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Here’s which Michigan colleges will have in-person, online fall classes -- or both

A list of Michigan colleges, universities and how they’re adapting to the coronavirus pandemic this fall

(WDIV)

Michigan is finally experiencing a significant decrease in the rate of growth of COVID-19 cases and deaths after months of dealing with the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic.

With the state cleared to begin reopening, many businesses and institutions are still trying to determine what “reopening” looks like -- especially schools.

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Colleges and universities around the state are developing reopening plans amid the pandemic, which includes deciding if fall classes will move online, resume in-person or some combination of both.

As people continue to take precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, students may want to consider each colleges’ fall plans when deciding which school to attend.

Below are the latest updates from some Michigan colleges and universities regarding the upcoming fall semester. This list will be updated as new information is shared:

Albion College

Albion College will return to on-campus instruction for the upcoming fall semester under a hybrid learning option.

The fall semester will be split into two, seven-week modules. Students can take up to two in-person courses during each module.

Courses are scheduled to begin on Aug. 24 and end before Thanksgiving, which is on Nov. 26. The 2021 spring semester is scheduled to begin on Jan. 25.

Visit Albion College’s website here for more information.

Baker College

Baker College will not be welcoming students back to campus for traditional in-person learning in the fall.

The college will instead offer three learning options:

  • Traditional online courses, which are offered in an eight-week session format
  • Virtual lectures, which will be delivered at their regularly-scheduled times
  • In-person, lab-based courses offered at a campus location

All lab-based courses are scheduled to transition to online-only instruction after Nov. 25, ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.

The semester is scheduled to end for all learning formats on Dec. 13.

Visit Baker College’s website here for more information.

Central Michigan University

Central Michigan University will welcome students back to campus for the Fall 2020 semester.

The semester will begin two weeks early on August 17 and end early on November 25 to allow the community to “avoid peak flu season,” officials say.

The university is offering a variety of learning formats this fall, consisting of online and hybrid learning models.

Fall events are likely to be rescheduled.

Visit Central Michigan University’s website here for more information.

College for Creative Studies

The College for Creative Studies will offer in-person, virtual and blended learning options in the fall.

Classes are scheduled to begin on August 31. The college previously announced that the fall semester would begin on September 8.

Students can opt to take classes entirely online, in-person or a combination of both. All undergraduate liberal arts coursework will be completed online, officials said.

The Walter and Josephine Ford Campus and the A. Alfred Taubman Center for Design Education will offer on-campus studio courses, officials said.

On-campus instruction will end on November 25 and the remainder of the semester will be carried out virtually through the semester’s end on December 12. Officials say that students who leave campus for Thanksgiving break are expected to remain off campus for the remainder of the semester.

Officials say a preparedness plan has been established to protect the health and safety of students, faculty and staff amid the pandemic.

Visit College for Creative Studies’ website here for more information.

Davenport University

Davenport University plans to offer both in-person and online courses for the Fall 2020 semester.

Officials say they are also exploring hybrid classes so that students can choose to participate in their classes either virtually or in-person. The university is also developing a plan to implement social distancing and increased cleaning measures.

Visit Davenport University’s website here for more information.

Eastern Michigan University

Eastern Michigan University is planning to host on-campus classes for the Fall 2020 semester. Officials say housing and dining will also operate on-campus wherever possible.

The university will also offer online-only and hybrid learning options.

Officials say new health protocols, cleaning schedules, traffic patterns and more will be implemented to protect the health of the community when the fall semester resumes.

The university recently announced that students will be required to get tested for COVID-19 before arriving on campus.

Those opting to live in residence halls will be able to choose to live alone or with a roommate during the pandemic.

Visit Eastern Michigan University’s website here for more information.

Ferris State University

Ferris State University will offer in-person and virtual courses for the fall semester.

Classes are scheduled to start on Aug. 31.

Students attending in-person classes will be required to screen themselves daily for COVID-19 symptoms.

Visit Ferris State University’s website here for more information.

Grand Valley State University

Grand Valley State University will welcome students to campus for in-person classes this fall.

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The university has not yet announced an official plan for fall classes. Officials say they are considering multiple scenarios to ensure the health and safety of students.

Plans are expected to be announced mid-June.

Visit Grand Valley State University’s website here for more information.

Hope College

Hope College is still developing plans for campus procedures for the fall semester, but has announced changes to their academic calendar.

Fall classes will begin early on August 17 and the semester will end on November 24. Officials say the two-day fall break will be broken into two separate, mid-week days off during the semester.

