Western Releases Fall 2020 Academic Calendar Updates

Western prepares for reopening this fall

Western is preparing for the reopening of its campus and return of its students this fall. This week, the Western community was notified of several key changes to the academic calendar for the upcoming fall semester. The new fall semester schedule is as follows:

• ​The Fall 2020 semester will start Monday, Aug. 17, 2020, one week early
• On-campus courses will end Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020, before Thanksgiving Break
• Final Exams will be online from Dec. 1-4, 2020, two weeks early, so that students need not return to campus between Thanksgiving and Winter Break (they may stay in campus housing if necessary)
• Mid-Fall Break (previously, Oct. 16, 2020) will be eliminated.

Though these changes may have unexpected impacts, they have been made in alignment with many peer higher education institutions, and with public health advisement to reduce risk of COVID-19 while still meeting accreditation requirements for class time.

The semester changes have also necessitated these adjustments to pre-semester activities:

• Campus move-in has been moved up to Aug. 12 (new students), Aug. 14 (transfers), and Aug. 15-16 (returning students)
• New Student Orientation will now occur Aug. 12-16 (Aug. 14 for transfer students)
• Wilderness Based Orientation will occur Aug. 7-11, with WBO move-in Aug. 6

Check Western’s COVID-19 Your Questions—Answered webpage, or send an email to covid19@western.edu, for more detail and updates on changes related to COVID-19 circumstances