SpongeBob SquarePants season 3

The third season of the American animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants, created by Stephen Hillenburg, aired on Nickelodeon from October 5, 2001, to October 11, 2004, and consists of 20 half-hour episodes. The series chronicles the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the fictional underwater city of Bikini Bottom. The season was executive produced by series creator Hillenburg and supervising produced by Derek Drymon, whom the former also acted as the showrunner. It is notable for being the last season with Hillenburg as the series' showrunner following uncertainty within the network over whether a fourth season was possible, with Nickelodeon ultimately deciding on making more episodes as a result of the show's continued growth.

The season received acclaim from media critics and fans. During its run, SpongeBob SquarePants became the highest rated children's show on cable, with over 50 million viewers a month. The show received several recognitions, including its nomination at the Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Children's Program. The episodes "New Student Starfish" and "Clams" were nominated for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour) category, while the entry "SpongeBob B.C. (Ugh)" was also nominated for the same category. The season was also the first time the show received a nomination at the Kids' Choice Awards and won. It won the 2003 Kids' Choice Awards for Favorite Cartoon, and also won the following year's Kids' Choice Award for the same category. The popularity of the show continued to grow during its run, which included more merchandising opportunities and celebrities reported to be fans of the show.

The SpongeBob SquarePants: The Complete 3rd Season DVD was released in Region 1 on September 27, 2005, Region 2 on December 3, 2007, and Region 4 on November 8, 2007. Several compilation DVDs that contained episodes from the season were released prior.