Student Affairs
COVID-19 and Academic Continuity
Aug 28 2020
Student and Academic Services and the University Registrar's Office will publish a compendium of material relevant to classes and other academic activites here for students, faculty, and staff.
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Latest information about the University's response to COVID-19.
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See the Stanford Bulletin for latest updates on academic policy in response to the pandemic.
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Help for faculty is available at TeachAnywhere. Also see the Accessibility Considerations for Online Teaching. The TeachAnywhere FAQ has up-to-date information about academic matters relevant to students, faculty, and staff.
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Re-Approaching Stanford Information for undergraduates and families about the 2020-21 academic year.
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Stanford Grad Updates Information for graduate students for the 2020-21 academic year.
On the page:
Help from the Student Services Center
Following the University's recommendation that the community minimize in-person contact, the Student Services Center is only offering virtual contact options:
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For quickest response, please submit a ServiceNow Ticket. We will respond to your inquiries as quickly as possible.
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Virtual Appointments: If you prefer to talk to a Specialist, we offer advising sessions via Zoom by appointment.
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LiveChat: Typically available Monday-Friday, noon-4:00pm Pacific Time. LiveChat
Flex Term and Undergraduate Leaves of Absence
Stanford will operate four full, 10-week academic terms in academic year 2020-21, Autumn Winter, Spring, and Summer. Undergraduates are expected to enroll in three of the four quarters during the 2020-21 academic year. The term in which an undergraduate is not required to enroll is called the Flex Term; students, however, may enroll in 5 free units during their Flex Term. Students declare their Flex Term via the Quarter Check-in in Axess. International undergraduates, however, are expected to enroll in three consecutive quarters during the 2020-21 academic year.
See the Stanford Bulletin's "Leave of Absence Policy for Undergraduates" section for a complete description of the policy and how it impacts leaves of absence in AY 2020-21. See also the Registrar's page on Leaves of Absence and the Flex Term section of the Undergraduate Enrollment Framework for Academic Year 2020-21 website for additional information. https://registrar.stanford.edu/undergraduate-enrollment-framework-20-21#flex-term
Grading Changes in AY 2020-21
See the Stanford Bulletin for an outline of grading policy changes adopted by the Faculty Senate. Every degree granting department and program has a COVID-19 Policies tab in their Bulletin section that describes the department or program's academic policy response to the pandemic.
COVID-19 Policies on Undergraduate Transfer Work for Academic Year 2020-21
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The 15-quarter unit cap on online work has been eliminated, students may apply for transfer credit for work that was or will be completed via an online/hybrid/correspondence instruction mode.The coursework must still meet all other conditions for transfer credit.
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Students may reach out to their departments for review/approval of transfer credit without having to first secure a review/approval from the Registrar's Office. Please note: students will want to confirm with departments what their transfer credit process is, if seeking a review of transfer credit for application towards major/minor requirements.
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Credit earned in U.S. military training and service may be eligible for transfer to Stanford if the work was completed at an accredited U.S. college or University or if the work appears on an official Joint Services Transcript (JST) and meets all other conditions for transfer credit. Joint Services Transcripts can be requested via the JST website.
For complete policies, see the Registrar's Transfer Credit pages.
COVID-19 Policies on Graduate Transfer Work for Academic Year 2020-21
Students may apply for graduate residency transfer credit from work completed via an online/hybrid/correspondence instruction mode. The coursework must still meet all other conditions for graduate residency transfer credit.
For complete policies, see the Registrar's Graduate Residency Transfer Credit pages.
Final Exams and Coursework Deadlines
The Faculty Senate has decided, in light on the ongoing pandemic, that there will be no final exams for undergraduates and graduate students for the entire 2020-21 academic year. The professional schools, GSB, Law, and Medicine (MD and MSPA programs), may make different decisions.
Coursework Deadline, Academic Year 2020-21
See the Registrar's page on Coursework Deadlines for Academic Year 2020-21 for policies, guidance, and information on assignments and coursework deadlines.
Registrar Spaces and COVID FAQ
See this FAQ for answers to questions about classes and events.
Undergraduates
See HealthAlert's Information for Undergraduates site for latest info.
Graduate Students
See VPGE Stacey Bent's email "COVID-19 updates for graduate students and postdocs on continuing research"
Latest information for graduate students and postdocs from Healthalerts
Exceptions for remote participation in oral dissertation defenses in response to COVID-19
See the TeachAnywhere FAQ on this subject. A downloadable pdf version of the statement by Vice ProvostStacey F. Bent is also available.
Vice Provost Stacey Bent has temporarily, through Spring Quarter 2020, delegated responsibility to approve an exception to the policy requiring in-person attendance at theoral dissertation defense to the department or program faculty Director of Graduate Studies (DGS). If the DGS is unavailable or is participating in the defense, the department chair may grant approval.
Important Guidance on COVID-19 Impact on Current VSRs, Other Nonmatriculated Students, and Summer Programs
Please review this VSR and Nonmatriculated Student COVID-19 Guidance website for important information to consider as you deal with your VSRs and nonmatrics. (updated March 26, 2020)
Bechtel International Center
Bechtel International Center has announced that it is moving to an online response system for meeting with international students. See Bechtel's COVID-19 website for complete information.
Office of Accessible Education
The Office of Accessible Education has announced that it is moving to an online response system for meeting with students. See OAE's COVID-19 website for complete information.
If a student is requesting captioning in a remote meeting for academic reasons only (captioning course content, meeting with a TA, etc), departments can reach out to Heather Hoover with the Office of Accessible Education (hhoover@stanford.edu). The Office of Accessible Education manages academic and housing related accommodations, and therefore academic-related captioning requests would be our area of expertise.
If the student is requesting captioning for a non-academic meeting (virtual meeting with ResEd, BEAM, GLO, etc), the request should be forwarded to Sheila Sanchez with Diversity and Access (sheilas@stanford.edu). Diversity and Access handles requests from students and staff relating to all non-academic requests or University-sponsored events. Therefore, any non-academic student accessibility request would go to them.
