COVID-19 Updates for University College Students and Faculty

The following resources are available to help University College students and faculty.

Fall 2020 Semester

In response to Covid-19, all University College courses will be offered online for the fall semester. There may be a few courses that will also require limited contact in person (such as the organic chemistry lab), but the vast majority will occur online only. 

Student Advising

Advisors are available to help you by email, phone, or Zoom video chat. We have temporarily suspended in-person advising appointments. Students can schedule advising appointments online, 24-hours a day using our online scheduling platform. See the Advising page for more information. 

Dates and Deadlines

  • Application deadline changes for fall 2020, spring 2021, and summer 2021 can be found on our application page or on any program page.
  • Fall 2020 refund deadline dates are available here.
  • To accommodate a slow and deliberate return to normal operations, the following revisions have been made to the 2020-21 academic calendar:
    • First day of classes: Sept.14
    • Last day of classes: Dec.18
    • Final exams: Dec. 19-22
    • Spring 2021 semester begins: Jan. 25

More information available on the University College academic calendar.

Additional Resources for Students

Resources For Faculty

Information for Online Instruction

All faculty teaching in an online format are invited to join the Canvas course “UC Teaching Continuity.” The course includes teaching support materials and a schedule for in-person and webinar-style help sessions with teaching and learning specialists, Amanda Carey and Lindsay Meador.

Canvas Support

Canvas offers technical support 24 hours per day, 7 days per week to all faculty, staff, and students. Click the Help button from the left menu in Canvas to access 24/7 Canvas Support via chat or phone. Help is customized for faculty, staff, and students. The Canvas Guides offer step-by-step instructions for most Canvas tasks. In addition, all faculty have access to WashU’s personalized Canvas instructional course, Welcome to Canvas.

If the resources listed above are unable to answer your Canvas question or resolve the problem you are experiencing, you can request assistance from University College staff by posting in our Fall 2020 Canvas Help discussion in our UC Teaching Continuity Course in Canvas. Our staff will be monitoring this space. If your question/issue includes specific student data or sensitive information, please contact Lindsay Meador at lrmeador@wustl.edu or Amanda Carey at acarey@wustl.edu for assistance.

Zoom Support

For those teaching live Monday through Thursday during the hours of 5 to 7 p.m., the Center for Teaching and Learning will be available to help you troubleshoot Zoom issues. Call (314) 935-6810. 

All faculty are encouraged to consult WashU's Center for Teaching and Learning.

University-wide Updates

WashU Crisis Response Fund for Students

The university will reassess the student fund in mid-October to determine its capacity to provide further support to students beyond Oct. 31. All students will receive an email notification with additional details and instructions on how to apply when the Fund opens.

Expenses for unexpected emergency costs in the following categories will be eligible for support: housing, utilities, groceries, medicine and unreimbursed co-pays for physical or mental health services. 

WashU Crisis Response Fund for Employees

The Fund is set to open for employee applications Monday, Oct. 12; it will accept applications through Oct. 30. Employees may seek support to cover unanticipated expenses such as food, housing, utility bills, medical co-payments and child care during the time period of Aug. 1 to Nov. 30.  

As a part of efforts to support the WashU community through challenges related to the impact of COVID-19, the Crisis Response Fund is available to help employees and contractors with costs related to the pandemic.

Recent WashU Communications

Policies & Response