Students are expected to return to campus in the fall, and plans for on-campus housing and dining are in the works. Officials say classroom occupancy will be reduced.

Visit Hope College’s website here for more information.

Lake Superior State University

Lake Superior State University will return to in-person classes for the fall semester beginning on August 10.

An official schedule and plan for the fall semester has not been announced.

Officials say a “Get Here & Stay Here” plan will be in effect for the 2020-2021 academic year which encourages students to stay on campus for the entire fall and spring semesters. Officials say the campus is more at risk for an outbreak following a break or an increase in travel to and from campus. Spring break has been moved to January.

The fall semester is expected to end on November 19 or 20.

Visit Lake Superior State University’s website here for more information.

Lawrence Technological University

Lawrence Technological University will host on-campus courses in the fall beginning on August 24. Officials say online and more hybrid-style classes will also be offered.

All graduate courses will be held online in the fall, except courses that require laboratories.

Fall semester courses will end in-person by Thanksgiving break. Classes will continue with online instruction for three weeks following the break, ending on Dec. 11.

Social distancing measures will be implemented to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Officials say class sizes are already small with an 11:1 student-faculty ratio. All large gatherings and events on campus have been cancelled for the semester.

The university is still developing a plan for fall sports.

Visit Lawrence Technological University’s website here for more information.

Macomb Community College

All Macomb Community College courses will be held online for at least the first three weeks of the fall semester beginning August 17 through Labor Day. Officials say the college will only transition to in-person instruction when it is safe.

The college will then offer online courses, online and in-person hybrid courses and web-enhanced courses -- which are mainly for health and occupational students and consist primarily of in-person classes with online educational tools.

Visit Macomb Community College’s website here for more information.

Madonna University

Madonna University will resume in-person classes for the Fall 2020 semester beginning August 31 at its Livonia campus and other centers around Michigan.

Officials say the university has every intention of resuming residential life, athletics and other on-campus activities in the fall amid the pandemic. Safety measures will be put in place in alignment with CDC guidelines.

Officials say plans for the fall semester will evolve as information regarding the COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan continues to develop.

Visit Madonna University’s website here for the latest information.

Michigan State University

Michigan State University is asking undergraduate students who planned to live on campus to stay home and take their classes remotely due to coronavirus (COVID-19).

Any classes that were in person or hybrid will be transitioned for remote learning. There will be exceptions for colleges of Law, Human Medicine, Nursing, Osteopathic Medicine and Veterinary Medicine as well as all graduate programs.

“As president of Michigan State University, it is my ultimate responsibility to protect the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff. That has been my guiding principle since I arrived at this great university last year, and even more so since the coronavirus pandemic turned our lives upside down,” president Samuel L. Stanley, Jr. said.

Visit Michigan State University’s website here for more information.

Michigan Technological University

Michigan Technological University fully expects to hold in-person classes for the Fall 2020 semester. Officials say virtual and hybrid courses will also be offered. Officials say they are prepared to pivot between on-campus and remote instruction when necessary.

A preliminary plan for the fall expects campus to return to “near-normal operations” with residence housing open and services operating at 75-80 percent capacity.

Visit Michigan Technological University’s website here for more information.

Northern Michigan University

Northern Michigan University will resume in-person classes in the fall one week early beginning August 17. The fall semester will also end early on November 24. Officials say the adjusted schedule eliminates the need to travel back and forth from campus around the holiday.

An official plan for the fall semester is still being developed and has not been announced. Officials say the schedule for the Winter 2021 semester currently remains the same but is subject to change if necessary.

Visit Northern Michigan University’s website here for more information.

Northwood University

Northwood University recently closed its campus due to the massive flooding in mid-Michigan. Online classes are still following their normal schedules.

The university still fully expects to resume in-person classes on August 24. A finalized plan for the fall semester has not yet been announced. Officials say a strategy plan is being developed to ensure the health and safety of the community amid the pandemic. The university is considering smaller class sizes and both in-person and online learning options for the upcoming semester. Specific details are expected in the coming weeks.

Visit Northwood University’s website here for more information.

Oakland Community College

Oakland Community College has not yet announced a plan for the upcoming fall semester.

Summer classes are currently online only and officials say they are unsure when the college will return to in-person instruction.

Visit Oakland Community College’s website here for more information.

Oakland University

Oakland University will resume on-campus classes in the fall. Officials say they in-person instruction will be provided wherever possible with reduced seating capacity. Online courses will also be offered.

Tuition has been frozen and costs will not increase ahead of the upcoming semester.

