Students & Families

Course Delivery

In the 2021-2022 school year, course delivery returns primarily to in-person instruction. Details of course delivery, including meeting times and remote aspects, are designated in Banner's Open Course List and outlined in course syllabi.

COVID-19 Vaccination

Full vaccination is in the best interests of the health of the W&M community. William & Mary strongly encourages all students, faculty and staff to obtain COVID-19 vaccinations and to stay up-to-date on appropriate boosters.

COVID-19 Testing

COVID-19 Testing: If you are a student who has been identified as a COVID-19 close contact, visit ReportCOVID.wm.edu for a case manager who will help you obtain COVID-19 testing. If you have symptoms of COVID-19, visit If You're Feeling Ill for more information.

W&M may conduct mandatory prevalence testing and census testing of the on-campus student body based on guidance from the Public Health Advisory Team and our healthcare partners.

Students who experience COVID-19 symptoms during the semester should make an appointment with the Student Health Center or a private healthcare provider for a clinical assessment and testing if necessary. Students who test positive or are identified as close contacts must complete the form at ReportCOVID.wm.edu to initiate case management that will assist with isolation requirements and help you navigate classes and study.

Learn more about COVID-19 Testing at W&M

Residential Quarantine or Isolation

With a strong vaccination rate in the university community, William & Mary does not provide quarantine and isolation housing for students this year. William & Mary students were advised to consider how best to handle quarantine or isolation when planning for the school year and asked to discuss emergency COVID-19 plans with family in advance of their return to campus this fall.

Update Emergency Plans for Quarantine and Isolation

W&M students are required to submit emergency evacuation plans annually as part of the Personal Information Questionnaire. The plan should also anticipate off-campus quarantine or isolation. 

• If you are an international student not able to develop an emergency plan at this time, please let the Office of International Students, Scholars and Programs know so that we may support you in identifying solutions. For domestic students, the Dean of Students Office can offer guidance.
• As always, William & Mary will assist any student in an emergency situation.

Exemptions: Consistent with the CDC’s guidelines for fully vaccinated people, William & Mary is exempting fully vaccinated and boosted faculty, staff and students from quarantine if they are identified as a close contact and asymptomatic.

Students who test positive for COVID-19 must fill out the form at ReportCOVID.wm.edu to be assigned a case manager. Case managers will help students plan to isolate for five days. COVID-19-positive community members, after five days of isolation, must be asymptomatic before they return to work or class. Following CDC guidance, W&M does not require a negative COVID-19 test to return.

Student Accommodations

William & Mary students who need accessibility accommodations to fully participate in campus housing, curricular offerings or other areas should contact the Office of Student Accessibility Services. Staff members in that office are experienced in supporting students who have accessibility needs, including students who are immunocompromised. We will work with students and their faculty members as appropriate, to promote their success.

Dining

William & Mary Dining works closely with the university’s dining partner to follow restaurant guidelines administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Virginia Department of Health. For information on meal plans, visit Dining Services.

Travel

Recognizing the improving public health data and increasing vaccination rates within our community, William & Mary returned to its pre-pandemic travel policy for official university travel with key caveats effective June 21, 2021.

Consistent with CDC guidelines, employees traveling overnight on official business who are not yet fully vaccinated must meet some requirements: 

• Test negative for coronavirus 1-3 days prior to travel, 
• Maintain appropriate public health protocols, including masking, distancing and handwashing, 
• Test 3-5 days after travel and 
• Self-quarantine for at least 7 days before returning to work in-person. 

Employees who are not yet fully vaccinated, traveling internationally, are required to follow the same protocols plus, if they travel via air, are required to present a negative COVID-19 test result no more than 3 days prior to arriving back in the U.S, along with following all national travel requirements of the foreign country or countries visited. 

For university-authorized travel, William & Mary will provide for testing at the university’s expense. Employees can refer to the Travel Office site to request test kits and are advised to submit testing requests at least five days ahead of scheduled travel. Employees will be responsible for adhering to this return-to-work policy. 

Fully vaccinated employees are permitted to return to work immediately after travel. 

Events & Campus Gatherings

The intentional work of creating community and cultivating deep human connections is front of mind for William & Mary. Campus events are a traditional building block of community, albeit adapted in light of ongoing health needs in the community. For the 2021-2022 school year, William & Mary resumes campus gatherings and traditions in person.

• Visitors and invited speakers or performers are welcome. 
• If you are organizing a visit as a unit, department or organization, please ask the visitor(s) to monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 in the days leading up to the visit and decline in-person events if they experience symptoms.
• Please consider carefully whether you can hold an event outdoors and if food and drink is critical to the event. Being outdoors is safer than holding an event indoors; not offering food or drinks is safer than offering them. If you offer food, favor single-service and takeaway or portable options that allow people time and space to move outdoors.
• We recommend planning a back-up method of delivery in case plans are unexpectedly affected by COVID-19 conditions.
• Event organizers should consider mitigation strategies:
  • Hold events outdoors if possible, especially if food or drinks are planned.
  • For indoor events with food or drink, limit the length of time the food or drink are available, select venues that promote physical distancing and provide food options that are individually wrapped or served.
• Event attendees should also consider some precautions:
  • Forego attending events if you’re feeling sick.
  • Use good judgment in wearing masks, even outdoors.

International Students & Scholars

William & Mary and the Reves Center for International Studies are committed to supporting international students and scholars during this pandemic. Detailed information and answers to common questions are available on the Reves Center website.