BYU Announces Fall Semester Will Feature In-Person Classes

PROVO, Utah – Brigham Young University (BYU) announced on Tuesday that fall semester classes will feature in-person teaching beginning August 31st, 2020.

Along with in-person teaching, a hybrid of in-person and remote classes will be offered at the faith-based institution.

This announcement comes one day after Governor Gary Herbert announced he has no intentions to shut down Utah’s economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fall Decision Announcement:

We are planning for an in-person fall semester starting Aug 31, 2020, with a hybrid of in-person and remote classes. This decision is subject to change depending on trends in disease prevalence and guidance from state and local government.

— BYU (@BYU) June 23, 2020

BYU stated that the decision to have in-person classes is subject to change depending on trends in disease prevalence and guidance from state and local governments.

With reports of a potential second wave from the Coronavirus this winter, BYU’s classes and exams during the fall semester will be remote after Thanksgiving break. Students who go home for Thanksgiving are encouraged to finish the semester at home to prevent the potential increase of COVID-19 in the campus community in December.

Students in high-risk categories, including older adults and the immunocompromised, are strongly encouraged to not be on BYU’s campus during the fall semester. Remote coursework options will be available for those students.

BYU stated that no decisions have been made yet regarding the winter semester which typically begins in the month of January each year.

Face Coverings required

All students and employees on BYU’s campus are required to wear face coverings in all classroom settings, inside all university buildings, during interactions with campus guests/customers, in other areas where directed, and when physical distancing is difficult to maintain.

What do in-person classes mean for BYU sports?

The NCAA stated last month that if no classes take place on campus during fall semesters, sports won’t happen. So with that in mind, this is a positive development towards having college football and all other fall sports take place during the fall semester.

BYU football is expected to begin fall camp in early August. The Cougars have one regular season game scheduled after Thanksgiving and that’s the final game of the year at Stanford.

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12-3 pm) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.