NYU will reopen in the fall for in-person classes

• New York University is planning on resuming in-person classes in the fall, NYU Local reports.
• The university will reportedly implement measures including coronavirus and antibody testing and reduced housing density.
• It is also introducing a program called "Go Local," where students who are residents and citizens of other countries can study at NYU campuses closer to them.

New York University is planning on having in-person classes in the fall, Sophie Grieser and Andy Mager at NYU Local report.

Many schools are still deliberating how or if a fall semester would work, particularly in areas especially hard hit by the pandemic. New York has been the hardest-hit state in the US, with over 28,500 deaths, and New York City has been the epicenter.

"We're planning to reconvene in person, with great care, in the fall (subject to government health directives), both in New York and at our Global sites," Provost Katherine Fleming said in an email on May 19, according to NYU Local.

The Go Local program, enacted specially for the fall 2020 semester, would allow students who are citizens or residents of other countries to take classes at an NYU campus closer to them. The school has locations all over the world, including in China, Spain, and Italy.

International students being unable to return to campuses has been one major issue when it comes to navigating colleges reopening; the Go Local program could potentially help address that. Currently, foreign nationals traveling from China are currently not allowed to enter the United States; in the 2018-2019 school year, China was the largest source of international students, according to the Institute of International Education.

"NYU ranks first among US institutions hosting international students in the US, and has 1,477 more international students than the institution ranked second," said a report from the NYU Office of Global Services.

For students who would normally be traveling to the United States for college, ever-changing travel restrictions and flight availability have made the situation murky. Daanyal Ebrahim, an incoming freshman at Georgetown University, previously told Business Insider that the travel situation was one key factor in his decision to take a gap year.

"I don't even know if any visas are going to be granted," Ebrahim said. He added that it's unclear what air travel will look like in August.

In her email, Fleming laid out protective measures for the return to campus, including coronavirus and antibody tests, reducing housing density, and offering some courses remotely.

The university is also working on a plan that would allow students to spread out their courses over three semesters in 2021. Columbia University, NYU's uptown neighbor and another major New York campus, previously indicated that it will a utilize a similar plan over three semesters in 2021 — what it calls a "unit of time."