Walking to class while the sun is still out and leaving in the pitch-black of night has become a reality for University of Miami students stuck with night lectures.
Three-hour classes that meet once a week and run until as late as 9:20 p.m. can take up a huge part of a student’s day, leaving little time or energy for anything beyond the classroom.
While night classes can provide students with flexibility when building their schedules, that flexibility disappears when a required class is offered only at night. UM should not only have one section of a course that meets at night, taking up someone’s entire evening.
The University should rethink how these classes are structured and when they are offered, especially when some three-hour classes begin at 6:35 p.m. and do not end until 9:20 p.m.
Three-hour classes should include a mandatory break, and UM should offer multiple sections instead of only offering one required course that is scheduled to end as late as 9:20 p.m.
Last semester, I had two three-hour classes on Tuesdays: one at 8 a.m. and the other at 2 p.m. Even though I found both of those classes interesting, there came a point when my brain simply started to check out. By the last hour, I found myself fighting to stay focused.
Of course, I understand why three-hour classes exist. Having a class meet once a week rather than multiple times can make the schedule more manageable, and some students prefer to get everything done in one day. Meeting only once can also give students more flexibility throughout the rest of the week.
But sitting in the same classroom for three consecutive hours is a lot to ask of students.
“I chose the shorter classes, so people don’t have to sit as long,” said Professor Anthony Musto, who teaches a class about physical activity and is the executive director of the Wellness Center.
Beyond the health implications for sitting for extended periods of time, another major issue is the quality of learning students receive in these longer classes.
A 2013 study on attention suggests that staying engaged for longer periods is not always easy. The study examined attention and retention among undergraduate students watching a 40-minute lecture. Researchers found that attention and retention of material declined over time.
The study lasted only 40 minutes. Now, multiply that by nearly four times and you have a three-hour lecture.
This is where a break becomes important. I am not arguing that UM needs to eliminate three-hour courses altogether. But, if students are going to spend three consecutive hours in one classroom, there should be an actual opportunity to step away, eat a snack, use the bathroom and reset before returning to the material.
As someone who tries to go to bed somewhat early, I cannot imagine walking out of class at 9:20 p.m. and knowing my night was not over yet. By the time students leave, they may still need to eat dinner, finish homework, study for exams, prepare for the next day and get enough sleep.
An article published by The Miami Hurricane in November 2025 reported that students whose classes end around 9:20 p.m. can have trouble getting dinner before the dining halls close, adding another problem to an already long school day. For students who rely on campus dining, missing dinner may mean going without a meal or spending money on ordering food.
One student quoted in the article said that her Tuesday class ends at 9:20 p.m. and that she does not eat dinner that night because she cannot afford to order food.
There is also research that more directly relates to evening learning. A study of 78 undergraduate students conducted by researchers at Baylor University compared students who learned from a college-level lecture at noon with students who learned at 7:30 p.m.
The researchers did not find that learning in the evening itself significantly hurt test performance. However, they found that shorter sleep and later bedtimes explained 13% of the variation in students’ test performance.
Sleep and later bedtimes can affect how well students perform academically. For a student leaving class at 9:20 p.m., that is worth considering.
College schedules are complicated, and students have different responsibilities outside of academics. For some students, later classes actually are the best option.
“I chose to take afternoon classes since I work multiple jobs that typically occur during the day, so afternoon or night classes allow me to work during the day before my classes,” said Megan Belk, a sophomore studying accounting and finance.
Not every student wants an 8 a.m. class. Some students work during the day. Others have internships, club meetings or other responsibilities that make afternoon and evening classes more convenient.
A 2023 study published in Nature Human Behaviour examined data from tens of thousands of university students and found that attendance was about 10 percentage points lower for 8 a.m. classes compared with later class times.
Clearly, an 8 a.m. class and a 9:20 p.m. class pose two different scenarios. But studies support that class timing matters. But both show why class timing matters
Students’ sleep, attendance and academic experiences can all be impacted based on when they are expected to be in the classroom.
Alyssa Ziccardi, a sophomore studying communication sciences and disorders at Pennsylvania State University, said she does not support requiring night classes.
“I personally do not take any night classes and neither do my friends,” said Ziccardi. “I think that night classes should only be for individuals who need to take them, like adults who work and have kids, not 20-year-old students.”
Students need flexibility. But flexibility should not mean expecting them to spend their entire evening in a classroom.
At some point, three hours becomes too long, and 9:20 p.m. becomes too late.