MSU planning for 75% of classes to be offered in-person in the fall of 2021
Michigan State President Samuel L. Stanley/Photo Courtesy: MSU University Communications
March 5, 2021
EAST LANSING—Michigan State President Samuel S. Stanley had a major announcement on Friday with an update on the plan for classes in the fall of 2021. With more people being vaccinated, Stanley and Michigan State are looking to have more in-person classes in the fall.
In an email sent to students on Friday, Stanley mentioned that the fall semester at Michigan State is expected to offer nearly 75% of undergraduate classes in-person. Classes will be held with three possible scenarios of online, hybrid, and in-person experiences. COVID-19 testing is expected to continue in the fall with policies to keep everyone safe and healthy.
First-year students will be allowed to move into residence halls with other students while still providing a safe living space. In addition, MSU Athletics is expected to have some spectators again for fall sporting events; the University will follow the state requirements at that time. The Wharton Center and the Broad Art Museum are also planning to have in-person events this fall. Community-based activities will be allowed in accordance with local and state requirements.
For the summer semester, most classes will be offered online, which is typical for MSU, and the limited number of classes that require in-person interaction, such as labs, will continue to do so. MSU is not scheduled to have any large summer camps or events on campus besides limited day camps. In-person campus tours are also restarting later in March, and they will occur throughout the entirety of the summer.
The amount of students, faculty and staff that have been vaccinated will be a big factor in determining the future actions set forth by the university. To date, there have been over 2.4 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine (either Pfizer or Moderna) that have been given to Michigan residents. In addition, 1.5 million Michigan residents have received their first dose of the vaccine, and 880,000 are fully vaccinated. Starting March 22, Michigan residents who are 50 and older are eligible to schedule appointments to receive the vaccine.
