, and evening class. There are also summer vacation courses. Aside from its short-term courses and low fees, community colleges also create programs to facilitate employment. At present, there are about 1,200 community colleges in the United States. The enrolment growth rate to these community colleges had showed rapid development through the years. Community colleges also experience various problems, such as teaching facilities and the quality of teachers. But since community colleges are relatively cheap and that the courses are especially designed to more educational opportunities. The technical and vocational courses have actually a major contributor to the social and economic development.

Four-year colleges
  Four-year colleges are roughly categorized into two. The first is the School of Arts and Sciences and the Academy of Sciences. The basic curriculum includes humanities (language, literature, philosophy, art, music, cultural history, etc.), social and behavioral sciences (history, geography, economics, politics, sociology, anthropology, psychology, etc.) and natural sciences (mathematics, physics, chemistry, Health objects, geology, etc.) areas. And now, to cater to the social needs, some universities have also provided additional major such as business management, nursing education, and teacher education. There are also other specialized colleges such as Mechanical School, School of Architecture, Engineering, College of Music and Teachers College, where the main aim is for occupational education. In recent years the Academy of Sciences has expanded the scope of teaching and provide more comprehensive arts curriculum and graduate program. Both types of academic institutions generally offer courses to be completed within four years. Commonly, the School of Arts and Sciences confer the degree Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science while the Academy of Science awards professional degrees.

Comprehensive University
    Comprehensive Universities have complex organizations, teachers of high profile, complete facilities, and generally include School of Arts and Sciences. In addition to the typical arts and sciences courses, comprehensive universities also offer degrees in engineering and technology, business, international studies, health education, agriculture, home economics, architecture, communication, journalism, library science, and hotel management. Most comprehensive universities emphasize research work, which is centralized in the Graduate School Research Department. In addition, comprehensive universities also include professional colleges such as the College of Medicine, College of Law, College of Dentistry and College of Management. Admission to these professional schools requires a four-year undergraduate education. The standard length of study is generally 3-4 years and the tuition is relatively high. Moreover, there is a fierce competition of candidates. Comprehensive universities also award bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees.