Some Princeton University Students Can Return To Campus In Fall

Clarification: Only freshmen and juniors will be allowed to return to campus for the fall semester, and sophomores and seniors for the spring semester.

PRINCETON, NJ — Princeton University announced that some undergraduates will be able to return to campus for one semester during the 2020-21 academic year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Freshmen and juniors will be allowed to return to campus for the fall semester, and sophomores and seniors for the spring semester. Most academic instruction will remain online, according to University President Christopher L. Eisgruber.

"Over the last two months, my colleagues and I have been studying the pandemic and identifying measures we can take to accommodate students on campus," Eisgruber stated in a letter to students. "COVID-19 is still a very new disease, and much remains unknown about it. Several points have, however, become clear. Based on the information now available to us, we believe Princeton will be able to offer all of our undergraduate students at least one semester of on-campus education this academic year, but we will need to do much of our teaching online and remotely."

The University will follow public state health guidelines that limit how many students can live in dormitories, require social distancing in classrooms and public spaces, prohibit large in-person gatherings, and enforce robust cleaning protocols.

Below are some of the highlights of the University’s fall plans:

• Students and employees will be required to complete an online training related to the University’s health and safety policies before moving into campus housing or receiving approval to resume work on campus.
• The University will test students for COVID-19 when they arrive and regularly thereafter.
• Every person on campus, including visitors, will be required to wear a face covering that covers their nose and mouth at all times while indoors, except when they are alone in a space or are students in their assigned rooms or apartments.
• The fall semester will begin two days earlier than previously announced, on August 31. The fall break will be converted to a long weekend and all students will be asked to leave campus before Thanksgiving — to reduce travel that increases both the risk of infection and the need to quarantine.

Reducing density on campus is a critical component of Princeton's plan, which Eisgruber says will strive to accommodate students who are pursuing certain kinds of academic research or leading co-curricular programs that require them to be on campus in specific semesters.

With regard to athletics programs this fall, the Council of Ivy League Presidents intends to announce a decision regarding intercollegiate athletic activity for fall 2020 on Wednesday.

The University is also offering a discount of the full-year undergraduate tuition by ten percent for this academic year, with the anticipation that most undergraduates will have the opportunity to study on campus only for one semester or less. Other discounts will also be offered for the proration of room and board charges for shortened semesters and the elimination of some fees.

Moving forward Eisgruber said the University will continue to reevaluate its plans in the months ahead.

"First, there are no guarantees about what will happen as the semester and the year unfold. The University will continue to reevaluate its plans in the months ahead. If developments allow, we will invite back more students in the spring," Eisgruber said. "Unfortunately, it is also possible that matters will get worse. If so, we may have to send students home in the fall or reduce the size of the anticipated campus population in the spring."

To see Princeton University's full announcement for the 2020-21 academic year click here.

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