Social distancing measures will be in place on campus and within classrooms, officials said. Residence halls will be open but room occupancy numbers will be adjusted to maintain social distancing.

Visit Oakland University’s website here for more information.

Olivet College

Olivet College will resume in-person classes for the 2020-2021 fall semester on August 17.

An official plan for the fall semester has not yet been released. Officials say groups are developing a comprehensive plan to safely bring students back to campus in the fall.

Visit Olivet College’s website here for more information.

Specs Howard School

Specs Howard has not yet announced a plan for the fall semester. The college says that enrollment for classes is open, but it is unclear if in-person classes will resume in the fall.

Visit Specs Howard School’s website here for more information.

St. Clair County Community College (SC4)

SC4 said it is making changes to many sections that were originally scheduled to meet on-campus for the Fall 2020 semester. Sections may be changed to online or partially remote formats. A list of the classes that are affected are available here.

Classes that will still meet on campus are primarily in the areas of health services, engineering technology, graphic design, and lab components of certain classes.

If you are registered for one or more of the class sections that are affected by this change, you will be moved to the online version of that section. You may choose to:

  • Stay in the online section (you will not be charged an additional online fee)
  • Drop the class (prior to August 28 your tuition charge will be refunded to your account)

All online fees will be removed for the Fall 2020 semester only. For more information on online classes and the technology used to deliver class materials, please visit this page.

University of Detroit Mercy

All three Detroit Mercy campuses will remain fully in session for the 2020-21 academic year.

During the fall on the McNichols Campus the university will carryout out a hybrid learning model that incorporates both in-person and virtual learning.

All undergraduate and most graduate programs will begin on August 24. There will be no “fall break” this year and classes will continue during that time. All classes will move entirely online following Thanksgiving break through the end of the semester, which ends December 12.

The schools of Dentistry and Law will also remain in full session for the academic year. Learning models are still being developed and have not yet been shared.

All summer courses are currently being taught online.

Visit the University of Detroit Mercy’s website here for more information.

University of Michigan

The University of Michigan has announced its plans for the fall semester, including in-person and remote classes, a new academic calendar, the elimination of breaks and changes centered around preventing the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Michigan will begin the fall semester at the Ann Arbor campus on Aug. 31 with a combination of in-person and remote classes, Schlissel announced Monday.

On-campus classes will end at Thanksgiving to minimize student travel home and back to campus. That means the last day of in-person classes for the fall semester will be Nov. 20.

After a nine-day Thanksgiving break, classes will resume remotely Nov. 30 and continue until Dec. 8, with final exams running from Dec. 10 through Dec. 18, the university announced.

Fall academic calendar dates:

  • Start date: Aug. 31
  • In-person classes end: Nov. 20
  • Thanksgiving break: Nov. 21 through Nov. 29
  • Remote classes: Nov. 30 through Dec. 8
  • Final exams: Dec. 10 through Dec. 18

Walsh College

Walsh College will offer students the choice of attending classes in-person, online (asynchronously or in real time) or a hybrid of both. In-class lessons will be held in larger venues to facilitate social distancing. Officials say the percentage of in-person classes that will be available are still being finalized.

Officials say all enrolled students will receive a free Zoom Pro account for virtual lessons. Walsh students will also have access to the “Navigate” application where they can schedule appointments with advisors, receive classroom reminders and form study groups.

Visit Walsh College’s website here for more information.

Wayne County Community College

Wayne County Community College District (WCCCD) leaders have decided to move all Fall 2020 semester courses to “alternative virtual modalities.”

The college said there will be “a very small number” of exceptions for health science and career education courses that require hands-on learning experiences.

Visit Wayne County Community College’s website here for more information.

Wayne State University

Wayne State University says they will begin the fall semester as scheduled on but have not announced an official plan. More details are expected by July 15 regarding the types of courses that will be offered in the fall.

Officials say they will be flexible with semester plans as information on the COVID-19 pandemic constantly changes.

Officials say they expect to return campus and offer in-person classes with social distancing measures in place this fall. Where safe social distancing is not possible, remote or online classes will continue.

Students returning to campus residence halls in the fall can expect social distancing measures in place as well.

Visit Wayne State University’s website here for more information.

Western Michigan University

Western Michigan University has not yet announced a plan for the upcoming fall semester.

University officials announced in April that a plan is developing and will follow health and safety guidelines from the state.

Visit Western Michigan University’s website here for more information.

READ MORE: Reopening Michigan


About the Author
Cassidy Johncox headshot

Cassidy Johncox is a senior digital news editor covering stories across the spectrum, with a special focus on politics and community issues.

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