Undergraduate Summer Session courses will be taught online this year, with the option for students to take one domestic course free of charge during Summer Session I, University of Virginia leaders said in an email message Thursday.

“This approach is due in part to uncertainty associated with predicting the virus several months away, but it will also offer students greater flexibility and permit instructors to increase capacity for many classes, including Signature courses,” UVA Provost Liz Magill and Chief Operating Officer J.J. Davis wrote.

Graduate and professional school students will soon receive details on summer courses from their respective schools.

A list of courses is available on the Summer Session website, and students can begin enrolling the week of April 12. Alongside other course offerings, UVA is again offering “Signature” courses for undergraduates – interdisciplinary courses designed to appeal to a broad range of students and address some of today’s most urgent issues. A full list of Signature courses will be posted here. Similar courses were offered during the January term and proved very popular with students.

As was first announced last summer, undergraduate tuition for the 2020-21 academic year includes one January term course and one Summer Session I course at no additional charge, as long as students earned no more than 33 credits during the academic year. This option was designed to give students more flexibility when planning their course load during the pandemic. More information is available here.

Students taking courses this summer will once again have several grading options, including graded or credit/no credit. The University has compiled a set of advising principles to help students choose between those options.  

Summer Services, Orientation and Camps

Thursday’s email message also included updates about some of the facilities and services that will be available on Grounds this summer. IM-Rec facilities will be open, with the exception of the Aquatic and Fitness Center, which will be closed for a planned renovation. UVA Dining will also remain open and adjust service levels for a smaller on-Grounds population.

Orientation for incoming first-year and transfer students will be conducted virtually beginning in July, with a focus on advising and registration. The University is also planning several virtual events and activities to connect new students with their peers and orientation leaders, and provide information on what to expect when they come to UVA in the fall. Entering students should check their UVA email for more specific details coming from their school of enrollment in late June.

Due to health concerns, residential programs this summer will be limited to UVA-sponsored programs whose participants are UVA students, faculty or staff. COVID-19 public health protocols, including screening, testing and quarantine and isolation protocols, will be maintained.

University officials are currently assessing options for safely offering some day camps, and will have further information by April 15.

Fall Plans

Though it is early, Magill and Davis also looked ahead to the fall semester.

“We know many are also anxious to hear about our plans for the fall,” they wrote. “We look forward to an in-person residential and educational experience next fall.”

University leaders plan to provide more details next week about what to expect in the fall.