SMU announced the Fall 2021 semester will be “primarily in-person” in a Tuesday evening email.

President R. Gerald Turner expressed hopes that the COVID-19 vaccine will be widely distributed to the campus during the spring, allowing for on-campus classes and activities in the fall.

“While we are planning for a primarily in-person fall semester, we remain vigilant in our prevention and safety protocols on campus,” Turner wrote in the email. “We also will continue to carefully monitor health trends and create contingency plans so we are ready to meet any new challenges that might arise.”

SMU first shared their vaccine plans in December, and said that healthcare workers and the SMU Police Department will be the first to receive doses. The university sent out an email last Friday saying that although the vaccines have not arrived yet, they are expected “in the near future.”

Read More – BREAKING: SMU Announces Initial Vaccine Distribution Plans

After campus healthcare workers and police are vaccinated, SMU will move to the state’s 1B guidelines, which include those over 65 and/or those with a chronic medical condition. The rest of the SMU community will eventually get the vaccine as more supplies come in.

The university hopes that sharing their goal of an in-person semester will help SMU students and their families “make important decisions about enrollment, housing, travel and other aspects of campus life,” and “allow faculty and staff to move forward with essential preparations for academic schedules and campus activities.”