2021-2022 Academic Calendar and Programming for Summer and Fall Semesters

Dear Members of the Carnegie Mellon University Community:

I write to share the university’s plans for programming this summer, announce the university’s 2021-22 academic calendar and look ahead to the return of a robust student experience on campus beginning in the fall semester. With the promise of expanding access to vaccines, there is much progress and hope on the horizon; we will monitor virus prevalence, variants, and vaccine adoption to help inform our decisions in the weeks and months ahead. 

Summer Programming

Building on the success experienced last summer with enrollment and the flexibility offered to students and faculty, most undergraduate and graduate for-credit academic courses will continue to be offered in remote formats. In addition, pre-college offerings and the majority of non-credit enrichment programming will again be offered in remote learning modalities this summer. Approved on-site research and administrative activity is permissible, while complying with activity-specific safety plans and university-wide minimum requirements. The summer schedule can be found on the HUB website with summer registration launching March 24, 2021.

2021-2022 Academic Calendar

The university has approved a revised 2021-2022 Academic Calendar, now marked as “official,” that also can be found on the HUB website. Please note that the first day of classes for the fall semester will be August 30, which was proposed prior to the pandemic. As with the 2020-2021 academic year, the 2021-2022 calendar plans for a longer winter break with the spring semester beginning January 18, 2022, to provide our community with the time to rest, plan and prepare for the spring semester.

Fall Programming

We are optimistic for the new academic year and eager to welcome our community back to campus with a resumption of operations to support as many in-person experiences as possible, both inside and outside the classroom. The university is committed to prioritizing the on-campus experience for our students while continuing some of the successful innovative teaching methods designed over the last year. Academic leaders across the university are looking ahead to the fall and several semesters into the future to ensure stability and continuity for both teaching and learning. Exact details of the fall course schedule are still being finalized. We are shifting registration to early summer to ensure we are providing the university community the chance to plan ahead as well as allowing for additional guidance from public health experts. Students can expect to hear soon about course registration and residential housing processes and deadlines.

While keeping the safety and well-being of our community members in mind, university leaders are finalizing plans for a model of instruction that prioritizes in-person educational experiences; however, contingency plans will exist should we need to enact them. We anticipate that the vast majority of students will return for an on-campus learning experience, but some options for remote courses will be offered for those who are still unable to join us in person. The modality of courses will be transparent at the point of registration.

As we continue to finalize our plans, including process enhancements for registering for courses, additional details will be shared as they become available. I am grateful for your resilience these past few semesters and continue to be inspired by your determination and hard work. On behalf of university leadership, I’m looking forward to welcoming as many students, faculty and staff as possible back to campus for the fall semester.

Sincerely,

Jim Garrett
Provost