Spring 2021

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• Academic flexibility, including classes that are in person, remote, or a combination of both.
• Increased safety measures, including enhanced cleaning and disinfecting, reduced/limited capacity in campus spaces, including campus residences
• Keeping tuition lower, at the same rate as last spring, with full merit awards and other tuition adjustments

Watch our town hall events and Q&As to learn more about spring 2021 operations (university credentials required).

Facilities Services is taking a layered approach to campus safety and protection, employing physical distancing, mask requirements, and enhanced cleaning protocols, as well as physical barriers, fresh-air ventilation, and HVAC enhancements where applicable.

To help slow the spread of COVID-19, access to campus buildings is restricted. Students, faculty members, and staff members should not allow non campus members into facilities, except in accordance with our Visitor Guidelines and Procedures. 

Any in-person classes for spring will abide by the university’s COVID-19 community health precautions. This means all students and faculty members must follow physical distancing mandates and wear face coverings during an entire class period. Also, classrooms will be sanitized between classes, and wipes will be available for faculty members and students in each classroom.

Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department reviewed and endorsed our Dining and Conference Services safety procedures, which include eliminating self-serve food stations, providing hand sanitizer and contactless pay systems, physical distancing and barriers, gloves and masks worn by DCS staff members at all times, and more. 

• All campus dining venues are open, including The Diner, Diversions Cafe, Oppenheimer Cafe, Lillis Cafe, The Cellar, and The Cellar Market—plus a new, temporary venue, Field House EATS, located in the Memorial Fieldhouse concession area.
• Order ahead from The Diner with the GET Mobile ordering app.
• Get real-time Diner occupancy numbers with our Diner Counter, and plan your Diner visit accordingly.

We have reduced residence capacity by approximately 50%. We anticipate having 900 students living on campus in the spring, and have reserved separate rooms for students who may require isolation at any point during the semester. Common spaces, rooms, and restrooms have been modified in alignment with best health practices, including use of dividers between sinks, assigned restrooms, enhanced cleaning procedures, limits on visitors, and more. Information about retrieving items from storage has been provided to students. Students returning to campus are encouraged to review the following. For questions, please contact reslife@pugetsound.edu.

• Office of Residence Experience COVID-19 Prevention Efforts

See our Return to Practice Plan and FAQs. Note that student-athletes have special protocols for testing and quarantine that may differ from the general student body. Access to athletic facilities is available to students, faculty, and staff members only, on a reservation basis, beginning Jan. 26: schedule and reservation information.

Student testing: Testing twice a week is mandatory for all students living both on and off campus in the Tacoma area.

Faculty and staff members: Frequency of testing (once or twice a week) depends on the amount of time spent on campus and the nature of your work.

Testing will be held five days a week in a testing pavilion located on the Event Lawn. The test will be a self-administered saliva PCR test, with results available within 24–48 hours.

Spring courses will be offered in online (remote), in-person, and hybrid modes. The course schedule for spring semester includes detailed information for each course on the mode of instruction, and students have received this information in advance of advising.

Registration for spring 2021 courses is now complete. Contact your faculty advisor, the Office of Academic Advising, or the Office of the Registrar if you have questions about spring course registration.

Collins Memorial Library welcomes on-campus and remote students. Some library services are available in person and others entirely online.