Top European Universities COVID-19 Planned Measures for Incoming Academic Year 2020/21

University of Oxford, United Kingdom

Oxford University and its colleges are fully committed to limit the impact of the pandemic as they look forward to welcoming new and existing students for the start of the Michaelmas (Autumn) term.  They are fully committed to delivering an outstanding academic experience to their students, to maintain focus on personalised teaching, and to the safety and wellbeing of the entire community. The university website states:

“For undergraduate and taught graduate courses, the emphasis on small-group teaching by leading academics (for example, in undergraduate tutorials) is fundamental to an Oxford education and will continue to be a central part of our offering in the 2020/21 academic year. Similarly, research degrees will continue to be based on close personal supervision by renowned researchers.

Face-to-face teaching and research supervision will be complemented by high quality online activities where necessary.”

Karolinska Institute (KI), Sweden

The Swedish government has announced that from June 15, colleges and universities can prepare to return to more on-campus teaching and made it clear that the country is still in the midst of a pandemic. KI's crisis management team has produced a continuity plan especially those operations that are sensitive or vital. The institute has adopted remote and digital theoretical teachings and examinations. All compulsory scheduled practical components/proficiency training or practical examinations that cannot be done remotely should be conducted individually or in very small groups.

According to KI’s website “KI has decided to cancel exchange studies and traineeships/internship abroad for outgoing students who have not yet begun their exchange period, as well as for incoming students who have not yet come to Sweden. This decision is valid from 13 March until 30 June unless another decision is taken in the meantime”.

Wageningen University & Research (WUR),
The Netherlands

The university's primary concern is the health of the students and employees. During a press conference on the 19th of May, the Dutch Prime Minister announced that the measures will be eased gradually from 15 June and emphasised that discipline in following the social distancing guidelines and hygiene measures is essential. The Dutch universities have drawn up a protocol in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (Dutch acronym: OCW).

Currently, WUR enforced working and studying remotely and meetings are done online unless absolutely impossible. International travel is not allowed. Starting on the 15th of June, under strict compliance with the hygiene and safety precautions, more research activities are enabled in the university facilities. Events on Campus or other WUR locations are not allowed and permission is required for gatherings outside WUR premises.

After the summer period, the campus and facilities will be reduced to about 30% capacity. WUR aims to restart the physical courses gradually from small-scale to interactive courses

University of Copenhagen (UCPH), Denmark

To mitigate the consequences of the spread of coronavirus, the Danish government has decided that students and staff must not turn up at the university for studying or working.

Currently, classes and physical activities are not taking place on the UCPH campus and the majority of the employees are working remotely. The University supports self-study and distance learning. For the autumn semester, UCPH is looking into a blended learning approach which is a combination of both online and face-to-face teaching where possible. UCPH has advised that they are currently not planning to offer online-only courses for exchange and guest students for the entire autumn 2020 semester.

LMU Munich, Germany

Germany has taken necessary measures to mitigate the infection rate of coronavirus like limiting social interactions of people in public areas and adhering to the social distancing rule. In accordance to the ordinance set by the government, in-person lectures are not allowed until further notice thus the courses are only offered online. Exceptions to this rule are practical courses that require special laboratory or workrooms at the universities however a written approval from the university is needed for each individual case.

KU Leuven, Belgium

The university welcomes students back to the campus adhering to the social distancing rules. They will also adopt the blended education approach which is a combination of face-to-face (provided it is safe to do so) and online instruction.

As stated in the open letter by Luc Sels, Rector KU Leuven, dated 2nd of June:

“We have made this choice in students' interest. At the same time, it is also a statement to demonstrate that, together, we always do everything possible to approach normality as well as possible under abnormal circumstances. This also applies to the next academic year. We realise that unpredictability makes for difficult planning and that we will still have to rely on advancing insight in the coming months. However, there is no doubt that KU Leuven will try to approach normality as closely as possible in the 2020-2021 academic year as well.”

He also stated that ” In the next academic year, we will welcome them with open arms and do our utmost to give them an unforgettable time at KU Leuven, regardless of the circumstances. Here, too, safety comes first, with attention to quarantine and testing when required.”

Paris Sciences et Lettres – PSL Research University Paris, France

PSL President Alain Fuchs decided to close the university last March and adopted distance learning to help avoid coronavirus infection and increase the spread of the virus. As stated on the official government website “Universities are shut and will not reopen before the summer break. Schools and universities have put in place distance learning.”

University of Oslo (UiO), Norway

UiO will now permit more students and staff to gain access to campus premises after the Ministry of Education and Research changed the infection control rules. It is mandatory for anyone returning to campus to complete a 15-minute infection prevention course. The Ministry of Education and Research estimates that 25–30 percent of students may return. Teaching instruction at UiO will continue to be digital throughout the semester, and exams are conducted from home. The university may also adopt a combination of digital and regular teaching in the fall semester.