Finals week is upon us and, before you know it, many of your students will be home for Winter Break. It is hard to believe how quickly this semester went by—congratulations to both you and your students for successfully making it to this point! Parent and Family Programs wishes you all a healthy and relaxing holiday season!

The university will be closed beginning at 2 p.m. on Dec. 24, 2025 and will reopen on Jan. 5, 2026. The RIT Department of Public Safety will remain open 24/7 and can be reached at 585-475-3333 or via text at 585-205-8333. For emergencies, please call 911.

View the Winter Break Guide for information about campus programs, services, dining, travel, and things to do in the Rochester area.

If they haven’t already done so, please make sure your student (if living in RIT housing) completes the End of Semester - Winter Break Plan. This form allows RIT to better serve our students during this time and includes the end of semester instructions and important information regarding on-campus circulation over break. Students that do not complete this form may experience swipe access interruptions.

RIT housing, including the residence halls, will remain open through the break between fall and spring semester. Students who are eligible may remain in RIT housing throughout the winter break. Eligible students are those who currently live in RIT housing, will remain in RIT housing for spring semester, and will be registered for spring semester classes. 

For more information, please visit End of Semester and Winter Break.

Please note the following dates regarding RIT closures and spring semester opening: 

For the spring semester calendar, please see the Academic Calendar.

There are a few things your student can do over winter break to prepare to return to campus:

Review their meal plan
If your student has a meal plan, suggest they review their current plan selection and consider if it is still meeting their needs. Meal plans can be changed on the myLife portal until the Sunday before classes begin. Spring meal plans will be loaded on Dec. 18. At this time, any remaining Dining Dollar balance will rollover to the spring semester and any remaining Gracie’s Meals will be forfeited.

Think about housing for 2026-27
If your student is interested in living in RIT Housing for the 2026-27 academic year, they must participate in the Housing Selection process which will take place in the spring:

You can learn more about housing selection on the RIT Housing website.

Now is the time to file the 2026-27 FAFSA. This is an annual process that gets easier as most information is pre-populated in the renewal application. Visit Federal Student Aid or RIT’s Financial Aid and Scholarships website for additional information.

Students continuing on to the 2026-27 academic year (summer 2026, fall 2026, spring 2027) with a valid 2026-27 FAFSA will start receiving their financial aid offer notifications beginning in May 2026. 

The end of the semester can bring a mix of emotions. Students are excited to reconnect with family and friends over break and often feel a sense of accomplishment and relief after completing a semester. They may also be tired—this is normal. Over break, provide space to unwind and give them an open forum to decompress about stressors or concerns over exams and/or grades. Celebrate the successes as well.

Do you know how your student was involved on campus this fall? Now is a great time to see how they’ve engaged in campus activities and made friends, and help them think about options for next semester if they have struggled. If they haven’t seemed to find their place yet, browse clubs and organization options and help them think about where they’d fit in. They might also want to consider a campus job or volunteer work!

Many students will take advantage of the long winter break to stay at home, visit family and friends, and rest from the busy fall semester. If your student is planning to be away for the majority of break, please help them prepare to be away with these tips:

At RIT, students are required to complete a wellness course requirement to graduate. RIT students seeking a bachelor’s degree are required to take two wellness courses, while students seeking an associate’s degree are required to take one course. Wellness Education and Outdoor Education offer over 200 wellness-related classes each year in multiple disciplines, including:

Courses range from seminars, such as financial fitness, to activity-based courses, such as weight training and rock climbing. Students also have the opportunity to pick up a new skill, such as juggling or beekeeping. The comprehensive wellness curriculum is designed to help students make healthy choices to support academics and social interactions in college and beyond.

Final grades are due on Dec. 19. Shortly after they are submitted by professors, students can view grades by logging into SIS. If students have questions about grades, please remember that RIT will be closed between Dec. 24-Jan. 5.

Financial aid for the spring semester will be listed in students’ spring billing summary. There are a couple aid situations to note:

The College Restoration Program (CRP) is an intensive, one-semester academic intervention program for students facing academic suspension and probation. For many students, CRP is the chance to acquire the skills needed to be successful at RIT. As a parent, you hope that your student will not have any academic challenges, but if so, CRP might be an option.

CRP staff work with students to set and accomplish goals, increase self-esteem, manage daily living, self-advocate, and live a healthy and balanced life. CRP does this through two specialty courses: Academic Strategies and Motivation and Wellness. They also include weekly mentoring for additional skill development. In addition, students take up to ten credits recommended by their current department. Students must receive a referral from their academic program. For additional information, please visit the College Restoration Program website.

The RIT Master Plan is a special scholarship opportunity that covers 40% of graduate tuition at RIT, making earning a master’s degree an affordable option. The tuition program extends to more than 65 qualifying master’s degree programs offered on the RIT campus. This opportunity is available to recent or upcoming RIT graduates.

Learn more on the RIT Master Plan website.

Each month, we ask parents to respond to our Parent Poll and provide feedback on a topic related to RIT, your student, and you.

In November, we asked what most helped your student choose RIT. Nearly half of you say touring campus, followed by attending events and open houses. 

Please take a moment to respond to our December poll. 

In case you don’t follow the Parent and Family Programs Facebook page, here’s what you missed:

During Brick City Weekend, we asked for kind words at a Ritchie's Runaround stop. On World Kindness Day (Nov. 13), we shared some of the messages we received! 

Sincerely,

Chelsea Petree, Ph.D.
Director, Parent and Family Programs
Rochester Institute of Technology
parents@rit.edu

rit.edu/parents

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