Important Spring 2021 Information for Resident Students  

We are excited to welcome you back to campus and your Home at the Hall for the spring 2021 semester. As was shared with you in the announcement from HICT on December 17, our plans for spring continue to prioritize your health and safety. This communication is to provide you with additional detail about two key aspects – 1) the requirement for All resident students to test for COVID-19 and submit a negative test result no more than five days before arriving on campus, and 2) the move-in dates based upon the Travel Quarantine required by the state of New Jersey.

Getting Tested Before Arriving on Campus

To protect members of the University community and get the semester off to a healthy start, all resident students must arrive on campus having tested negative for COVID-19.

Here are the details about the testing requirement:

• It is required of ALL resident students, no matter what state/country they are coming from.

• The test must be completed before returning to campus - no more than five days prior to arrival. 

• To meet the 5-day requirement, if you are arriving on January 15, you should test and submit your negative test result between January 10 – January 14. If you are arriving on January 22, you should test and submit your negative test result between January 17 – January 21

• Test results must also be received and uploaded to the student’s health portal before arrival. Please see the FAQ page for instructions on how to upload your test results.

• The test must be a PCR or antigen test. An antibody test will not be accepted. To meet the 5-day requirement, we encourage you to consider getting a rapid test.

• If the test result is positive, the student must remain home for ten days before returning to campus. The test result must be uploaded to the student health portal before you may return to campus. Once you are ten days past the date of testing positive, your ID will be activated, and you will be able to access the residence halls.

• Students who have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 90 days before arriving on campus do not need to test again. Please be sure evidence of your positive test is uploaded to your student health portal. If you tested positive through Health Services, Health Services will manage that for you. If you received your test results elsewhere, please upload your test results to your student health portal.

• To find a location near you providing COVID-19 testing, please use this resource. In addition, CVS, Walgreens, Rite-Aid, and similar drugstore chains provide testing, as do many urgent care clinics.

Travel Quarantine and Move In Dates

The state of New Jersey continues to issue a Travel Advisory for all states, territories, and countries other than the contiguous states of Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York, and Connecticut. Anyone coming to NJ from any area other than NJ, PA, DE, NY, or CT must comply with a Travel Quarantine of 10-days. 

Here are the details about the Travel Quarantine:

• To accommodate students who must Travel Quarantine, we will open the residence halls on January 15 to quarantine in their rooms and be more comfortable. Check-in time is 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. There is no additional charge for the early opening.

• Meals will be provided to students at no cost during the Travel Quarantine period.

• Students will have access to all campus services, resources, and support.

• Students who wish to complete the Travel Quarantine off-campus may do so. You will just need to provide us with information and verification by completing this form. Remember: You will still need to meet the negative COVID-19 test requirement, meaning that you will have to test for COVID-19 and submit a negative test result no more than five days before arriving on campus (not NJ).

• Programming and activities will be planned for students during this time.

• Students from the Travel Advisory areas will not be permitted to leave campus until January 25. 

• Special exception: Following the CDC's guidance, the local Department of Health has advised us that anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 90 days is not subject to the Travel Quarantine and therefore does not need to return to campus until January 22 or after.

Resident students arriving from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York, or Connecticut may move in beginning January 22nd if they have met the testing requirement described above. Classes begin on January 27.

Please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page for more information.

Individual questions may be sent to [email protected]. University offices are closed until January 4 for the holidays, but we will respond to your inquiries as quickly as possible.

Categories: Campus Life