UC shares plan for start of fall semester
University of Cincinnati to offer blend of in-person and virtual offerings starting Aug. 24
UC President Neville Pinto and Kristi Nelson, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost, issued the below statement to the UC community today:
UC President Neville Pinto
We write to share our plans to welcome back our students to campus on August 24 for the start of the fall semester. We believe a thoughtful blend of in-person and virtual offerings, in addition to enhanced health and safety measures, will provide our students with the best collegiate experience possible in this new era of living and learning.
On May 20, we outlined a multi-phase approach to returning faculty and staff to campus over the summer in preparation for the fall semester. We are pleased to report Phase One has been launched successfully. Preparations for the start of Phase Two and Phase Three remain on track. Before sharing details on Phase Four, which includes the safe return of students to campus, let us reiterate the health and safety measures that underpin our endeavor.
Until we know enhanced health and safety measures are no longer needed, we will continue to err on the side of caution in protecting our campus community.
President Neville Pinto
Kristi Nelson, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost
Until we know enhanced health and safety measures are no longer needed, we will continue to err on the side of caution in protecting our campus community. Safeguards include facial coverings, proper handwashing, physical distancing, frequent cleaning, reduced density in certain spaces and required reporting of symptoms, among others. Our testing and tracing protocols will be shared in the coming weeks. Additional information on our health and safety policies as well as mental health resources can be found here.
Bringing our students back to campus will necessitate several adjustments to academic life and the student experience. For instance, we will adjust the academic calendar to finish in-person activities by Thanksgiving Break. To provide enhanced flexibility and properly manage the density of campus, we will offer a blend of in-person, online and hybrid courses. Our housing and dining options will be adjusted to incorporate enhanced health and safety measures. And we will provide additional direction on campus events and activities.
To learn more about planning for the fall semester, including more details on academic life, housing, dining, transportation and athletics, please click here.
We want to underscore our admiration and appreciation for your understanding and support as we navigate these uncharted waters. If this pandemic has taught us anything, it is the need for us to have contingency plans for our contingency plans. Given the tremendous amount of work that still must be done, we realize plenty of unanswered questions remain. We ask for your continued patience as we allow our various representative working groups across campus to finalize their planning efforts. We will share the full version of our Return to Campus plan by early July.
Thank you for everything you do to make UC an amazing place to live, learn and grow.
Impact Lives Here
The University of Cincinnati is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation and impact. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city's direction. Next Lives Here.
Stay up on all UC's COVID-19 stories, read our #UCtheGood content, or take a UC virtual visit and begin picturing yourself at an institution that inspires incredible stories.
Tags
- College of Pharmacy
- College of Medicine
- College of Allied Health Sciences
- Academic Health Center
- Office of Research
- UC Foundation
- Veteran's Affairs
- COVID-19
- Alumni Association
- 1819 Innovation Hub
- College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning
- Student Affairs
- Lindner College of Business
- Public Safety
- Board of Trustees
- College-Conservatory of Music
- College bound
- Equity and Inclusion
- College of Arts and Sciences
- Campus Services
- College of Education, Criminal Justice, & Human Services
- Human Resources
- Libraries
- Blue Ash College
- Clermont College
- Graduate College
- President's Office
- College of Law
- Admissions
- Provost
- College of Nursing
- College of Engineering and Applied Science
Related Stories
CCM welcomes new film and media scoring faculty member J.R. Paredes
May 20, 2026
UC College-Conservatory of Music Dean Pete Jutras has announced the appointment of J.R. Paredes as CCM's new Assistant Professor of Film and Media Scoring. His faculty appointment officially begins on Aug. 15, 2026. Paredes is a composer, music producer and audio post-production specialist whose work spans film, television and commercial music. His credits include original scores for feature films and series distributed on platforms such as Apple TV+ and Prime Video, as well as extensive work in sound design and mixing for film and media.
Materials scientist gains valuable research experience
May 20, 2026
The opportunities at the College of Engineering and Applied Science are what attracted Ananth Balasubramanian to the University of Cincinnati. He came to UC as a master's student and after two years, transitioned to a direct PhD program in materials science and engineering. Here, he works in the Digital Fabrication Laboratory and recently was named Graduate Student Engineer of the Month by CEAS.
6 ways starting a GLP-1 medication could affect your emotions
May 20, 2026
When patients first start taking a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) medication, they probably expect to feel full. But they might not anticipate how it can influence their emotions. The medications act on the stomach and the brain, said Malti Vij, MD, a University of Cincinnati adjunct associate professor in the College of Medicine's Department of Internal Medicine and a diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine.