College students across the country are getting ready for the famous Spring Break vacation, with varying dates for celebrations.
Spring Break 2026 continues: Complete list of dates for U.S. universities and colleges in March
Spring Break is in full gear for US universities and colleges. Most higher education institutions will have some time off in March in Florida, Texas, Cancun, etc. and only a few more will be able to enjoy the surf, sand and sun in April. We’re almost halfway through March, let’s see which universities and colleges will have this week off for sun, surf and sand.
Here’s to one more week until spring break!!! ☀️🏖️🚤
— Aaron Mendoza (@777Aaron_1) March 3, 2025
#MondayMotivation pic.twitter.com/SZ94DFT5OG
Traditional Spring Break hotspots such as California, Florida, and Texas are preparing for an influx of college students over the next two months. With excitement running high, let’s take a closer look at the schedules of US colleges and universities as they provide their students and faculty with a well-deserved break for rest and relaxation. Or crazy partying!
How long is Spring Break for colleges and universities?
Spring Break typically spans about a week or two for most academic institutions. Some universities opt to grant students time off during the final week of March, followed by another break to observe Easter. In 2026, the majority of colleges and universities will enjoy Spring Break in March, while a few others listed below will have time to enjoy a break from the books in April.
Spring Break: history and origins
The origins of Spring Break revelry can be traced back to ancient Greek traditions. However, the modern phenomenon, which often garners media attention and became a fixture on MTV, emerged in the 1930s. It all began when a swimming coach brought his team to the tranquil shores of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to utilize a newly constructed Olympic-size pool for early-season training.
This innovative idea quickly gained popularity among other swim coaches. Additionally, the presence of German U-boats patrolling the Atlantic during World War II made Florida a preferable destination over offshore locations like Bermuda, further solidifying the state’s status as a Spring Break hotspot.
The Spring Break tradition received a significant boost in 1960 with the release of ‘Where the Boys Are’ by Glendon Swarthout, followed by a movie adaptation of the same name. Swarthout, an English professor at Michigan State University, drew inspiration from his firsthand observations of the Beatnik-era antics in Fort Lauderdale while accompanying a group of students.
Dates for Spring Break for U.S. Colleges and universities
| March 14 - March 21, 2026 |
|---|
| Alabama State University |
| Albion College |
| Allegheny College |
| Amherst College |
| Anne Arundel Community College |
| Babson College |
| Barnard College |
| Bentley University |
| Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania |
| Bowdoin College |
| Bridgewater State University |
| Brookdale Community College |
| California State University Chico |
| Canisius College |
| Central Connecticut State University |
| Champlain College |
| Clarkson University |
| Clemson University |
| Colgate University |
| Colorado State University |
| Columbia University |
| Denison University |
| DePauw University |
| Drake University |
| East Tennessee State University |
| Eastern Connecticut State University |
| Eastern Illinois University |
| Eastern Kentucky University |
| Eastern Washington University |
| Emporia State University |
| Endicott College |
| Fairleigh Dickinson University Madison |
| Fairleigh Dickinson University Teaneck Hackensack |
| Flagler College |
| Florida State University |
| Fort Hays State University |
| Fort Lewis College |
| Franklin and Marshall College |
| Frostburg State University |
| Gallaudet University |
| Georgia College and State University |
| Georgia Southern University |
| Georgia State University |
| Goucher College |
| Hamilton College |
| Hampshire College |
| Hampton University |
| Hartwick College |
| Harvard University |
| Hobart and William Smith Colleges |
| Hofstra University |
| Hudson Valley CC |
| Illinois Institute of Technology |
| Indiana University Bloomington |
| Indiana University Northwest |
| Indiana University Purdue U Indianapolis |
| Indiana University South Bend |
| Indiana University Southeast |
| Iowa State University |
| Ithaca College |
| James Madison University |
| Kansas State University |
| Kent State University |
| Kettering University |
| Kutztown University of Pennsylvania |
| La Salle University |
| Lafayette College |
| Lewis University |
| Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania |
| Marist College |
| Marshall University |
| Mercy College |
| Meredith College |
| Missouri Southern State University |
| Missouri State University |
| Missouri Western State University |
| Mohawk Valley Community College |
| Monmouth University |
| Montgomery College Germantown CC |
| Morehead State University |
| Morrisville State College |
| Mount Holyoke College |
| Mount Union College |
| Murray State University |
| Nassau Community College |
| Nazareth College |
| New Jersey Institute of Technology |
| New York Institute of Technology |
| New York University |
| Niagara University |
| North Dakota State University |
| Northwood University |
| Oklahoma State University Stillwater |
| Old Dominion University |
| Onondaga Community College |
| Orange County Community College |
| Oswego State Univ of NY |
| Plattsburgh State U of NY |
| Plymouth State University |
| Prince Georges Community College |
| Purdue University |
| Purdue University Northwest |
| Ramapo College of New Jersey |
| Rider University |
| Rogers University Tulsa |
| Rollins College |
| Roosevelt University |
| Rowan University |
| Rutgers University Camden |
| Rutgers University New Brunswick |
| Rutgers University Newark |
| Saint Anselm College |
| Saint Michaels College |
| Salisbury University |
| Sam Houston State University |
| Shepherd University |
| Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania |
| Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania |
