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Here’s which universities are opening campus (or not) this fall

After most of the spring semester was spent at a distance, some schools plan to reopen their physical classrooms. Others will continue distance learning.
(Getty Images)

As the spring semester concludes, several dozen universities have announced plans to keep classes online for the fall, while a vast majority have announced plans to return to in-person instruction.

The list of schools committing to remote instruction this fall is so far dominated California universities, including the California State University system, which operates 23 campuses. Dozens of other institutions around the country, meanwhile, have announced plans to re-open their campuses, including many of the state land-grant universities.

As of July 7, at least three universities that had previously planned a return to campus this fall announced they would instead conduct instruction at a distance.

As of June 26, some universities in the hardest hit areas by the pandemic — like New York University — have not made full announcements on their plans for the fall. Specifically, NYU has said “in planning for the resumption of in-person activity for the fall, schools and units have begun the process of determining who will be working in person and who will be working remotely.” Some programs at the university — including at least one doctoral program — will be conducted entirely online, according to an email to students in a doctoral program obtained by EdScoop.

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Some universities that plan to return to campus in the fall, such as the University of Texas at Austin, have also announced plans to end physical instruction after Thanksgiving and conduct finals online. A handful of universities that have announced plans to reopen physical instruction this fall, such as Boston University, have also announced an expectation of a “hybrid” model that would merge physical instruction with some distance-learning elements.

Some schools, like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, plan to be open for the fall semester, but have a large percentage of students continue distance learning, the Boston Globe reported.

Other universities, like the University of Arizona have announced they intend to return to campus this fall, but as recently as June 25, the university’s president opened the door for a virtual fall semester as coronavirus cases continue to increase in the U.S.

After moving to distance learning in early March, universities are announcing their decisions to re-open campuses as the U.S. tallies more than 120,000 deaths resulting from the coronavirus pandemic and more than 2.4 million cases. Globally, the virus has been responsible for almost 500,000 deaths and nearly 10 million cases.

As of June 26, these schools have announced remote instruction will continue to replace in-person classes:

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  • Allan Hancock College
  • Anne Arundel Community College
  • Bakersfield College
  • Berkeley City College
  • California Polytechnic State University
  • California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
  • California State University, Bakersfield
  • California State University, Channel Islands
  • California State University, Chico
  • California State University, Dominguez Hills
  • California State University, East Bay
  • California State University, Fresno
  • California State University, Fullerton
  • California State University, Long Beach
  • California State University, Los Angeles
  • California State University, Monterey Bay
  • California State University, Northridge
  • California State University, San Bernardino
  • California State University, San Marcos
  • California State University, Stanislaus
  • California State University Maritime Academy
  • Cape Cod Community College
  • Chaffey College
  • City College of San Francisco
  • College of Alameda
  • College of San Mateo
  • Community College of Philadelphia
  • Crafton Hills College
  • Cypress College
  • Dallas County Community College District
  • De Anza College
  • Diablo Valley College
  • Eastern Washington University
  • Evergreen Valley College
  • Foothill College
  • Hampton University
  • Hartnell College
  • Harvard University
  • Humboldt State University
  • Laney College
  • Los Angeles Community College District
  • Los Angeles Pierce College
  • Mendocino College
  • Merritt College
  • MiraCosta College
  • Portland Community College
  • Sacramento State University
  • San Diego State University
  • San Francisco State University
  • San Jose City College
  • San Jose State University
  • Sierra College
  • Skyline College
  • Sonoma State University
  • University of Massachusetts, Boston
  • University of Southern California
  • Valencia College
  • Wayne State University
  • West Valley College

As of June 26, these schools have announced their campuses will reopen this fall:

