Columbia University Registrar Barry Kane informed the student body that all Fall classes are expected to return to full capacity in-person instruction with no social distancing required in an email tonight.

Due to the University’s vaccination requirements for all affiliates along with continued testing programs, the Columbia University Registrar Barry Kane announced that come the Fall 2021 semester, classes will be held on campus in-person at full density with no social distancing mandates.

Kane noted that for students registering for classes within the next week, there will no longer be the need to mark whether one is taking a class online or hybrid, as all classes offered will be in an in-person format. Some classes will be taught in a hybrid model due to public health requirements along with international students’ ability to travel to the United States. The vast majority of courses will only be taught in an in-person format.

Kane encourages students to contact the Registrar’s Office at ssc@columbia.edu if they have any questions.

Bwog reached out to Barnard Media Relations for comment, and they stated that “Barnard is expecting to offer fall classes at or near full classroom capacity, in compliance with City, State, and Federal Health regulations.”

Bwog has reached out to Columbia Communications for comment—we will update this post with any information they may provide.

Update made on Friday, June 4 at 7:10 pm: This article was updated information provided by a Barnard spokesperson.

The full email sent to students on June 3, 2021 from Associate Vice President and University Registrar Barry Kane is copied below:

Dear Students:

With a registration window starting for many of you next week, I wanted to update you on some important course attributes and functionality that will affect your registration and enrollment.

As we plan for the fall semester, our guidance from public health experts has significantly changed the instructional landscape. Because Columbia is requiring all affiliates to be fully vaccinated, coupled with an ongoing testing program, public health guidance has determined that all of our students can be back on campus this fall. In addition, we anticipate that all of our classrooms will return to full density with no social distancing required. Because of these changes, the University expects that all instruction will be offered In-Person, that students will once again participate in their classes on-campus, and that Faculty will be teaching from their assigned classroom locations.

When you are registering next week, you will therefore not see any Methods of Instruction identified for fall courses. The reason for this is that most courses are now being offered on an In-Person basis only (there will, of course, be some exceptions for courses that have always been offered in an On-Line or Hybrid format). You will also not be asked how you prefer to enroll in your courses because the expectation is that you will be participating in person. Later in the summer and as we approach the start of the fall semester, it could be that some courses may be offered on a Hybrid basis because of required changes in the density of our classrooms (depending on Public Health requirements) or because of the need to accommodate our international students who may be experiencing difficulty securing visas for travel to the United States. I will keep you apprised of these changes and how they will affect your registration and course enrollment.

If you have any questions regarding the conduct of registration next week, write to us at: ssc@columnbia.edu.

Have a great weekend.

Yours,

Barry S. Kane

Associate Vice President and University Registrar

Columbia University in the City of New York

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