Most University services will be closed from 5pm on Friday 20 December 2024, re-opening on Thursday 2 January 2025. Find out more about the support and services that will be available to you during the holiday period.
Seasonal break University closure dates
For the full schedule of the holiday closure dates, please see the University’s seasonal break closure dates 2024/25 table.
Student Support Services
Library and Student Centre arrangements for the festive period
Harrow Library and Student Centre counter will be closed from 14 December – 17 December due to essential maintenance work.
Marylebone Library will be closed from 16 December – 20 December due to essential maintenance work. The Student Centre counter will remain open as per the hours in the table below.
See our festive hours page for more information.
Monday 16 December
- Library spaces at Cavendish will be open 9am–6pm (closed at Harrow and Marylebone)
- Student Centre counters at Cavendish and Marylebone will be open 9am–6pm (closed at Harrow)
- Student Hub Chat will be open 9am–8pm
Tuesday 17 December
- Library spaces at Cavendish will be open 9am–6pm (closed at Harrow and Marylebone)
- Student Centre counters at Cavendish and Marylebone will be open 9am–6pm (closed at Harrow)
- Student Hub Chat will be open 9am–8pm
Wednesday 18 December
- Library spaces at Harrow and Cavendish will be open 9am – 6pm (closed at Marylebone)
- Student Centre counters at all our campuses will be open 10am – 6pm
- Student Hub Chat will be open 9am – 8pm
Thursday 19 December
- Library spaces at Harrow and Cavendish will be open 9am–6pm (closed at Marylebone)
- Student Centre counters at Harrow & Marylebone will be open 9am – 1pm. Student Centre counter at Cavendish will be open 9am – 2pm
- Student Hub Chat will be open 9am – 2pm
Friday 20 December
- Library spaces at Harrow and Cavendish will be open 9am–5pm (closed at Marylebone)
- Student Centre counters at all our campuses will be open 10am – 5pm
- Student Hub Chat will be open 9am–8pm
Saturday 21 December to Thursday 26 December
- All Libraries, Student Centre counters and Student Hub Live Chat will be closed
Friday 27 December to Wednesday 1 January
- Marylebone Library will be open 10am-8pm. Please note there will be no staffed service during this time – the Student Centre counter and the Student Hub Chat will be closed.
Online Library and Student Centre support and resources
The Student Hub Live Chat service will operate as normal until 8pm on Friday 20 December and will reopen at 9am on Thursday 2 January 2025. The Guide to Library and Archives Services web page includes links to our large 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 Wednesday 18 December to 9am on Thursday 2 January.
All Libraries will re-open as usual on 2 January 2025 at 9am.
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.
- NHS www.nhs.uk
- 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
University residences
University residences will operate throughout the closure period with support available via the staffed receptions.
Online learning support and resources
Services and support for Blackboard and other online learning tools will operate as usual until 5pm on Friday 20 December and will resume from 9am on Thursday 2 January 2025. 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
The ISS and IT Service Desk will operate as normal until 4pm on Friday 20 December and will resume at 8am on Thursday 2 January 2025.
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.
Our maintenance provider will also provide cover over the closure period to respond to any emergency maintenance issues.
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 an 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 Employability Service
The Careers and Employability Service (CES) will close from 4.30pm on Friday 20 December to 9.30 am on Thursday 2 January. There will still be some exciting content on the Careers’ social media channels during the seasonal break, focusing on careers, wellbeing and festivities via our CES Instagram. Stay tuned and follow us on Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn, and log into Engage for Careers resources, available 24/7. You can also catch up with our CareerHacks and Engage how-to videos, available on demand on the CES YouTube channel, as well as invaluable insights offered by students and employers via the CES blog page.
Students’ Union
Your Students' Union services will be closed from 5pm on Thursday 19 December and will re-open on Monday 13 January with 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 UWSU 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, please visit uwsu.com/advice.
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