Spring 2021 Semester
In response to Covid-19, all University College courses will be offered online for the spring 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.
- Spring 2021 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: Jan. 25
- Last day of classes: May 13
- Wellness Days: March 2–3, and Apr. 12
- Reading Days: May 5–6
- Final exams: May 7–13
- Summer School 2021 Session I begins: May 24
More information available on the University College academic calendar.
Additional Resources for Students
Commencement 2020–21
Class of 2020
- The celebration for May and December graduates will be on Sunday, May 30, 2021.
Class of 2021
- The celebration for May graduates will be held May 18–21, 2021.
Additional Information
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 Canvas Help Discussion in our UC Digital Teaching Hub 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
Recent Communications
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
September 2020
May 2020
March 2020
- Message to all students from Interim Dean of University College Heather Corcoran, March 12, 2020 (PDF)
- Message to graduating students from Interim Dean of University College Heather Corcoran, March 17, 2020 (PDF)
- Message to all students from Interim Dean of University College Heather Corcoran, March 25, 2020 (PDF)
- Academic policy changes for the second half of the spring semester, March 25, 2020 (PDF)
- Message to students from Associate Dean of Academics Pat Matthews, March 31, 2020 (PDF)