Tracking Coronavirus Cases at U.S. Colleges and Universities
64%More than 260,000 coronavirus cases have been linked to American colleges and universities since Jan. 1, and more than 700,000 cases have been reported since the beginning of the pandemic, according to a New York Times survey of cases on campus.
Even though thousands of coronavirus cases have been reported at American colleges in recent weeks, infections appear to be slowing as classes end and as more people get vaccinated.
Percent Change in Cases on Campus Since the End of 2020
200%
or more
10%
50%
100%
150%
Each bar represents one school
Percent Change in Cases on Campus Since the End of 2020
Each bar represents one school
200%
or more
10%
50%
100%
150%
Small schools
Less than 5,000 undergraduates
Medium schools
5,000-15,000 undergraduates
Large schools
More than 15,000 undergraduates
Search for a schoolWhen many campuses reopened in the fall, outbreaks raced through dorms, infected hundreds of thousands of students and employees, and spread to the wider community. After students returned for the spring term this year, increased testing, social distancing rules and an improving national outlook helped curb the virus on many campuses. Gradually, college-age people became eligible for the vaccine and, by late April, everyone 16 or older could get a shot in every state.
In the spring term, counties with large populations of college students have seen total case numbers drop, in line with the national trend.
Case Rates in College Communities
Coronavirus cases in counties where college students make up at least 10 percent of the population compared with other counties.
per 100,000 residents
(Sept. - Dec.)
(Feb. - May)
Still, many campuses have continued to contend with the virus, and some saw worse outbreaks this semester than in the spring or fall of 2020. The Times surveyed more than 1,900 colleges and universities for coronavirus information and found at least 50 colleges had reported more than 1,000 cases in 2021.
The Times has also identified more than 100 virus-related deaths involving college students and employees. The vast majority occurred in 2020 and involved employees.
Trinity University in San Antonio experienced two spikes in infections at the beginning of the year, according to Tess Coody-Anders, a vice president at the college. The first, she said, was anticipated when students returned from winter break after traveling across the country and world. She said the university was able to contain those cases quickly through testing, contact tracing and isolation.
The second spike occurred, she said, after power outages riddled Texas during a storm in February. Students on and off campus went days without power or running water, so some of those who still had electricity invited others to take showers and eat hot meals.
“We encouraged them to help each other — but also reminded them of the best ways to do so as safely as possible,” Ms. Coody-Anders said, adding that it was unfortunate that the outages happened when the positivity rate in the region was high, creating a perfect storm.
She added, “They really did their best — great show of community — but the virus was really rampant at that point, and they were cold.”
Search for a school
The table includes more than 1,900 colleges and lists case totals where available. A few schools report only positive test results, which can include multiple tests for one person. Others were not clear about whether they counted positive test results or unique cases.
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Note: Percent change is shown only for schools that had at least 50 cases in 2020. The charts show seven-day rolling averages of new daily cases since Jan. 1, 2021, in the county. The location of a university’s main campus is listed unless otherwise specified. In several instances, colleges noted that some cases were tied to branch campuses or satellite locations.
Thanks to the arrival of the Covid vaccines, many colleges are moving forward with plans for a more normal fall term.
Schools have also hosted vaccine clinics and pushed students and employees to get their shots. The Times has identified more than 200 schools — including the University of Pennsylvania, the University of San Diego and the University of Maryland — that have said they will require students to be vaccinated in order to attend in-person classes in the fall. Dozens more, including large public university systems in California and New York, announced that they would require shots if the F.D.A. gave full approval for a vaccine.
Many more colleges have said that only certain students, such as athletes or students who live on campus, must get a shot. Most have said they will allow medical, religious and other exemptions. Some colleges, including the University of Maine and Illinois Wesleyan University, have said they will not require shots while the vaccines have only emergency authorization.
The University of Michigan-Dearborn, which has about 9,000 students, has decided not to require vaccination. Instead, unvaccinated students will have to submit a negative coronavirus test each week before coming to campus, according to Ken Kettenbeil, a vice chancellor.
Mr. Kettenbeil said the college does not have students living in dorms, and they commute in for classes. But the details of the new requirements are still being worked out.
“One thing we’re still figuring out is how do we record this?” he said. “How do we track it? We’re still working on how we’re going to have people submit proof of vaccination and the negative tests.”
About the data
The college case data is as recent as May 26, 2021. It is based on reports from colleges and government sources and may lag. Cases include those of students, faculty members, staff members and other college workers.
Colleges and government agencies report this data differently, so exercise caution when comparing institutions. Some colleges declined to provide data, provided partial data or did not respond to inquiries. At some institutions, cases may be spread across multiple campuses.
Case totals include confirmed positive cases and probable cases, where available. Colleges occasionally adjust their data downward if new information emerges. Some colleges subtract cases from their tallies once people recover. Some report only those tests performed on campus. Some did not separate 2020 case data from 2021 case data. And some initially provided some data but then stopped. The calculation of percent change from the end of 2020 to the present is, in some cases, skewed by the incomplete data colleges have provided.
With no national tracking system, and statewide data available only sporadically, colleges have made their own rules for how to tally infections. While The Times’s survey is believed to be the most comprehensive account available, it is also an undercount. Many universities, hoping to quickly identify cases and prevent broader outbreaks, have aggressively tested for the virus, detecting cases in some instances that might otherwise have been missed.
Among the colleges contacted by The Times, most have published case information online or responded to requests for case numbers. The Times has obtained case data through open records requests at several public universities that would not otherwise provide numbers. Most colleges do not publicly report coronavirus-related deaths.
The Times counted reported cases among university students and employees in all fields, including those whose roles as doctors, nurses, pharmacists or medical students put them at higher risk of contracting the virus. Some universities have a broad range of programs, including medical units, and reported dozens of cases tied to health care. Those cases are listed below as a subset of their universitywide totals.
Infections linked to medical schools and teaching hospitals
Some universities did not provide data for cases at their medical schools, hospitals or clinics. Some included those cases in their campuswide counts but did not specify how many there were. Other universities that are primarily focused on medical training, or that reported small numbers of cases tied to clinical programs, are listed in the main table on this page with an asterisk.