  • Abilene Christian University
  • American University
  • Angelo State University
  • Appalachian State University
  • Arizona State University
  • Arkansas State University
  • Arkansas Tech University
  • Asbury University
  • Auburn University
  • Austin Peay State University
  • Averett University
  • Avila University
  • Azusa Pacific University
  • Ball State University
  • Bard College
  • Baylor University
  • Beacon College
  • Belhaven University
  • Bentley University
  • Binghamton University
  • Bloomsburg University
  • Boston College
  • Boston University
  • Bowling Green State University
  • Bradley University
  • Bryant University
  • Butler University
  • California Baptist University
  • Calvin University
  • Carnegie Mellon University
  • Catholic University of America
  • Cedarville University
  • Central Michigan University
  • Chapman University
  • Charleston Southern University
  • Coastal Carolina University
  • Colgate University
  • College of William & Mary
  • College of St. Benedict
  • Colorado Mesa University
  • Colorado School of Mines
  • Colorado State University
  • Columbia College
  • Concord University
  • Creighton University
  • DePaul University
  • Doane University
  • Duke University
  • Duquesne University
  • Drew University
  • Drury University
  • East Coast Polytechnic Institute
  • East Carolina University
  • Eastern Illinois University
  • Eastern Michigan University
  • Emporia State University
  • Fairfield University
  • Fairmont State University
  • Ferris State University
  • Florida International University
  • Fordham College
  • Gannon University
  • George Fox University
  • Georgia State University
  • Gettysburg College
  • Gonzaga University
  • Hollins University
  • Illinois Institute of Technology
  • Illinois State University
  • Indiana State University
  • Indiana University
  • Indiana University of Pennsylvania
  • Ithaca College
  • Jacksonville State University
  • James Madison University
  • Kansas State University
  • Kansas Wesleyan University
  • Lake Superior State University
  • Lander University
  • Lewis-Clark State College
  • Longwood University
  • Loyola University Maryland
  • Lubbock Christian University
  • Manhattan College
  • Marquette University
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Mercyhurst University
  • Miami University (Ohio)
  • Michigan State University
  • Middle Tennessee State University
  • Midwestern State University
  • Mississippi Public Universities
  • Missouri Southern State University
  • Missouri State University
  • Montana State University
  • Nebraska State College System
  • New Jersey Institute of Technology
  • Norfolk State University
  • North Carolina Central University
  • North Carolina State University
  • North Dakota University System
  • Northeastern University
  • Northern Arizona University
  • Northern Michigan University
  • Northern Vermont University
  • Northwest Missouri State University
  • Ohio University
  • Oklahoma Panhandle State University
  • Oklahoma State University
  • Oral Roberts University
  • Oregon State University
  • Pace University
  • Pennsylvania State University
  • Pepperdine University
  • Pittsburg State University
  • Plymouth State University
  • Purdue University
  • Radford University
  • Randolph College
  • Regis University
  • Regent University
  • Rice University
  • Seton Hall University
  • Skidmore College
  • Southeastern Oklahoma State University
  • Southern Methodist University
  • Southern New Hampshire University
  • Southwestern Oklahoma State University
  • St. Cloud State University
  • St. John’s University
  • Sweet Briar College
  • Tarleton State University
  • Tennessee State University
  • Texas A&M University
  • Texas Christian University
  • Texas State University System
  • Texas Tech University
  • Texas Wesleyan University
  • Texas Woman’s University
  • Troy University
  • Tulane University
  • United States Military Academy at West Point
  • University System of Georgia
  • University of Alabama
  • University of Arizona
  • University of Arkansas
  • University of California System
  • University of Central Arkansas
  • University of Central Florida
  • University of Central Missouri
  • University of Central Oklahoma
  • University of Delaware
  • University of Florida
  • University of Idaho
  • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • University of Kansas
  • University of Kentucky
  • University of Louisiana System
  • University of Maine System
  • University of Mary Washington
  • University of Maryland System
  • University of Memphis
  • University of Michigan
  • University of Minnesota
  • University of Montana
  • University of Montevallo
  • University of Nebraska
  • University of Nevada
  • University of New Hampshire
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • University of North Carolina at Charlotte
  • University of North Carolina at Greensboro
  • University of North Texas
  • University of Northern Colorado
  • University of North Alabama
  • University of Notre Dame
  • University of Oklahoma
  • University of Oregon
  • University of Pennsylvania
  • University of Portland
  • University of Scranton
  • University of South Carolina
  • University of South Florida
  • University of Southern Mississippi
  • University of Tennessee
  • University of Texas System
  • University of Toledo
  • University of Utah
  • University of Vermont
  • University of Virginia
  • University of Washington
  • University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
  • University of Wyoming
  • Utah State University
  • Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech)
  • Wake Forest University
  • Washburn University
  • Washington State University
  • West Liberty University
  • Western Colorado University
  • Western Michigan University
  • Western Washington University
  • Wilkes University
  • York College

This is not an exhaustive list and was compiled through the aggregation of university announcements. Did we miss a university? Let us know.

This story is part of StateScoop & EdScoop’s Special Report on Remote Workforce.

Jake Williams

Written by Jake Williams

Jake Williams is a Staff Reporter for FedScoop and StateScoop. At StateScoop, he covers the information technology issues and events at state and local governments across the nation. In the past, he has covered the United States Postal Service, the White House, Congress, cabinet-level departments and emerging technologies in the unmanned aircraft systems field for FedScoop. Before FedScoop, Jake was a contributing writer for Campaigns & Elections magazine. He has had work published in the Huffington Post and several regional newspapers and websites in Pennsylvania. A northeastern Pennsylvania native, Jake graduated magna cum laude from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, or IUP, in 2014 with a bachelor's degree in journalism and a minor in political science. At IUP, Jake was the editor-in-chief of the campus newspaper, The Penn, and the president of the university chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.

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