This update is provided for archival purposes only.

Public Health guidance and University of Waterloo operations may have changed. For the most up-to-date information, please visit our COVID-19 frequently asked questions.

Spring 2020 classes online only

Friday, March 20, 2020

This message was originally sent to students by Feridun Hamdullahpur, president and vice-chancellor

  • Spring Term 2020 will continue online
  • Term will start  on  Monday, May 11  and  will run for  12 weeks
  • We have cancelled in-class activity until the end of Spring Term
  • More information will come by the end of next week  

We have made the difficult decision to  continue with an alternative delivery system for Spring Term. This means that we are not going to deliver in-person course activity. All courses and exams, including graduate research milestones, will take place online. 

I believe  we need to do this to create some certainty during this uncertain time. We care about you and we want to make sure that we can continue to deliver a quality University of Waterloo academic experience during these extraordinary times.  

I am sharing some important details about the new term with you now, but we plan to give you more comprehensive information on Spring Term by the end of next week.

Term will start on May 11, 2020

 All courses will happen online or using alternative delivery methods  starting  May  11, 2020 – a week later than originally scheduled.

Courses  will run for  a full 12-week term, to August 5, 2020. There will be a limited  one-week exam  period, ending, August 15, 2020, during which there may be online exams or final assessments due.

The drop/add dates will change. Information on these new dates will be shared by the end of the coming week. 

We will share more information by Friday, March 27

We know that there is a lot more information we need to share and we plan to communicate any changes to course offerings, the new set of academic and financial dates, and new enrolment appointments by Friday, March 27, 2020.

We  are  not accepting new bookings for  residence  during Spring Term  

To  keep our students,  staff, and  spaces safe, we  will continue with  our  unprecedented measures in residence buildings. You will not need to be on campus to complete your classes next term. For this reason, we  are  not accepting new bookings for  residence  during Spring Term. 

We will continue to support people who need to stay in residences with essential services and support.

We will keep the following buildings open Monday to Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

  • Applied Health Sciences (AHS) (B.C. Matthews Hall (BMH) addition)
  • Engineering 5 (E5)
  • Engineering 7 (E7)
  • Quantum-Nano Centre (QNC)
  • Mathematics 3 (M3)
  • Student Life Centre (SLC open 24/7)

We’re introducing more flexibility for co-op students

We are  creating  flexible pathways to help students complete the Spring 2020 work term. If your work term is affected by COVID-19, we are reducing the minimum number of work terms you need to complete by one with a minimum of three work terms in undergraduate programs. This applies to all programs except those in Pharmacy.

If you have questions, you can talk to your co-op advisor.

International travel is suspended

The Government of Canada has imposed significant border restrictions.  We are not currently approving any University-related travel until further notice.

International co-op work terms, international exchanges or graduate internships will not be moving forward for the Spring Term.

Co-op is working with employers to establish flexible pathways to help you if you planned to complete work term overseas. Students are encouraged to monitor their WaterlooWorks messages or reach out to their co-op advisors with questions.

Faculties are developing alternative strategies for graduate milestones.

Stay well, stay home and watch for more information

We know we need to keep taking action that will slow the spread of COVID-19. We also need to make sure we can continue to support you on your academic journey.

There are people across the University community who are available to support you along the way. We know we can’t provide you with answers to all your questions today, but there are people working tirelessly to make sure we can answer those questions soon.

We will come back to you with more information by Friday, March 27.

Before then, if you have questions, please continue to send them to coronavirus@uwaterloo.ca and our team will do their best to get you the information you need as soon as we can.