California State University, Long Beach operates on a semester system, which is supplemented by a fee-supported summer term and a fee-supported winter session. Normally, fall semester classes begin in late August or early September. The last day of instruction usually comes midway in December; this allows for a week of final examinations prior to the winter recess, which begins about December 20. The spring semester usually begins in the last week of January and ends in mid-May, in time for a week of final examinations and the week of commencement exercises just before or after Memorial Day. The summer term begins in June through July and into late August.