Summer 2022 COVID-19 FAQs for Students

As of May 18, 2022, masks are strongly recommended in all indoor spaces including the classroom. Masking is always an option for anyone who chooses to mask for any reason. Individual instructors may decide to require students to wear masks in their classroom and those who do should make that clear on their syllabus and to their students in the classroom.  See the latest Public Health Guidance for more information.

Individuals should use a high-quality, well-fitting mask. The Penn community should wear a surgical mask, KN95/KF94, N95, or EHRS-recommended Aries mask as opposed to a single layer cloth mask.

If you are sick and cannot participate in classes or finish assignments, notify your instructor via email or Canvas as soon as possible.

Refer to the Classroom Exposure FAQ for more information about contact tracing and the risk of exposure in classrooms.

Current public health guidelines do not require any distancing in the classroom. In person classes are operating at 100% capacity in their assigned rooms for the Summer 2022 semester. The University is continuing to monitor public health guidelines and adapting accordingly. Information on what we are doing to keep our facilities safe can be found in the Facilities Resumption FAQ.

Each building at Penn has specific heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. Facilities and Real Estate Services and Environmental Health and Radiation Safety have conducted building-by-building HVAC systems condition and performance reviews. All occupied on-campus buildings are in compliance with the prevailing International Building Code and American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers standards for ventilation. More information on your HVAC systems and other facilities resources can be found on the Facilities and Real Estate Services website. The University is continuing to monitor public health guidelines and adapting accordingly.

No, the University is not mandating that classes be recorded. Check with your department or school for additional information.

Students should contact their academic advisors and/or school-based advising offices.

Students wishing to request an accommodation should contact Student Disability Services.

For the Summer 2022 semester, graduate students who are fulfilling TA or teaching roles as part of their academic requirements and have medical concerns about participating in in-person classes as a TA or an instructor should be referred to Student Disabilities Services. Graduate groups should not ask students for details about their medical conditions. SDS will handle the evaluation process and work with the graduate group on a plan for accommodation that aligns with the University’s commitment to in-person, undergraduate course delivery.

Accommodations might range from holding online office hours, grading assignments, or other activities that do not require in person attendance. If these assignments are not possible or not needed for the purposes of the course, then students should be allowed to make up teaching requirements at a later semester. Students who are taking on TA and/or lecturer responsibilities independent of their academic requirements should be accommodated to the degree possible, but departments are not required to do so.

Special dissertation defense and deposit instructions continue to be in effect for the Summer 2022 semester. Dissertation defenses may be in-person or presented via remote conferencing. All forms required for depositing will be submitted electronically and title page signatures are not required. A printed copy of the dissertation will not be required and the dissertation must be submitted electronically.

Refer to information on Graduate Degrees for additional guidance.

For Penn-affiliated travel, Penn Global provides COVID-19 travel guidelines and procedures for both domestic and international travel.