Residential Life

Winter Break Housing

Winter Break is the period between the fall closing of the residence halls (Sunday December 21, 2025 at 12pm ET) and the spring opening of the residence halls (Saturday January 17, 2026)

Breadcrumb

The residence halls will close at 12pm (noon ET) on Sunday, December 21, after the final exam period concludes on Saturday. Students must vacate their rooms within 24 hours after their last exam or by 12pm on December 21, whichever comes first. All card access will be disabled at noon, except for students with prior written approval from the Office of Residential Life to remain on campus.

Students who will return to their current housing assignment in the spring must keep their room key, and should not bring it home or leave it in their room; their personal belongings can remain in their room over winter break. Students who will not return to on-campus housing in the spring must fully vacate their fall housing assignment and return their room key no later than Sunday, December 21 (when the halls close).

Student Requests

Students who need to stay late at the end of the Fall semester, arrive early at the beginning of the Spring semester, or remain in on-campus housing for the entire Winter Break are required to fill out the Winter Break Housing form, which will be available beginning in early November and will have a priority deadline in early December.

Students do not need to complete the Winter Break Housing form if they do not plan to live on-campus between December 21 and January 17.

Eligibility

	Fall Extended Housing	Spring Early Arrival Housing	Full Winter Break Housing
Students living on campus in Fall 2025 and Spring 2026	Eligible	Eligible	Eligible
Students only living on campus in Fall 2025	Eligible
Students only living on campus in Spring 2026		Eligible

Student housing requests will be considered based on one of the following criteria: travel challenges, unsafe home environment, housing insecurity, athletic programs, student employment, sponsored program/research, Brown Winter Session, or RISD Wintersession. Requests outside of those conditions or without sponsorship will be reviewed but may not be approved.

Pricing and billing

Housing during the winter break period costs $45 per day for individual requests. Charges will be posted to student accounts beginning in mid-December and on a rolling basis thereafter. The charges will appear on the student’s account under the Winter term as extended housing charges.

Students who will remain on campus due to a University-sponsored activity (e.g. on-campus employment or athletic competition) and who have their housing costs sponsored by a department may note that in the Winter Break Housing Form. The Office of Residential Life will confirm with that department 1) whether they are sponsoring the housing costs and 2) the specific dates being sponsored. Fully sponsored students will see extended housing charges and credits appear on their account under the Winter term. If a student arrives outside the date(s) noted by their sponsor, that student is responsible for all housing charges for the non-sponsored days at a rate of $45 per day.

Financial Assistance

Domestic Students who experience an emergent or unexpected situation which impacts their ability to access safe housing who are also in need of financial assistance may email financial_advising@brown.edu for more information about financial assistance.

International students studying on an F-1 visa who experience an emergent or unexpected situation which impact their ability to access safe housing who are also in need of financial assistance may email internationaladvising@brown.edu.

Please keep in mind that financial assistance is not guaranteed, and students must also be separately approved to stay on campus by the Office of Residential Life.

Meals

Fall meal plan access is available through the end of the exam period. Please note that approval for winter break housing does not include winter break meal services. Students interested in meal services during the winter break period should refer to the Dining Services website or contact Dining Services directly at dining_services@brown.edu or 401-863-3343.

Departmental Requests

Department sponsors should upload the 25-26 Departmental Winter Housing Request sheet to this brief form no later than 12pm (noon) on Monday, December 3, 2025.