Term 2 advice: return to campus and in-person teaching postponed until reading week

UCL has postponed all face-to-face teaching and recommends that students do not return to campus until reading week in order to reduce the transmission of Covid-19 across the UK . 

Source: UCL Imagestore

While the government currently advises that students should not return to campus until January 25, UCL has decided that this will not be possible until reading week at the earliest due to the urgent state of the pandemic in London. 

All face-to-face teaching and activities have instead been cancelled until February 22, and UCL strongly recommends that students do not return to campus until then (with a few exceptions below). 

Students who have stayed in London over the winter break should remain where they are. Libraries and study spaces will continue to operate to support students currently in London. 

Certain students are exempt from these restrictions: those studying medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and teacher training will be allowed to return to campus from January 4 onwards. Other practical courses who require the use of a laboratory or studio will not receive any in-person teaching until reading week at the earliest.

Those who cannot study remotely can also return to campus. For example, students who do not have appropriate study facilities at home, or require additional assistance at university are exempt from the restrictions.

The UCL Students’ Union has announced that, until February 7, students in UCL halls who have returned home over the winter break will not be charged for the period during which they are unable to return to their halls. For those in UCL halls who would like to return home permanently, UCL has offered the option to terminate their licence agreement and refund any remaining accommodation fees paid.

Any student who decides to return to campus must get tested for Covid-19 upon their arrival and they can book a Lateral Flow Test (LTF) through UCL’s testing scheme here. Due to the slightly lower accuracy of LFT compared to PCR tests, UCL recommends that students take two tests, one within 24 hours of their arrival and a second test three days later.

Despite the introduction of Tier 4 restrictions, London has seen coronavirus cases rise rapidly and University College London Hospital (UCLH) has warned that soon it may not be able to provide any non-Covid medical care if the number of cases does not begin to slow. 

UCL President & Provost Michael Arthur has thanked UCL students for their resilience and support for each other, and he has also stated that: “The next few weeks are going to be difficult, but with the vaccination programme now being rolled out, there is light at the end of the tunnel and cause for optimism about the future.”

More information on the Term 2 teaching conditions can be found here.