CU Boulder Tour Dates and When to Visit, 2026-27

Published October 30, 2026

CU Boulder's free campus tours run most weekdays at 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., plus select Saturdays, from September to early May. Register first: walk-ins are not accepted.

CU Boulder tour dates run most weekdays at 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. from September to early May, plus select Saturdays at 10:30 a.m., and every session needs a registration. Below are those tour times next to the 2026-27 class calendar, the last home games and commencement, put together by Tour The Hill, a Boulder company whose guides are current CU Boulder students.

When is the best time to visit CU Boulder for a campus tour?

The best time to visit CU Boulder for a campus tour is a weekday while classes are in session: Thursday, August 20 to Friday, December 4, 2026, or Thursday, January 7 to Friday, April 23, 2027, per the registrar's academic calendar.

CU's daily information session page describes "a general information session" followed by "a 90-minute to 2-hour, student-led walking tour of campus." From September to early May the program runs "most weekdays, Monday through Friday, beginning at 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., and select Saturdays at 10:30 a.m." (read October 2026).

Book the official session before anything else. CU says "We are not able to accept walk-ins for our events" and "once a date is full, it is full," and it recommends registering first, then booking travel.

Which weekends should we book early for a CU Boulder visit?

The weekends to book early for a CU Boulder visit are home football games, Family Weekend and spring commencement, because Boulder hotels fill on those dates. For football weekends and Family Weekend, says Liam Zirkle, a CU Boulder alum and Tour The Hill co-founder, "you have to plan very far in advance, otherwise you're going to be commuting."

The last 2026 home games: Kansas State on Saturday, October 31 at 12 p.m.; Houston on Friday, November 13 at 8:15 p.m.; and UCF on Saturday, November 28, time to be announced, all at Folsom Field.
Family Weekend 2027: not posted as of October 2026. The 2026 weekend ran October 15 to 18 and sold out, per CU's Family Weekend page.
Saturday, May 1, 2027: commencement at Folsom Field, 8:30 a.m., about 90 minutes, and "No tickets or registration required," per CU's commencement page.

Game dates come from the 2026 Colorado football schedule, read October 2026. Visit Boulder's CU Parents' Guide warns that at peak times such as spring commencement, Boulder hotels book up "as far out as a year in advance."

Our Family Weekend guide covers hotels, dinners and tickets for that weekend.

When do classes start and end at CU Boulder in 2026-27?

Classes at CU Boulder start on Thursday, August 20, 2026 and end on Friday, April 23, 2027, with finals after each semester, according to the registrar's Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 calendars (read October 2026).

Fall 2026

Labor Day, Monday, September 7: no classes, and the university is closed.
Fall break: Monday, November 23 to Friday, November 27. The university closes November 26 and 27.
Last day of classes: Friday, December 4. Finals: December 7 to 11.
Residence halls close at 10 a.m. on Saturday, December 12.

Spring 2027

Classes begin Thursday, January 7. The university is closed December 25 to January 1 and reopens Monday, January 4.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, January 18: no classes, and the university is closed.
Spring break: Monday, March 15 to Friday, March 19.
Last day of classes: Friday, April 23. Finals: April 26 to 30.
Commencement and residence hall closing: Saturday, May 1.

CU Housing says fall 2027 move-in dates "will be announced in Nov. 2026."

Can we see inside a CU Boulder dorm on a visit?

Yes, you can see inside a CU Boulder dorm on a visit through two official programs: Explore CU Boulder and Admitted Student Day.

Explore CU Boulder is "a day-long visit experience" on Fridays, starting at 8:30 a.m., and it includes a chance to "view a sample residence hall room," per CU's Explore CU Boulder page. CU allows "only three (3) guests per student." The fall 2026 dates still listed in late October are Friday, November 6 and Friday, November 20.

Admitted Student Day "is the only day where all our residence halls open their doors," according to CU Admissions. The 2026 event was Saturday, April 18. CU had not posted the 2027 date as of October 2026.

Liam ties Tour The Hill's busiest season to that day: "Spring is the busiest time of year. That's when there's admitted students day." If your student is admitted and wants to compare halls, hold a spring Saturday open until CU announces the date.

Can we visit CU Boulder over a break or in the summer?

Yes, you can visit CU Boulder over a break or in the summer, though campus is quieter and some days are closed. In summer, from June to mid-August, CU's official tour runs "Monday through Friday at 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.," per the daily information session page (read October 2026).

The break closures for 2026-27, from the registrar's calendars:

Fall break: classes stop November 23 to 27, 2026, and the university closes November 26 and 27.
Winter break: the university closes December 25, 2026 to January 1, 2027.
Spring break: no classes March 15 to 19, 2027, and the university closes Friday, March 19.

A break-week visit shows you the buildings without the students. If you can only come then, check CU's registration calendar for sessions that week, then walk The Hill, the student neighborhood just west of campus.

To see campus and The Hill with a current CU student, book Tour The Hill's Private Tour, $150 per group for 60 to 90 minutes, 7 days a week, 9am to 6pm, at tourthehillboulder.com/request-tour.

Frequently asked questions

Does CU Boulder offer campus tours on Saturdays?

Yes, CU Boulder offers campus tours on select Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. from September to early May, according to the admissions office's daily information session page (read October 2026). There are fewer Saturday sessions than weekday ones, and CU does not accept walk-ins, so register before you book travel.

When is CU Boulder Family Weekend 2027?

CU Boulder had not posted Family Weekend 2027 dates as of October 2026. The 2026 Family Weekend ran October 15 to 18 and sold out, with packages from $35 to $100 per person, according to CU's Family Weekend page. Expect the 2027 dates on that page, and book a hotel as soon as they appear.

When is CU Boulder commencement in 2027?

CU Boulder's 2027 commencement is Saturday, May 1, at 8:30 a.m. at Folsom Field, and it lasts about 90 minutes, according to CU's commencement page. "No tickets or registration required," the page says. Residence halls close at 10 a.m. the same day.

When is CU Boulder move-in for fall 2027?

CU Boulder had not set fall 2027 move-in dates as of October 2026. CU Housing says the fall 2027 dates "will be announced in Nov. 2026." The current year ends with residence halls closing at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 1, 2027.

Book a private CU Boulder tour