All traditional residence halls close for winter break at 9 a.m. the day after the last scheduled final exam and will reopen at noon on the last Saturday in January. Students will be unable to remain in their building during this break and must vacate the building.
Students are not required to remove any belongings during any break period throughout the academic year. However, students should take any essential items, such as medication, laptops, cell phones, chargers, etc.
Anyone still in the building after 9 a.m. without prior permission will be fined $175 and will be asked to leave immediately. More information about the late departure policy is available below.
Before leaving, students must:
Make necessary travel arrangements to ensure the residence halls are vacated before 9 a.m. on the day after the last scheduled final exam, door access will be turned off at that time. Anyone still in the building after that without prior permission will be fined $175 from their TU student account and asked to leave immediately.
Sign the door signs upon vacating for break. Door signs will be attached to room doors by RA staff closer to the break period. Please do not remove these door signs.
To provide a living and learning environment that is conducive to students’ success with final projects and exams. 24-hour quiet hours will begin on the Sunday before final exam week at 10 p.m. Disruptive or inappropriate behavior may result in immediate removal.
A closing inspection to ensure spaces are ready to be unoccupied will be conducted in all rooms by the residence hall staff once students have left.
Towson University is not responsible for any personal property lost, stolen or damaged during this time period.
Students who currently have vacant spaces in their room/unit or who will have a vacancy because their roommates will be moving out at the end of the semester, should keep that vacant space and their overall room/unit in a clean condition and ensure it’s ready for a new roommate. This will help show respect to new students who will be moving in during the spring semester. Rooms/units with vacancies that are not ready for a new roommate may be assessed a fine.
Before leaving for break periods, we ask residents to help us save energy by setting their thermostats. To provide the best guidance, residents can find their thermostat setting instructions linked below.
Any student who has not left the residence halls by 9 a.m. on the day after the last scheduled final exam will be subject to a $175 fine, which will be assessed to their student account.
Only those students who have been granted advanced permission in writing by Housing and Residence Life professional staff will be allowed to stay past the deadline without being fined.
Students who need to remain past the 9 a.m. closing time will need to complete a Late Stay Request Form within the Student Housing Gateway by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, December 11.
“Late Stay Requests” will only be approved for the following reasons:
Students can direct any questions about their late stay request to the Residence Life Coordinator of their respective community.
Students who are not planning to return to university housing for the spring semester must request to be released from their current housing contract. Requests for contract cancellations must be submitted as soon as possible so that we may process cancellations and assign students from the housing waitlist. Cancellation requests are not guaranteed and will only be approved in accordance with the following reasons as outlined in section 18 of the housing contract:
To request a housing contract cancellation, students must visit the Student Housing Gateway and click on “Cancel Housing Contract” to complete the form. Supporting documentation may be requested. Students approved for cancellation must remove all their belongings and officially check out of their assignment.
Students approved for a contract cancellation will be assessed a $350 contract cancellation fee as outlined in the housing contract.
As a reminder, moving to an off-campus apartment is not an acceptable reason for a student to be released from their housing contract with Housing and Residence Life. In addition, students will not be released from their housing contract to live in a Capstone property (Harris and Tubman or Millennium Hall).