Staying on Campus Over Winter Break Isn't Automatic. Here's How Temple, Bentley and Colorado State Handle It.
At many colleges, staying on campus over winter break takes an approved request, a separate fee and a deadline that lands during finals. Temple charges a $300 flat fee, Bentley $1,400 for the full break and Colorado State $50 a day. Here are the dates, rules and what to check now.
Most families assume a student who needs to stay on campus over winter break can simply stay. At many schools, that isn't how it works. Residence halls close in mid-December, and staying takes an approved request, a separate fee and, often, a deadline that falls during finals.
The request windows for winter break 2026–27 open in November. If your student has a campus job, an internship, a long or expensive trip home, or a spring move-in date that doesn't line up with a flight, now is the time to look at the rules.
Three schools show how different those rules can be: one charges a flat fee, one charges a fixed price for the whole break, and one charges by the day.
Temple University: A $300 Flat Fee for Any Access
Temple's residence halls close for winter break on Thursday, December 17, 2026, at 12:00 p.m., and students are required to vacate by then. Halls reopen Saturday, January 9, 2027, at 10:00 a.m.
Winter break housing requests open Monday, November 2, 2026, and close Friday, December 11, 2026, by 5:00 p.m. Only students with an approved request can access housing during the break.
The fee is the detail to notice. Temple adds the full $300 flat rate to the fall bill if a student needs housing access at any point in the break. That includes staying even one night past December 17 or arriving before January 9. To be eligible, a student needs a housing assignment in both fall 2026 and spring 2027, must be registered for spring 2027 classes and must have a student account in good standing.
Bentley University: $1,400, and You Have to Show a Reason
Bentley's winter break housing period runs from December 16, 2026, to January 18, 2027. The application is open in the Housing Portal from November 11 through 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 3, 2026.
The cost is $1,400, and Bentley says the dates and cost cannot be prorated. There is no meal plan during this period. Students must show a need to stay on campus, such as a job or internship in the Waltham area or being unable to travel home.
Applying doesn't lock in a room. Students usually stay in their spring assignment, but the Residential Center may move them, and Bentley says a specific assignment is not guaranteed. Required winter athletes don't apply online; their coach arranges housing. For students who can't cover the cost, Bentley points to its Student Hardship Fund.
Colorado State University: $50 a Day, Rising to $90 in January
Colorado State students register for break housing between Thursday, November 19, and Wednesday, December 16, through the CSU Housing Portal. Prior approval is required to stay. A confirmation email goes out the day after registration closes.
The key dates:
- Friday, December 18, 2 p.m.: dining centers close and meal plans are deactivated.
- Saturday, December 19, 10 a.m.: residence halls close.
- January 9–13: early arrival, by a separate request and approval.
- Thursday, January 14, 8 a.m.: halls reopen. Classes start Tuesday, January 19.
Break housing costs $50 per day and doesn't include meal swipes or RamCash. From January 9, and for early arrival, the rate is $90 per day with three meal swipes a day. Where a student stays depends on their hall. Residents of Corbett, Durward, Laurel Village, Parmelee and Westfall are approved automatically and keep their rooms. Residents of Academic Village, Braiden, Edwards, Ingersoll, Newsom and Summit may be moved to temporary spaces in an open hall. Leaving without completing the room-preparation steps brings a $100 improper check-out charge.
What Families Should Check Now
Before you book a December flight or a January return, find out:
- When the halls close and reopen, including the exact time. A noon closing changes which flight works.
- Whether staying requires a request, and when that request window opens and closes.
- How the fee works: flat, a fixed price for the full break, or per day. Ask whether it can be prorated.
- Who qualifies. Some schools require a spring assignment, spring registration or a documented reason to stay.
- Whether meals are included. Bentley has no meal plan during break, and Colorado State's $50 daily rate doesn't include meal swipes.
- Whether your student will have to move rooms for the break.
Winter break housing decisions shape everything around them: flights home, what to pack or store, and when to come back for spring move-in. Those are the details CollegeLogistics helps families plan around.