Penn State University announced early Thursday that it will continue remote and online learning into the summer with hopes of returning to in-person learning on campus in the fall. In addition, the university will adjust tuition for the summer sessions.
The university’s plan also states that in-person learning and a transition back to campus could come earlier pending improved health and safety scenarios relative to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Penn State first announced a three-week remote learning period on March 11 which was subsequently extended to the full spring semester on March 18.
“As Pennsylvania’s land-grant institution, we recognize the sustained financial hardship the coronavirus pandemic is putting on Pennsylvania families, and families everywhere,” said Penn State President Eric Barron in a press release. “Although this decision will impact the revenue stream for the university, it does not in any way change the focus of our academic mission or the quality of our programs, courses and degrees. Our devoted faculty and staff continue to bring the curricula to life in new and innovative ways and our education outcomes will not change.”
While the tuition changes are subject to Board of Trustees approval at the next standing meeting in early May, undergraduate tuition will be adjusted according to a pre-existing tiered tuition structure already in place. For the 2020 summer sessions, campus tuition has been adjusted per information available here.
As of Thursday morning the university is planning to operate via virtual learning for the Maymester (May 10-June 10), Summer Session I (May 17-June 28) and Summer Session II (June 29-August 12).
While the current plan calls for online instruction for Summer Session II, the university is preparing for a potential return to campuses for in-person instruction if circumstances around the COVID-19 pandemic improve. According to Penn State, any such decisions will be made based on guidance from government and health authorities.
“As the world around us has shifted significantly during this ongoing coronavirus pandemic, with this decision, we aim to give our students as much consistency as possible for their academic progress, while also being nimble enough to respond to the best case scenario,” said Nick Jones, Penn State executive vice president and provost in a press release. “Since the university does not yet know when in-person activities on our campuses can safely resume, we hope that this announcement will set up our students to maintain their planned paths of learning, curricula and critical engagement as they pursue their degrees.”
For more detailed information on how these changes will affect first-year and returning undergraduate and graduate students, please visit here
More information on summer camps and other summer programming and activities will be available soon, as the university action groups charged with addressing the coronavirus pandemic finalize their decisions. Further, the university is planning and operating with the goal of having on-campus courses in the fall semester, if circumstances allow, but no decision has been made at this time.
