The Japanese academic year consists of two semesters. The first semester (Spring) begins in early April and finishes towards the end of July. The second semester (Fall) begins in late September and ends in early February, with a winter break running from late December through early January. The academic year-end holiday starts with the conclusion of final exams in February and runs through March until the beginning of the new academic year in early April. Since there are no classes in session during the academic year-end break, Keio University Law School cannot accept exchange students in the January to April time frame.