25 Cute and Creative College Halloween Costume Ideas for Groups, Duos, and Solos

College Halloween costumes can be tricky to get just right. You want to feel cute and confident, but also comfortable enough to actually wear it out for hours. You want your costume to be cool and creative, but not so niche that you have to explain the reference to everyone you meet! Not to mention, depending on how many nights you’re celebrating, you might need several outfit changes. 

Luckily, this past year was full of pop culture moments that make for great college Halloween costumes. From blockbuster movies to viral reality show characters to elaborate Coachella performances, you have plenty of ways to get creative with your costume this year, whether you’re going solo, as a duo, or with a group. Here are 25 college Halloween costume ideas to inspire your look.

Trying to put together a costume for you and only you? These solo Halloween costume ideas are relatively easy to assemble with pieces you might already have in your closet. Just add a few accessories, props, and a little creativity!

Between breaking hearts on Love Island USA in 2024 and winning it all on Traitors in 2026, Rob Rausch has had a busy couple of years. You could turn this into a duo costume by having a friend go as Maura Higgins (who was on his season of Traitors), or you could go solo in his iconic look.

• Denim overalls
• A white tank 
• Prop snake
• A backward baseball hat or a cowboy hat

If you’ve seen Obsession, you already know that the protagonist and final girl, Nikki, has several iconic looks to recreate for college Halloween costumes. You need just a few things to replicate the “Freaky Nikki” look she wears to the party.

• This red-and-black zebra top from Princess Polly (or any red tank in your closet!)
• Black shorts or a black mini skirt
• Black boots
• Fake blood

If you haven’t seen Sabrina’s 2026 Coachella performance, add it to your watchlist now. Her multiple outfit changes make for endless college Halloween costume inspiration. Her look for “Sugar Talking” is relatively simple to recreate.

What you’ll need:

• A blue sweater
• Black tights
• Black heels

After putting out new music in 2025 and making a guest appearance at Coachella this summer, Swedish pop star Zara Larsson has been having a major moment. This costume is perfect if you want to wear something fun and colorful, and you can likely use what you already have!

• A colorful top (cropped, if you want!)
• A colorful mini skirt
• Long, flowy mermaid hair
• A creative makeup look
• Beachy props

With The Devil Wears Prada 2 finally out, you can shamelessly revisit one of the most iconic fashion movies out there! The college Halloween costume inspiration is endless. Wear Andy’s look on your own, or get your roommate in on it to dress up as Andy and Miranda. You could also make it a simple costume with a little play on words.

• A red dress (or a red top and skirt)
• Devil ears 
• A DIY Prada “logo” — basically just write “Prada” on a piece of poster board or cardboard to attach to your outfit.

You’ve probably seen Justin Bieber’s life-changing 2026 performance (if not, please go watch). For my day one Beliebers, this one is for you!

• A sleeveless, red, zip-up sweatshirt (you can also cut the sleeves off a regular hoodie)
• A pair of black shorts or a skirt
• A red beanie
• White sunglasses

When Kylie Jenner posted photos from her “dream princess kitty bday night,” the internet went crazy. Everyone was decked out in bright pink, and boas were everywhere — and her rhinestone-studded birthday cake looked both yummy and glamorous. You could dress as the cake itself with just a few things.

• An all-white outfit 
• Stick-on rhinestones (lots of them!)
• A pink boa (if you’ve got it!)

If you have been online at all this year, you may recall Punch, the baby Japanese macaque, going viral cuddling with his plushie. Marcello Hernández comically recreated the look on SNL, and you can too.

• A monkey onesie, or a brown top and bottoms with monkey ears
• A stuffed monkey toy (a key detail)

If you want to feel like Zendaya on Halloween, take inspiration from her look as Athena in The Odyssey. You could make this as simple or as extravagant as you would like.

• A draped sheet, or a white or cream outfit with a matching head scarf
• Gold accessories

Halloween is arguably more fun when you can get your friends to commit to a group costume. These ideas are especially good if you want each person to be an individual character, so you can all express your personal style.

The most recent Minions film in the franchise, Minions & Monsters, came out in July, so it’s a perfect time to bring back the fun and relatively simple costumes! Gather your friends and make an army of Minions.

• Denim overalls
• A yellow top
• Minion goggles
• Yellow body paint (if you really want to commit!)

Bratz Dolls are the ultimate Halloween inspo: Each one has their own sense of style, and all their outfits are so good. Add some bold makeup, and you’re set! The options are as limitless as their wardrobe. One always reliable option is to recreate this sassy cheetah look.

• A brown or cheetah print top
• Denim skirt
• Brown or cheetah print boots
• Any cheetah accessories

You’ve all seen the memes of Spider-Man pointing at the other Spider-Man — a classic play on the multiverse — plus the remake of it, with Tom Holland, Tobey Maguire, and Andrew Garfield all doing it to each other IRL. This is a perfect college Halloween costume for a trio. You could each choose your own Spider-Man and get creative with how you bring the look to life. A photo of everyone posing in a circle and pointing at each other is required!

• A Spider-Man suit (if you can get your hands on one), or a DIY Spider-Man vibe with blue pants, a red top, red boots or shoes, and a black spider image made of felt or paper

After the historic Artemis II return captivated everyone this year, a group of astronauts is a perfect group costume. You might not have NASA training, but it’s Halloween, so you can fake it! You might even have a few things in your closet already.

