UConn bars some out-of-state students from living on-campus this fall

Photo | Contributed The University of Connecticut's flagship campus in Storrs.

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By Sean Teehan

The University of Connecticut will not allow out-of-state students enrolled in all remote classes to live on campus for the fall semester, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a letter to students and faculty, UConn President Thomas Katsouleas said he made the decision in an effort to further "de-densify" the campus to allow for social distancing, and that out-of-state students enrolled in courses with in-person content are allowed to live on campus. Also exempt are international students, who may also live on-campus.

“This was a very difficult and unwelcome decision to have to make," Katsouleas wrote. "In making a choice between the options available to us, we were guided by what would produce the greatest public health benefit and the least academic disruption."

The announcement comes less than a week after UConn canceled its 2020 football season, with Director of Athletics David Benedict calling the safety challenges posed by COVID-19 to be "an unacceptable level of risk.”

Reducing the number of students allowed to live on-campus will cause further revenue shortfalls for UConn, which already posted significant losses from housing refunds and lost revenues as a result of students being sent home early and coursework being moved online during the spring semester.