The University of Alabama will return to normal, in-person classes for the Fall 2021 semester. 

The current policies, including hybrid and online classes, social distancing and mask mandates, led to the decline of COVID cases across the three UA System campuses, and UA officials are prepared for full in-person classes.          

UA System Chancellor Finis St. John credited the work of UA campus presidents and front-line health care workers for the return to normal operations. 

The new plan, announced on March 1, was guided by the work of the UA System Health and Safety Task Force. The task force includes various public health and infectious disease experts, and administrators from the three campuses. 

Dr. Selwyn Vickers, dean of the UAB School of Medicine and chair of the Health and Safety Task Force, has high hopes for a safe return next fall. Vickers said they will abide by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Alabama Department of Public Health guidelines and make data-driven decisions.  

“If safety concerns arise, we can adjust our plan; the safety of the 110,000 students, faculty and staff of the UA System remains our top priority as it has since our Task Force began its work one year ago when COVID-19 began to emerge,” Vickers said.

Registration for fall classes will begin on March 22 with no restrictions on classroom capacities.