Arrangements for the seasonal break 2025-26

Seasonal break University closure dates

For the full schedule of the holiday closure dates, please see the University’s seasonal break closure dates 2025-2026 table. 

Student support services

Library and Student Centre  

Monday 15 December

• Libraries at Marylebone, Cavendish and Harrow will be open 9am – 6pm
• All Student Centre counters will be open 9am – 6pm
• Student Hub Live Chat will be open 9am – 8pm

Tuesday 16 December

• Libraries at Marylebone, Cavendish and Harrow will be open 9am – 6pm
• All Student Centre counters and Student Hub Live Chat will close at 2pm

Wednesday 17 December

• Libraries at Marylebone, Cavendish and Harrow will be open 9am – 6pm
• All Student Centre counters will be open 10am – 6pm
• Student Hub Live Chat will be open 10am – 8pm

Thursday 18 December

• Libraries at Marylebone, Cavendish and Harrow will be open 9am – 6pm
• All Student Centre counters and Student Hub Live Chat will be closed

Friday 19 December

• Libraries at Marylebone, Cavendish and Harrow will be open 9am – 6pm
• All Student Centre counters will be open 9am – 6pm
• Student Hub Live Chat will be open 9am – 8pm

Saturday 20 December and Sunday 21 December

• Libraries at Marylebone, Cavendish and Harrow will be closed
• All Student Centre counters will be closed
• Student Hub Live Chat will be open 11am – 5pm

Monday 22 December and Tuesday 23 December

• Libraries at Marylebone, Cavendish and Harrow will be open 9am – 5pm
• All Student Centre counters will be open 9am – 5pm
• Student Hub Live Chat will be open 9am – 8pm

Wednesday 24 December to Friday 26 December

• Libraries at Marylebone, Cavendish and Harrow will be closed
• All Student Centre counters and Student Hub Live Chat will be closed. Enquiries made via Compass during this time will be picked up from Monday 5 January

Saturday 27 December to Sunday 4 January

• Marylebone library will be open 10am – 8pm except for Thursday 1 January. The Student Centre desk on the ground floor will be closed during this time
• Libraries at Cavendish and Harrow will be closed
• All Student Centre counters and Student Hub Live Chat will be closed. Enquiries made via Compass during this time will be picked up from Monday 5 January

From Monday 5 January all libraries and Student Centre services will be open as normal at 9am. You can also see our festive hours page for more information.

Online library and Student Centre support and resources

The Guide to Library and Archive Service web page includes links to our larger collection of electronic resources and academic skills training, all of which can be accessed at any time.

There will be no Inter Library Loan (ILL) service from 5pm on Friday 19 December to 9am on Monday 5 January.

General enquiries can be made anytime via the Student Centre AI Assistant. 

Mental health resources

Whether you are struggling with a mental health condition, are feeling more lonely or anxious, or simply want to improve the way you manage stress, seeking help is a sign of courage. No one needs to struggle alone. Please review the below resources to prioritise your mental health and wellbeing during the winter break and beyond. 

• Spectrum.Life remains fully available throughout the university closure, offering students a 24/7 mental-health and wellbeing helpline, along with access to its digital wellbeing platform and digital gym. Support, information, and guided resources are always at your fingertips. It’s a confidential, student-focused service you can rely on wherever you are. The 24/7 helpline can be reached by calling UK +44 800 031 8227 | Intl +353 1 518 0277.
• NHS Mental health - NHS
• Mind is a mental health charity that provides counselling support. You can call them on 020 8853 1735
• Beat for Eating Disorder support: The UK's Eating Disorder Charity – Beat
• The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is leading a movement against suicide. You can call them on 0808 802 58 58
• Mental Health Emergency/Crisis Support: If you or someone you know is in immediate danger or risk of being harmed, please call 999 immediately or go to your closest Accident & Emergency (A&E) Department. You can call the Samaritans at 116 123 to talk to someone at any time, day or night, 24/7. You can text Shout on 85258
• Use our Report and Support platform to report instances of discrimination, harassment, bullying or any other negative, unwanted behaviour

Wellbeing & inclusion (disability learning service)

On Monday 22 December, no appointments will be available and only limited email responses may be provided. The department will be closed from Tuesday 23 December and will reopen on Monday 5 Janu

Here are the available wellbeing support and events in London during the seasonal break. 

University residences

University residences will operate throughout the closure period with support available via the staffed receptions.

Interfaith adviser

Yusuf Kaplan will be available on campus or online from Wednesday 24 December to Wednesday 31 December, and online only on Thursday 1 and Friday 2 January 2026. He can be reached at [email protected].  

Online learning support and resources

Services and support for Blackboard and other online learning tools will operate as usual until 5pm on Tuesday 23 December 2025 and will resume from 9am on Monday 5 January 2026. Between these dates you can access our online support resources and knowledge bank for advice and guidance.

In addition, there will be 24/7 monitoring of Blackboard during the closure period by our service provider who will address any system issues or outages.

Information Systems and Support (ISS) – IT Service Desk and online services

ISS and the IT Service Desk will operate as normal until 4pm on Tuesday 23 December and will resume at 8am on Monday 5 January 2026.

Access to university resources and platforms will still be available during the seasonal break. 

Security

During the holiday period, there will be a security presence at all our locations, even though our sites will be closed.

For an emergency Estates-related issue only, please call 020 7911 5000 from a mobile or dial extension 5555 from an internal landline. You will be directed to our out-of-hours operator who will respond to the Estates-related emergency issue.

All other non-emergency maintenance and facilities issues will be reviewed and processed in the new year.  

Waste collections

Please ensure that any perishable waste is removed from University campuses and Halls of Residence. Waste collections will take place less frequently over the winter break. 

Careers and Enterprise Service

The Careers and Enterprise Services will close from 4.30pm on Tuesday, 23 December to 9am on Monday, 5 January 2026. There will still be some exciting content on the CareerZone social media channels during the seasonal break, focusing on careers, wellbeing and festivities via our CareerZone Instagram. Stay tuned and follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn, and log into CareerZone for Careers and Enterprise resources, available 24/7. You can also catch up with our CareerZone how-to guides, available on demand on the CareerZone YouTube channel, as well as invaluable insights offered by students and employers via our LinkedIn articles and our blog page.

Students’ Union

Your Students' Union services will be closed from 5pm on Friday 12 December, and re-open on 5 January 2026 with their usual opening hours. If you have any urgent queries, please email [email protected] and mark it as such in the email subject line. If you require immediate support, drop your Students’ Union a message on Instagram or Facebook. Please note that during the holiday period, these channels will be intermittently checked by colleagues. For any academic advice bookings made during the closure, these will be picked up in the new year.

Find out more about our support and services.

Find out more about our wellbeing resources.