It can be unclear how college students should celebrate Easter. Do they have classes off for the holiday? What can they do to celebrate? What should you put in their Easter baskets? We will go over all you need to know about Easter for college students.
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Do colleges break up for Easter?
Whether colleges break up for Easter depends on the college since each college sets its own academic calendar.
In general, colleges do not have Easter off since it occurs on Sunday and is not a federal holiday, so it is not observed on the following Monday. However, some colleges have their Spring Break coincide with Easter, so it appears as though they have Easter break.
When do colleges break up for Easter?
If a college breaks up for Easter, it will be because it coincides with their Spring Break. They may have their Spring Break the week before or after Easter or both (some colleges have a one week Spring Break and others have two weeks).
Colleges have Spring Break anytime between mid-March to mid-April, depending on the school.
It is important to note that many colleges do not have their Spring Break aligned with Easter. In this case, you will most likely not have Easter off, though some rare colleges have a break over Easter weekend (they have Friday or Monday off).
Check your college’s academic calendar to find out if you have a break for Easter.
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How college students can celebrate Easter
Regardless of whether you have a longer break from college or if you can come home, college students can still have a great time celebrating Easter.
To celebrate Easter, you can:
- Attend church if you are religious—you can go to the service at your regular church, or if you are not a frequent parishioner, you can attend a local church (they are used to seeing new people for Christmas and Easter, so there is no need to feel awkward about not knowing anyone).
- Volunteer. What better way to celebrate than by giving back? Easter weekend can be a great time to volunteer. Look around at local organizations.
- Have a meal with family or friends. If one hasn’t been organized, you can take the initiative and organize one. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy—the camaraderie is what is important.
- Decorate eggs. It is fun to decorate eggs at any age. I recommend using Kool-Aid packets so that you can skip using smelly vinegar.
- Egg hunts. Have an Easter egg hunt with your family or friends. My family has an egg hunt for the adults with money in our eggs. It is a serious competition! You can also look if your campus hosts an Easter egg hunt (some have even offered special prizes, such as a scholarship prize or free textbooks).
- Play other Easter games, such as an egg toss, egg-and-spoon race, or bingo.
- Relax! Another great way to spend Easter weekend is to just relax—you can get more sleep, have a bath, read, exercise, or practice other forms of self-care.
Easter basket ideas for college students
If you need ideas for Easter baskets for college students, you can consider including:
- Candy is the traditional Easter basket item for a reason—everyone likes candy! Include traditional items like a chocolate bunny, jellybeans (I am obsessed with Sweettart Jellybeans), and Peeps and/or their favorite types of candy (I LOVE Milkyways).
- Sweets: you can include non-candy sweets, such as Oreos or Hostess or Little Debbie products (such as my favorite Cosmic brownies and Swiss Cake rolls)
- Fruit: if you want to get a healthy sugar fix, then go with fresh or dried fruit
- Snacks: chips, crackers, nuts, jerky, trail mix, popcorn, or protein bars
- Food: you can also get packaged food, such as pasta, spaghetti sauce, ramen noodles, tuna, yogurt or chocolate-covered raisins or nuts, mac and cheese, rice sides, or cereal.
- Toiletries: this can be an ideal time to restock on toiletries, such as toothpaste, deodorant, floss, a loofa, shampoo, conditioner, or body wash
- Lipgloss or chapstick
- Money: You can never go wrong with cash.
- Gift cards to their favorite stores, gas station, or restaurants
- School supplies: pens, pencils, highlighters, notebooks, and post-its
- Backpack or bag
- Water bottle
- Gym clothes or bag
- Charger
- Portable battery
- Speaker
- New phone case or tablet case
- Coffee or tea supplies: coffee, tea, mug, tumbler, mug warmer
- Shoes, such as flip flops
- Underwear and socks
- College-themed gear such as a hoodie, t-shirt, mug, water bottle, or hat
- Books and bookmarks
- Blankets
- Fuzzy socks
- Journal
- Face mask
- Bath bombs or bubble bath
- Coloring book
- Games: A new board or card game or a Frisbee
- Decor items
- Kitchen items like a spatula, whisk, towels, soap, or sponges
- Laundry detergent
- Silly Easter-themed gifts, such as bunny ears or mustaches (my family once had so much fun taking silly pictures with different crazy fake mustaches)
- Flash drive
- External hard drive (I use Seagate)
- Fitness tracker: I love my Fitbit Inspire 2.
- Earphones: These are too expensive for most Easter baskets, but if you are willing and able to be extra generous, a nice pair of earphones are great. I use and love Bose, but AirPods are popular, too.
- For girls, consider adding jewelry, their favorite makeup, nail polish, hair ties, or bobby pins.
If you ship your basket, put it in a different container or wrap it with cellophane and tie it with a ribbon.
Check out our gift guides for Online College Students and College Girls for more ideas of gifts to put in a college student’s Easter basket.