Fall classes to begin remotely, move in person after 3 days

Fall classes will begin remotely, before continuing in person three days into the semester, according to the latest academic calendar.

Pitt announced earlier this week that the fall semester will begin on Aug. 19 and in-person classes will conclude on Nov. 20 for Thanksgiving break. Students will not return to campus after Thanksgiving, instead finishing classes remotely through the end of the fall semester on Dec. 5. There will be no day off for Labor Day on Sept. 7.

Classes will begin in-person on the semester’s original start date, Aug. 24, “where appropriate.” Pitt spokesperson David Seldin said some classes will not be able to run in a fully in-person mode due to social distancing requirements, and the three-day buffer at the semester’s start will allow faculty members to organize and communicate plans for the rest of the term. Some classes, he said, may run in a “rotating cohort” mode, where not all students attend class in person on the same day.

Seldin added that the remote start will enable all students to have an “equitable start” to the semester, regardless of whether they can physically make it back to campus by Aug. 19 due to off-campus housing leases or other reasons.

The updated academic calendar also includes a Student Self-Care Day, with no classes, on Oct. 14.