| Smith College |
| Southern Connecticut State University |
| Southern Methodist University |
| Springfield College |
| St Ambrose University |
| St Francis College |
| State U of NY at Farmingdale |
| State U of NY at New Paltz |
| State U of NY College at Brockport |
| State U of NY College at Fredonia |
| State U of NY College at Geneseo |
| State University of West Georgia |
| Stony Brook University |
| SUNY Cortland |
| Texas Christian University |
| Texas Tech University |
| The City College of New York |
| The College of New Jersey |
| The Johns Hopkins University |
| The Ohio State University |
| The University of Iowa |
| The University of Tampa |
| The University of Texas at Arlington |
| The University of Texas at Austin |
| Towson University |
| Trinity College |
| Triton College |
| Tufts University |
| United States Military Academy |
| University at Albany |
| University at Buffalo |
| University of Alabama |
| University of Central Florida |
| University of Chicago |
| University of Cincinnati |
| University of Colorado at Boulder |
| University of Colorado at Denver |
| University of Connecticut Hartford |
| University of Connecticut Storrs |
| University of Dayton |
| University of Florida |
| University of Houston Main Campus |
| University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign |
| University of Kansas |
| University of Kentucky |
| University of Maine |
| University of Maryland Baltimore County |
| University of Maryland College Park |
| University of Massachusetts Amherst |
| University of Massachusetts Boston |
| University of Massachusetts Dartmouth |
| University of Massachusetts Lowell |
| University of Missouri Kansas City |
| University of Nebraska at Kearney |
| University of Nebraska at Omaha |
| University of Nebraska Lincoln |
| University of Nevada Las Vegas |
| University of New Hampshire |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| University of Northern Iowa |
| University of Oklahoma |
| University of Rhode Island |
| University of Scranton |
| University of South Florida Tampa |
| University of Southern California |
| University of Southern Maine |
| University of Southern Mississippi |
| University of Tennessee at Chattanooga |
| University of Tulsa |
| University of Wisconsin Eau Claire |
| University of Wisconsin Green Bay |
| University of Wisconsin La Crosse |
| University of Wisconsin Platteville |
| University of Wisconsin River Falls |
| University of Wisconsin Stevens Point |
| University of Wisconsin Stout |
| University of Wyoming |
| Upper Iowa University |
| Valdosta State University |
| Washburn University |
| Washington College |
| Wayne State College |
| Wayne State University |
| Wellesley College |
| West Virginia University |
| West Virginia University at Parkersburg |
| Western Connecticut State University |
| Western Illinois University |
| Western Kentucky University |
| Westfield State College |
| Wichita State University |
| William Paterson University |
| Worcester State University |
| March 21 - March 28, 2026 |
| Augustana College |
| Berkeley College |
| Brown University |
| Buffalo State |
| Carl Sandburg College |
| Colby College |
| Colorado State University Pueblo |
| DePaul University |
| Drexel University |
| Elon College |
| Franklin Pierce University |
| Georgia Institute of Technology |
| Hollins University |
| Indiana State University |
| Indiana University Purdue University |
| Keene State College |
| LeMoyne College |
| Miami University Oxford |
| Middlebury College |
| Northwestern University |
| Oberlin College |
| Purchase College State U of NY |
| Saint Louis University |
| Sarah Lawrence College |
| St Lawrence University |
| Stanford University |
| The University of Akron |
| Tulane University |
| U of Calif Irvine |
| U of Calif Santa Barbara |
| U of Calif Santa Cruz |
| Union College |
| University of Arkansas |
| University of Arkansas at Little Rock |
| University of California Berkeley |
| University of California San Francisco |
| University of Delaware |
| University of Denver |
| University of Illinois at Chicago |
| University of Missouri Columbia |
| University of Missouri Rolla |
| University of Missouri St Louis |
| University of San Francisco |
| University of Washington |
| University of Wisconsin Milwaukee |
| University of Wisconsin Oshkosh |
| University of Wisconsin Parkside |
| University of Wisconsin Whitewater |
| Western Washington University |
| Williams College |
| Wofford College |
| March 28 - April 4, 2026 |
| Binghamton University |
| Brandeis University |
| California State Polytechnic University Pomona |
| California State University San Marcos |
| College of DuPage |
| Cornell University |
| Fashion Institute of Technology |
| Oakland CC |
| Pace University New York City |
| Pace University Pleasantville |
| Randolph College |
| Roanoke College |
| San Diego State University |
| San Jose State University |
| South Dakota State University |
| St Olaf College |
| SUNY College of Technology Canton |
| The University of Findlay |
| U of California Los Angeles |
| University of San Diego |
| University of Wisconsin Madison |
| Xavier University of Louisiana |
| April 4 - April 11, 2026 |
| Castleton State College |
| State U of NY Coll of Technology at Delhi |
| Thomas More College |
| University of Waterloo |
| April 11 - April 18, 2026 |
| Berkeley College Lower Manhattan Campus |
| Berkeley College Midtown Campus |
| Berkeley College White Plains |
| Elmira College |
The influx of college students to the renowned Florida Spring Break destination surged from 20,000 to 50,000 and eventually reached an estimated 350,000 by 1985, thanks in part to the widespread popularity of Swarthout’s book and the subsequent film adaptation.
The alcohol-fueled antics of Spring Break celebrants reached a tipping point, prompting the mayor of the city to make a plea on national television to urge revelers to seek their festivities elsewhere. Despite this, Panama City, Florida, has solidified its reputation as the “Spring Break Capital of the World.” However, even in this renowned destination, issues arose, leading to stricter regulations.
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