News COVID-19 update

In the face of the challenges posed by COVID-19, our university is working to ensure that your experience will be the best that we can deliver, whether you are starting a new course this September or returning for another year of study. At all times we will prioritise your health, safety and wellbeing as we structure your learning experience around the realities of a changed environment and will therefore at all times make decisions that adhere to public health advice.

Semester Dates

For the vast majority of students, including First Years, the semester will begin on 28 September. For First Years this is predicated on the Leaving Certificate results being released on or near the usual mid-August release date. Full dates can be found here: Semester Dates 2020/21 - revised June 2020.

Undergraduate orientation will take place in the week commencing 21 September and comprise a mix of online and on-campus activities to help First Year students familiarise themselves with the university, understand the structures and demands of student life, learn about the supports available to them and get to know their fellow classmates who will in time become lifelong friends.

Course Delivery

All taught programmes will be delivered in a blend of online and on-campus classes. Irrespective of the size of your class, we will have on-campus learning built into your student experience, typically through on-campus tutorials, seminars, distanced meet-ups and/or laboratories according to the needs of various courses. Large-scale lectures will be adapted for online delivery, while smaller classes will be delivered on-campus where it is possible and safe to do so. At all times capacity in rooms will conform to public health advice.

We will work to accommodate the small number of students who cannot come to campus for health, access or other reasons, so as not to disadvantage their academic journey. We are working hard to ensure that all learning will be made available online, or accessible through some alternative means, to allow for students who may face delays in arriving in Ireland, allow for limits to student numbers in teaching spaces, accommodate those who cannot attend for health reasons, and to provide a backup in case of a rise in COVID-19 transmission.

A final decision on the structure of Semester 2 will follow later when the COVID-19 scenario is clearer.

Further Information Available http://www.nuigalway.ie/alert/