Fall will look different on NC’s college campuses. Here’s what each is planning.
Colleges and universities around the country are making plans for the fall 2020 semester and deciding whether students and faculty should return to campus or continue online learning.
Here’s a list of what schools in the UNC System and across North Carolina are doing. This story will be updated as universities make announcements this summer.
UNC System
▪ Appalachian State University — App State will start the fall semester on time on Aug. 17 and the last day of classes will be on Nov. 24 with no fall break. The final exam schedule is not changing but they will be held online, with the exception of courses that require clinical or lab-based assessments.
▪ East Carolina University —This fall, ECU will bring students and faculty back to campus on Aug. 10, two weeks earlier than scheduled. There will be no fall break and the fall semester will end before Thanksgiving. The university also canceled fall study abroad programs and will adopt block scheduling for on-campus instruction in the fall and spring semesters. ECU is also planning to start spring classes on Jan. 19, and there will be no spring break, with final exams ending May 6.
▪ Elizabeth City State University — The first day of classes is scheduled for Aug. 11, a week earlier than normal, and ECSU will also end the fall semester by Thanksgiving.
▪ Fayetteville State University — Classes at FSU will begin on Aug. 5 and end before Thanksgiving. Fall athletes can return to campus and freshman residence halls will be open starting on Aug. 1. Faculty will return on Aug. 3.
▪ N.C. A&T University — In-person classes will begin as scheduled on Aug. 19 at N.C. A&T and will end early at Thanksgiving. Students will return home for the remainder of the year and take final exams online.
▪ N.C. Central University — The fall semester at NCCU will begin on Aug. 24 and conclude on Nov. 24, one day prior to the Thanksgiving break. This revised schedule includes final exams for all colleges and schools, except the law school.
▪ N.C. State University — Students and faculty at N.C. State will begin the fall semester on Aug. 10, nine days earlier than originally scheduled. There will be no fall break, and finals will take place before Thanksgiving.
▪ UNC Asheville — Students and faculty at UNC Asheville will return to campus for in-person instruction on Aug. 10 and the semester will end on Nov. 20.
▪ UNC-Chapel Hill — Students and faculty at UNC-CH will be back on campus this fall for in-person instruction with safety precautions. The semester will begin Aug. 10, and final exams will end by Nov. 24, which is two days before Thanksgiving. UNC-CH launched a website with more details about the changes to campus life, including class sizes and schedules, social distancing and wearing face masks.
▪ UNC Charlotte — Students and faculty will return to UNC Charlotte’s campus on Sept. 7, two weeks later than originally scheduled. UNCC also canceled all fall study abroad programs.
▪ UNC Greensboro — At UNCG, classes will start on time on campus on Aug. 18, but will end at the Thanksgiving holiday. Fall Break is canceled and final exams will be taken online.
▪ UNC Pembroke — Classes at UNC Pembroke will begin Aug. 5, fall break will be canceled and the fall semester will end before Thanksgiving, extending the winter break. The last day of class will be Nov. 12 and final exams will be held Nov. 16-20, followed by commencement.
▪ UNC Wilmington — The first day of classes at UNCW will be Aug. 19, as planned, but fall break will be canceled so that classes will end before Thanksgiving. Finals exams will be online and any classes that require in-person exams will have them before Thanksgiving.
▪ UNC School of the Arts — Leaders at the UNC School of the Arts say campus is open but they are still making plans for the fall semester.
▪ Western Carolina University — The first day of classes at WCU will be on Aug. 17, as scheduled. Fall break will be eliminated, students will be home before Thanksgiving and final exams will be taken online. WCU will also offer a mix of face-to-face, online and hybrid course delivery.
▪ Winston-Salem State University — Leaders at WSSU hope the university will return to normal operations on campus and are “exploring a wide range of scenarios” for the fall 2020 semester.
▪ NC School of Science and Mathematics — The UNC System’s STEM residential high school in Durham has not announced plans for this fall.
Private colleges and universities
▪ Campbell University — All residential students at Campbell will have private rooms this fall as the campus prepares to re-open. Students can also request to live off-campus.
▪ Davidson College — The fall start date has not been finalized for Davidson, but there will be no on-campus classes after Thanksgiving and exams will be taken remotely. Some classes may also be held remotely, and a team is working on different scenarios and safety measures for students and faculty to return to campus.
▪ Duke University — Duke announced the fall semester will start early on Aug. 17 and run through Thanksgiving without a fall break. All campus classes will be offered through a combination of in-person, online and hybrid instruction. Similarly, the spring semester will begin a week late on Jan. 19 and run through April 26 without a spring break, according to Duke. All students living on campus will be tested for COVID-19 before they can start classes and everyone will be required to wear face masks in classrooms and around campus. Campus housing options will also be more controlled and some students may live in nearby hotels.
▪ Elon University — Classes at Elon will start on Aug. 19 and students will be assigned move-in appointment times for returning to campus. Everyone will be required to wear face masks in classrooms. There will still be a fall break, one day in October and Election Day in November, in-person instruction will end before Thanksgiving and final exams will be done remotely.
▪ Meredith College — Students and faculty at Meredith should expect to resume face-to-face classes and live on campus this fall.
▪ Saint Augustine’s University — Leaders at SAU have not announced details about the fall semester in their online coronavirus updates.
▪ Shaw University — Leaders at Shaw have not announced plans for the Fall 2020 semester.
▪ Wake Forest University — Wake Forest will start on-campus instruction for undergraduate students on Aug. 26 and end Nov. 24 and there will be no fall break. Final exams will be remote following a Thanksgiving break. Wake Forest will offer face-to-face, blended and online classes, but expects about half of undergraduate courses to be in-person and is asking everyone to wear face masks on campus. The university is also hoping to have all required classes available online for students. Residence halls will be open at reduced capacity and the majority of rooms will be single-occupancy.
The NCICU has more information about how other private colleges and universities across the state are handling COVID-19.
NC community colleges
▪ Central Carolina Community College — Leaders at Central Carolina have not announced official plans for the fall semester but said the college planned to resume face-to-face summer classes with social distancing and safety precautions in place when the state entered Phase Two of reopening. Central Carolina has campuses in Harnett, Lee and Chatham counties.
▪ Central Piedmont Community College — Some on-campus classes have resumed at Central Piedmont in Charlotte following specific safety precautions. No official plans for the fall semester have been announced, but the majority of employees and students will continue to work remotely for several more weeks.
▪ Durham Technical Community College — Durham Tech is implementing a “gradual, phased plan” to open its campus, and a final decision about fall classes will be made on July 24.
▪ Wake Technical Community College — Wake Tech anticipates a “phased-in approach” to reopening its campuses over the next several months and is preparing for “various contingencies” for the fall 2020 semester.
The NC Community College System has more information about other schools plans for the fall amid the coronavirus pandemic.
This story was originally published May 29, 2020 at 2:49 PM with the headline "Fall will look different on NC’s college campuses. Here’s what each is planning.."
