Navigating the College

Spring Quarter

Information and resources to help College students navigate Spring Quarter

The University of Chicago is committed to supporting students as they navigate the many challenges that COVID-19 poses to their academic success and welfare during Spring Quarter 2021. This webpage provides the College community with an official and comprehensive source of information for our undergraduate students.

Navigation

Financial Aid & Tuition

Housing & Dining

UChicago is focused on making its residence halls as safe as possible and are committed to continued excellence in supporting our residents.

  • For those living on campus during Spring Quarter, Housing & Residence Life previously outlined specific residence hall move-in procedures, detailed here.
  • For an update on travel restrictions and quarantine procedures that you will be expected to follow if you are coming to Chicago, click here.
  • View the Winter 2021 Housing Guidance as it related to concerns of COVID-19 and the changes that were implemented to reduce risk for all students, faculty and staff.

For the latest information about the University’s continued provision of food service during Spring Quarter, and meal plans, visit the Dining website and the Maroon Dollars FAQs.

Resources for International Students

The Office of International Affairs provides advising services and supportive programming to the international community at the University of Chicago. OIA is not available for in-person appointments, but is available remotely. Please reach out to your OIA adviser via email or by telephone. If you do not know who your adviser is, please visit the OIA Staff Directory

Academic Advising

Staff in the College Academic Advising Office stand ready to work with students to make sure their Spring Quarter is productive and that they continue to make progress in their academic journey. Advisers will be available to meet with all students in the College via phone or Zoom, and will no longer be holding in-person appointments in efforts to maintain the national guidelines for social distancing.

Appointments can be scheduled via collegescheduling.uchicago.edu/. Students should reach out to their adviser directly or email collegeadvising@uchicago.edu.

Academics

Maintaining continuity of education and research is of highest priority for the College. Academic resources will remain available for coursework, independent research and many undergraduate research positions.

    For students participating in remote learning, the Learning Remotely website is a centralized source of general resources and information to support students in maximizing the online educational experience, including tips for adjusting your learning strategy, tutoring programs, well-being services, Title IX guidance, and information for students with disabilities and international students.

    While the College will not be running any of the Winter 2021 faculty-led programs in their international locations, faculty in three programs have been able to reconfigure their courses into remote offerings. The three programs are Civilization in the Western Mediterranean, European Civilization, and Middle Eastern Civilizations (originally planned for Barcelona, Paris, and Rabat, respectively).

    We aim to make decisions about our Spring 2021 faculty-led programs in January. Each program will be evaluated on an individual basis in consultation with the program faculty, local partners, and University leadership.

    A small number of students are planning to participate in the College's direct enrollment programs in Winter and Spring 2021.

    The College Center for Research and Fellowships (CCRF) will continue to advise students on undergraduate research opportunities, grant processes, and major national fellowships throughout Spring Quarter. All Spring Quarter workshops are now available online and students can register here. To set up remote advising appointments with the CCRF, click here.

    For information on remote research opportunities, please visit the Remote Student Research Experiences website.

    The University is offering study spaces in locations across campus this Spring Quarter. The locations and hours are listed on the Campus and Student Life website. Please note that the hours are set by the individual locations and are subject to change. Capacity limitations and other guidelines will apply when using the study spaces.

    The College Core Tutor Program will be open remotely throughout Spring Quarter. Plans for the academic year are dependent on local and statewide mandates, and may continue to change as the situation evolves. Shifts will follow the historic schedule: 7 to 11 p.m. CT, Sunday nights through Thursday nights. To accommodate students who are unable to tune in during that time, we are also opening up alternate shifts two days a week; on Sundays and Wednesdays, when each subject will have additional hours from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. CT (2-6 p.m. GMT).

    The Library will continue offering services in ways that incorporate University practices that protect the health and well-being of both patrons and Library staff. Due to the ongoing need to limit the number of people in our spaces, the Library’s on-site services will be offered only to faculty, other academic appointees, students, and staff with a current UChicago ID. For more information, view the Library's Spring Quarter services.

