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COVID-19

Which colleges say they’ll reopen in the fall? And which ones are keeping classes online?

David Brancaccio, Jasmine Garsd, and Alex Schroeder May 20, 2020
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Notre Dame University said it will be resuming in-person classes this fall. Nova Safo/AFP via Getty Images
COVID-19

Which colleges say they’ll reopen in the fall? And which ones are keeping classes online?

David Brancaccio, Jasmine Garsd, and Alex Schroeder May 20, 2020
Heard on:
Notre Dame University said it will be resuming in-person classes this fall. Nova Safo/AFP via Getty Images
HTML EMBED:
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Colleges and universities are starting to reveal what they’re doing with the fall semester, whether students will be heading back to campus or staying home with online classes.

The California State University system has announced it will remain online. That’s nearly 500,000 students that are going to stay home. Harvard Medical School has also made that decision.

Notre Dame University just said it will be resuming in-person classes. Purdue University expects to go back to in-person instruction as well, and Brown University is considering it.

Among the incentives to reopen is money. Closing down this last semester cost universities billions of dollars.

Location is a big factor. Notre Dame for example, is located in Indiana, which is reopening.

New York University, spread across parts of that hot spot known as Manhattan, plans to reopen, although New York City has not even reopened yet.

NYU is talking about reducing density in student housing, and enforcing social distancing, as well as virus and antibody testing.

Academic schedules will also see changes. Notre Dame, for example, will begin classes two weeks early, so students can be done with the first semester by Thanksgiving, and not have to leave and then return to campus.

A key question in all of this: Will students, parents, professors and staff want to do this?

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