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Harvard to welcome back 40% of students, offer all courses online

Posted at 11:22 AM, Jul 06, 2020
and last updated 2020-07-06 13:23:17-04

Harvard University has announced plans to bring back up to 40 percent of their student body back to campus this fall.

They also stated all courseinstruction at the undergraduate and graduate level will be delivered online, whether or not students are on campus. The fall semester begins on September 2 at Harvard.

Those being allowed back to campus are all first-year students and those who must be on campus to progress academically. “This will enable first-year students to benefit from a supported transition to college-level academic work and to begin to build their Harvard relationships with faculty and peers,” the statement read.

Harvard said this is only for the fall semester and if current restrictions are in place next year, their priority would be to bring back graduating seniors for their last semester on campus.

Those coming back to campus will be tested for COVID-19 once they arrive, and then re-tested every three days while they are on campus.

“Without a vaccine or effective clinical treatments for the virus, we know that no choice that reopens the campus is without risk. That said, we have worked closely with leading epidemiologists and medical experts to define an approach that we believe will protect the health and safety of our community, while also protecting our academic enterprise and providing students with the conditions they need to be successful academically,” read an online statement from University President Larry Bacow, FAS Edgerley Family Dean Claudine Gay, and Danoff Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana.

The university’s statement says tuition forthis upcoming school year will remain unchanged, at $49,653.

First-year students have until July 24 to defer their enrollment, and Harvard is making advisers available for older students considering a leave of absence.