Fall 2020 Updates
Dear Wake Forest undergraduates,
We look forward immensely to welcoming you back to Wake Forest for the Fall 2020 semester. While it will be a different kind of semester, we are confident that the same attributes that we all value — our exceptional faculty, our beautiful campus, the opportunity to build meaningful friendships and connect with others — will remain at the forefront of the Wake Forest experience.
As we outlined in Our Way Forward, our approach to the semester includes a shared commitment to the health of our community; innovation in academic course design and delivery; and flexibility as we navigate the evolving landscape of this pandemic. Health concerns have prompted us to reimagine aspects of the Wake Forest experience to include masks, social distancing and other precautions. We are also responding with signature Wake Forest creativity and innovation, making every effort to enable you and all our community members to thrive under the circumstances.
With the start of the semester approaching, various offices are sharing information regarding the Wake Forest experience that will help you assess your individual situations and make the best decisions for the fall. We continue to adapt to changing circumstances presented by the pandemic, and as such, write today to provide you with updated information as you begin the process of housing registration and affirmation of or re-registration for course schedules. We are starting the semester with a conservative approach — with more courses being offered online or via one of the blended formats and a different housing configuration and room rate schedule than in previous years — to allow more flexibility as conditions evolve.
Academic Courses
With the many constraints required to accommodate social distancing and the significant health risks to our faculty, the prudent approach is to begin the year relying on multiple modalities of teaching. In a recent message, Dean of the College Michele Gillespie noted that our fall semester will “uphold Wake Forest’s powerful commitment to teaching regardless of modality. Our faculty are dedicating their summer to designing courses in a way that ensures exciting, empowering, imaginative, innovative learning for all our students across all our disciplines.”
Starting Wednesday, July 15, continuing students will have access to the revised fall academic course schedule with times and teaching modalities, and our new Add/Drop period extends through Tuesday, July 21. Based on your situation, there may be a need for a schedule adjustment; students satisfied with their schedules do not need to take any action.
Business majors should contact their School of Business academic advisor to discuss any changes to their schedules. New undergraduates will register for their fall classes July 27-31, during registration periods that will be communicated by the Office of the University Registrar. Students with questions about their academic schedules should contact the Office of Academic Advising.
Residence Life and Housing
Last week, Residence Life and Housing shared information about housing selection, meal plans and move-in appointments. Additional information for students returning from outside the United States was also provided.
Tomorrow, you will receive a message from Residence Life and Housing indicating that housing configurations are available to view for your planning purposes. You will take action based on semesters in housing to date and your roommate group leader, if applicable, beginning on July 23. Details for the process will be explained in the forthcoming messages, and the dates for your specific group are available on the website.
Move-in appointments will be necessary this year. First-year students will be able to schedule their appointments after they receive their housing assignment on July 31. Continuing students will select their appointments as the final step of their housing selection process.
Important dates and deadlines and answers to frequently asked questions are available on the Residence Life and Housing Fall 2020 website.
Fall Billing Information
On July 15, you will be able to access your estimated Fall 2020 tuition, housing, dining and fee charges. All charges are due on August 1.
Tuition and fees are based on the Board of Trustees-approved structure presented this spring. All modalities of instruction will have the same tuition rate.
Housing rate information, including the addition of a modified single rate, is available on the Residence Life and Housing website. Current estimated housing charges are based on the double rate. Meal plan estimates are listed at the base rate. These charges will be adjusted separately when you finalize your selections.
A single estimated fee is charged to your student account. This represents the various required fees for full-time students living in University housing. This estimated fee will be removed and replaced with applicable required fees based on your actual housing and registration. These fees will be charged separately when you finalize your selections. Any additional amounts owed, based on your selections, will be due once your decisions have been confirmed.
Careful consideration has been given to ensure that current scholarship and need based financial aid packages for all students remain fully intact. Any questions regarding your scholarship offer can be directed to financial-aid@wfu.edu.
Refund Policy
We are making plans with the intent to minimize major disruptions to the semester; however, that is not something we can guarantee. If conditions require closure of campus, refunds, if applicable, will be issued in accordance with the University Disruption Refund Policy. Refunds are only applicable to housing, dining plans and wellness and parking fees. Tuition will not be refunded if disruptions occur as courses are being designed for online delivery regardless of the conditions or location. A detailed explanation of the University Disruption Refund Policy will be available on the Student Financial Services website.
When students leave campus at the Thanksgiving holiday and complete the remainder of the semester from home, they will receive a 10 percent refund of housing costs, dining plans and wellness and parking fees, as applicable.
For students with extenuating circumstances, we will open a petition process to request permission to stay at Wake Forest through the end of the examination period, should health conditions allow. If a student petitions and is approved to stay on campus through the Thanksgiving holiday and finishes the semester on campus, they will not be eligible for the 10 percent refund. To protect the health and safety of our students, faculty, and staff, students who are approved to remain will be required to demonstrate that they did not leave the immediate Winston-Salem area during the Thanksgiving break.
We hope that with each of us doing our part to engage in our community responsibly, we will have a robust and vibrant semester of living and learning together on campus. Thank you for your ongoing patience and flexibility as we continue to work through evolving conditions as we prepare for the year. We look forward to welcoming many of you back to campus soon. In the meantime, please stay healthy and safe.
Sincerely,
Rogan Kersh
Provost
Hof Milam
Executive Vice President
Penny Rue
Vice President for Campus Life