CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article said reading days and examinations will take place from April 31 to May 10, however, April 31 is not a day in the calendar. This has been updated to reflect the correct date range, May 1 to May 10.
Spring 2021 semester dates have been finalized. The university will recommence Jan. 25 and continue until April 30 without a break, according to an Oct. 7 message from Chancellor Daniel Diermeier and Provost Susan Wente.
Classes are scheduled to end on April 30, and reading days and examinations will take place from May 1 to May 10.
The scheduling changes extend winter break, which was tentatively scheduled for Dec. 12 to Jan. 11, by two weeks, and cancel spring break, previously scheduled for March 6-14. In comparison, the Spring 2019 semester began Jan. 6 and finished April 30. However, students were permanently sent home in March as a result of the pandemic.
Vanderbilt will continue to offer in-person, on-campus classes, “governed by our current safety protocols,” per the email.
Students still have the opportunity to study remotely and can change their remote status to in-person if they studied remotely for the Fall semester. Likewise, students who studied in-person in the fall semester can opt to study remotely in the spring. Students must register their plan of study by Nov. 20.
“All students in good standing are welcome to return to campus regardless of their on-campus or remote status for the fall semester,” Diermeier and Wente wrote in the message. “For those who have personal circumstances that necessitate remote study in the spring semester, we will continue to offer that option through virtual/alternative platforms.”
Other schools including the University of Pennslyvania and Florida State University have already announced their plans to move forward with the upcoming semester.
Thus far this semester, Vanderbilt has 252 positive COVID-19 tests out of 43,251 total tests, an overall test positivity rate of 0.58 percent.
“While at no point has this semester been easy or familiar, the return to campus this fall has positioned Vanderbilt well for the future,” Diermeier and Wente stated. “Whether you have learned and engaged on campus or remotely, your efforts have been instrumental to our promising start to the fall semester.”
