The State Human Resources Commission permits educational institutions to adopt a holiday schedule that differs from the state-wide schedule in order to meet operational needs of the campuses. Institutions may not grant additional paid holidays beyond the 12 days authorized by the General Assembly. The 2025, 2026 & 2027 holiday schedule for Western Carolina University will be as follows:
| Holiday | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
New Year’s Day |
Wednesday, January 1st |
Thursday, January 1st |
Friday, January 1st |
|
Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday |
Monday, January 20th |
Monday, January 19th |
Monday, January 18th |
|
Good Friday |
Friday, April 18th |
Friday, April 3rd |
Friday, March 26th |
|
Independence Day |
Friday, July 4th |
Friday, July 3rd |
Monday, July 5th |
|
Labor Day |
Monday, September 1st |
Monday, September 7th |
Monday, Septembr 6th |
|
Thanksgiving |
Thrusday - Friday, November 27th - 28th |
Thursday - Friday, November 26th - 27th |
Thursday - Friday, November 25th - 26th |
|
Extended Winter Closing |
Wednesday - Friday, December 24th - January 2nd (2026)* |
Thursday - Friday, December 24th - January 1st (2027)* |
Friday - Monday, December 24th - January 3rd (2028)* |
*The holidays at Christmas are obtained by combining the Memorial Day and Veterans’
Day holidays with the three holidays given for Christmas. To allow for an extended
winter closing in 2025, the University will remain closed two additional days on Wednesday,
December 24th, 2025 and Friday, January 2nd, 2026. To allow for an extended winter
closing in 2026, the University will remain closed one additional day on Thursday,
December 31st, 2026. To allow for an extended winter closing in 2027, the University
will remain closed one additional day on Friday, December 31st 2027. FLSA exempt leave
earning employees may account for time on these dates by charging the hours to vacation
leave, bonus leave or personal observance leave (if available) or leave without pay.
FLSA non-exempt employees may charge the hours to vacation leave, bonus leave or personal
observance leave (if available) or compensatory time if eligible. The Smart Time cascading
program will adjust leave based on current program rules. As always, compensatory
time is charged before personal leave accounts.
Permanent and probationary SHRA, FLSA non-exempt employees who are required to work
on a designated University holiday will be paid straight time plus holiday premium
pay equal to one-half of their regular straight-time hourly rate for the hours worked
on these holidays. In addition, they will be given compensatory time off equal to
the holiday hours worked. Hourly employees and those on temporary staff appointments
receive straight-time pay plus a premium of one-half straight-time pay for work on
designated University holidays, but they are not given compensatory time off.
Questions concerning the 2025-2027 University Holiday Schedules may be directed to
the Office of Human Resources and Payroll at 227-7218.