• A white top
• White or grey bottoms (sparkles are optional but encouraged)
• Some sort of NASA “logo” — make your own, or print one that you find online
• Glasses or a helmet

In honor of the 2026 Winter Olympics, you and your friends could be award-winning Olympians for Halloween. You could reference your favorite athlete, or make it more general. Each of your friends could represent a different country!

• Athletic wear and accessories 
• DIY or store-bought medals (a must!)

With the Knicks winning the championship for the first time in over 50 years, it’s only right to wear Knicks merch on Halloween! During the finals, so many celebs showed up to games decked out in Knicks gear that would be so great for a costume. Choose your look and recreate as you please.

• For Timothée Chalamet: baggy denim shorts and an oversized Knicks tee
• For Taylor Swift, Haim, and Mariska Hargitay: a fitted Knicks blue tee with orange lettering spelling out your favorite Knicks pun
• For Kendall and Kylie Jenner: black leather pants (or just black pants), a white or black tank top, and a Knicks hat

Remember when Off Campus broke the internet? I personally do, because I fell in love with the Briar U crew. I think dressing as the core four, or just being a group of friends who go to fictional Briar University, would make such a cute college Halloween costume.

• Casual college outfits (bonus points for hockey jerseys)
• Sneakers
• Briar U gear (DIY or store-bought) 

Whether you’re on your way to see Practical Magic 2 or you’re dressing up for Halloween, a witchy costume is the answer. Sally and Gillian Owens are sisters, but there is no reason why you can’t turn your whole friend group into a coven for the night. Plus, Sally provides so many cool outfit ideas that are too good to pass up.

• Lacy tops
• Black mini skirts
• Silver jewelry
• Long, wavy hair

Here’s a slightly niche pop culture reference costume: Dress up as an entire music festival lineup. Daisy Chain Fields, the music festival Olivia Rodrigo put on this past August in California, is full of college Halloween costume ideas. Have each friend choose a headliner and build their costume around these performers’ iconic looks and album covers.

• For Chappell Roan: a curly dark red wig, baby blue dress, long white gloves, and a tiara
• For Stevie Nicks: a flowy black dress, boho-inspired jewelry, tall boots, and wavy hair
• For Mitski: a black skirt, a red top, some silver jewelry, and a red lip
• For Olivia Rodrigo: a light pink dress with a white Peter Pan collar shirt underneath, black shoes, and white crew socks

And by “couple,” I really mean any duo. You could rock these college Halloween costumes with your roommate, your best friend, or your situationship! 

Spider-Man: Brand New Day was one of the biggest movies of the summer, so naturally people are looking to Tom Holland and Zendaya’s characters for Halloween costume inspo. (I personally have been thinking about them since this iconic look at the Emmys.) Peter Parker and MJ are an easy duo costume.

• For Spider-Man: a Spider-Man suit
• For Peter Parker in Brand New Day: jeans and a dark blue hoodie that reads “Empire State University”
• For MJ in Brand New Day: dark jeans, a white button-down shirt, a long, gray overcoat, and a half-up crown braid
• For MJ in No Way Home: a mint green and pink top and a doughnut prop

If you watch Love Island USA, you are likely aware of the bromance that stemmed from season 8: Zack and Bryce, aka “Zryce.” This duo serves multiple iconic looks, which are relatively simple to recreate.

• For the “heart rate challenge” look: construction worker hats and vests
• For a villa look: jeans, white tanks, and prop mics

Emily Henry fans, this one is for you! The movie adaptation of People We Meet on Vacation came out this year, making Alex and Poppy a very timely duo costume.

• For Poppy: blue pants, a light pink sparkly top, a blue wig, and a pink cowboy hat
• For  Alex: jeans, a simple white tee, a brown jacket, and a cowboy hat

Everyone knows all about their wedding at Madison Square Garden, but fans are still waiting for photos! Give the people what they want by flexing your creativity to bring to life their yet-to-be-seen wedding look. Or, if dressing up as bride and groom feels like a little much, you could copy their game-day outfits or recreate the “guy on the Chiefs” moment from the Eras Tour!

• For Travis: a Kansas City Chiefs jersey or shirt
• For Taylor: denim shorts, a black tank, and an oversized Chiefs jacket

If you know, you know. Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov from Heated Rivalry have become one of the most recognizable duos from recent television. You could sport jerseys or gear repping Hollander’s Montreal Metros or Rozanov’s Boston Raiders, or dress up as the couple at the Hollanders’ cabin when his mom and dad find out about them. But for the ultimate fan reference, you can dress up as Ginger Ale and Coca-Cola.

• For Hollander’s Ginger Ale: any green clothing, gold accents, and spherical, clear jewelry to represent carbonation
• For Rozanov’s Coca-Cola: a combo of red and white clothing and shiny silver accessories

I don’t know about you, but as soon as I saw the Off Campus scene on the dance floor, I knew Allie’s J.Lo dress and Dean’s Top Gun jumpsuit would make for a perfect duo costume. Here’s how to recreate your romantic night with Maverick.

• For Allie: a long, flowy, green dress (or this replica) and gold jewelry
• For Dean: a pilot jumpsuit (specifically Top Gun-inspired) and aviator sunglasses.

This is a timeless duo costume, and it’s simple enough: one person in all pink and one in all green. You can be as creative as you want — dress up in their looks exactly, or add your own personal flair.

• For Glinda: a pink dress, a wand, a tiara, pink accessories, and lots of jewelry and glitter
• For Elphaba: a black dress, a witch’s hat, a cape, and green body paint or tights