     

Student Services

Continuing to provide students with access to wellness resources, emergency support, and research and career opportunities remains a priority, both for the large number of students who will remain in Hyde Park and those who will not. Students to not on campus will still be able to connect with staff members virtually and participate in remote opportunities.

    • UChicago Student Wellness has shifted primarily to virtual operations, and has expanded options for telehealth and teletherapy. 
    • In order to practice social distancing and minimize the chance of exposure to staff and students, we are not accepting walk-in visits at this time. Please check the Wellness site regularly for updates.
    • For appointments or medical advice, including questions about COVID-19, please call UChicago Student Wellness at 773.834.WELL for a telehealth appointment with one of our clinicians. If you have any symptoms of an upper respiratory illness, be sure to indicate this when you call.
    • UChicago Student Wellness urges you to attend to your mental well-being and to reach out to us for support during these challenging times. For all inquiries, call 773.834.WELL. Students needing urgent mental health care can speak with clinicians over the phone 24/7 by calling the Therapist-on-Call at 773.702.3625.
      • We are also offering virtual drop-in sessions through the Let’s Talk program, in addition to weekly virtual workshops. Please see the Wellness site for more information.
    • U-SHIP coverage is valid globally. Check the student insurance website for full details.

    Due to the heightened safety guidelines around social distancing, the Center for College Student Success is moving to supporting students remotely until further notice. While it will be an adjustment not seeing you all in-person or within the CCSS Lounge, know we are still here to support you and can be reached by email and through appointments via Skype, Zoom, or phone. Please click here to schedule an appointment.

    There will also be opportunities to engage and build community virtually with the CCSS community through forums, study breaks, and fun challenges to keep us connected. Please stay tuned by following CCSS on social media and by reviewing our newsletters. If there are questions or suggestions for engagement, do not hesitate to contact us at ccss@uchicago.edu.  

    Visit the UChicago Handshake events page to register for several exciting events this spring, including the “Careers in the Humanities” series, “Tech Tuesday” workshops, the Climate Innovation Challenge, and more!

    For personalized career support, make an appointment with a Career Advancement adviser.

    The Dean-on-Call and Sexual Assault Dean-on-Call programs will continue to remain available to students during remote learning.

Convocation

As previously announced, the 534th Convocation ceremony will be held virtually. A broadcast of this event will take place at 4 p.m. CDT on Wednesday, June 9. The College will follow the University’s Convocation ceremony with a virtual presentation of its Class Day ceremony, a celebration of the Class of 2021 featuring student speakers, and the recognition of this year’s Howell Murray award winners. We anticipate that we will be able to finalize the schedule of College diploma ceremonies by mid-April.

Student Life

    Winterfest’s programming continues into Spring Quarter with Spring Forward and the next stages of the Chicago Futures Project, including the Chicago Futures Design Challenge.

    Visit the 2021 College Winterfest website at winterfest.uchicago.edu.

    Learn more about opportunities the Center for Leadership and Involvement has to help connect College with involvement opportunities, Registered Student Organizations, and social events on campus. 

    • View CLI's Spring Quarter 2021 opportunities here.
    • For updates and resources for RSOs, click here.

    In accordance with guidance from the Chicago Department of Public Health, Athletics & Recreation is modifying its building capacity and facility operations to ensure the health and safety of all students and building staff. Due to the necessary de-densification of fitness and recreation spaces and equipment, facilities will only be open to enrolled UChicago students, faculty and staff. Click here to view the Facilities and Hours overview.

    Intramural Leagues will be held virtually for Spring Quarter. View the schedule here.

    FitChicago classes will be posted online on the FitChicago Facebook page in one of three formats - Facebook Live, Pre-recorded Video and Written Content. The complete schedule of classes can be found here

Messages from the Deans

A Spring Quarter message from Dean Boyer

Welcome to Spring Quarter from Dean Ellison

Portrait of Dean Ellison