The Academic Quarter – Yes, No, Sometimes

By peter [dot] kjallkvist [at] ehl [dot] lu [dot] se (Peter Kjällkvist) - published 26 November 2025

In certain situations it is used, in others, not. We take a look at the use of the academic quarter at LUSEM today and share some background on where the tradition comes from.

The classic explanation is that in times past the students did not necessarily own watches and had to rely on the church bells to know what time it was. When you heard the bells of Lund’s cathedral strike the full hour, you knew you had fifteen minutes to gather your things and present yourself for class.

Another explanation is that the quarter allowed for teachers and students to get to their next classes on time.

Is it just a quaint relic of the past or does the academic quarter still serve a purpose?

Well the answer is actually “yes” on both accounts. Few, if anyone, rely on the church bells for time keeping, but classes do still tend to end on the hour, making it practical to start the next lecture fifteen minutes later.

At the same time, not everything at the university uses the academic quarter, so how does it work?

The academic quarter is in effect for: classes, lectures, and seminars before 18:00. In these cases, time is written as 1, 2, 3, 4…

Strict punctuality is expected for: exams, board meetings, meetings with non teaching staff. If there is a dot “.” (or double dot “..” after 18:00) after the given time, or if the time is given in both hour and minutes, such as 15:15. Meetings between students and their supervisors/teachers are somewhat unclear, but usually it is best to arrive at the exact time.

And then there is the double quarter… The double quarter is standard for events and festivities that start after 18:00, but since many fail to take this tradition seriously we end up with some extra time for mingling before things start.

The practice of the academic quarter goes back hundreds of years and in all likelihood it was imported to Sweden from German speaking countries where the practice still lives on today. In Sweden the academic quarter is more or less a strictly Lundensian affair. Uppsala University still tends to start is classes at a quarter past the hour, but they also write it explicitly.

History – A need for punctuality becomes a sign of laziness/tardiness.

The use of an academic quarter is centuries old. There are accounts of it from at least the 16^th century in central Europe, primarily in German speaking regions, where it is called “Akademische Viertelstunde”.

The need for punctuality was not a major concern for most people until the industrial revolution when factories demanded punctual arrival and trains were required to run on schedule. Before that merchants and university students were among the few who relied on clocks for being on time. As more and more things had to run on time and pocket watches became more readily available, the academic quarter which had arguably been a sign of punctuality became more and more associated with lazy students keeping their own timetable, unlike honest hard-working commoners.

Meridian for the Academic Quarter

For those with a penchant for minor detective work in conjunction with student humour there is a small plaque to be found in Lundagård by the fountain in front of the university building reading:

“The meridian of the academic quarter, 1 hour and 15 minutes from local Greenwich time. Placed by the Uarda Academy on April 29, 1996."

The Uarda Academy is run by current and former student theatre (spex) members, and is named after a play originally set up in 1908. Their raison d’être is to bring us laughs and keep up the traditions of Lundensian student theatre. They are less noted for scientific accuracy, as the true meridian for GMT + 1h15 is off by about 500 km.