Charlotte Metro Area Colleges And Universities: 2025 Winter Break — 2026 Spring Semester

UNC Charlotte

UNC Charlotte’s winter break for late 2025 runs from December 24, 2025, through early January 2026, with the university closed, and students and staff typically return for the Spring 2026 semester beginning around mid-January 2026, with classes starting approximately January 13, 2026, following the New Year’s Day holiday and Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Central Piedmont Community College

Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) returns from its winter break for the Spring 2026 semester on Monday, January 12, 2026, with classes resuming, though offices generally reopen after New Year’s Day and the college closes for MLK Jr. Day on January 19, 2026, so students should check their specific class schedules for the first day back after the holidays.

Johnson C. Smith University

Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) typically returns from winter break around the first Monday of January, with the Spring 2026 semester starting on Monday, January 5, 2026, and staff/faculty often returning a few days before, so students usually head back in early January after the new year.
Sat, Dec. 20-Sun, Jan. 4 Winter Break (University Closed)
Mon., Jan. 5 University Opens for Spring 2026 Semester
Mon., Jan. 12 First Day of Class (Traditional and EOP Term I)

Queens University of Charlotte

For Queens University of Charlotte, students typically return for the Spring Semester around the second week of January, with one source pointing to January 10, 2026, as the all-student return date, following winter break which starts mid-December
December 24 – January 1 Univesity Closed
January 12 Classes begin

Johnson & Wales University

For Johnson & Wales University (JWU) Charlotte, students typically return from winter break and classes resume in early to mid-January, with the specific dates varying slightly each year; for example, in a typical recent year, residence halls opened around Jan 12th, and classes began Jan 13th, so check the official JWU Charlotte Academic Calendar for the exact 2025-2026 dates as they’re released, but expect classes to start right after the New Year’s holiday.
Dec. 12 Winter Break Begins (On Campus)
Jan. 5 Spring classes begin

Pfeiffer University

Pfeiffer University’s Winter Break usually ends with Spring Semester classes starting in early to mid-January, with the 2025-2026 calendar showing students returning in January 2026, following the Fall 2025 semester’s end in December 2025.
Monday Dec 8 Last Day of Classes (Seated)
Tuesday-Friday Dec 9-12 Final Exams (Seated)
Wednesday Dec 14 Classes Begin