University Utrecht
University College Roosevelt
University Utrecht
AdmissionsAdmissionsCorona, UCR & You

Corona, UCR & You

It’s wonderful that you are considering UCR as your university of choice in these uncertain times. Fortunately, there are some things you can be certain of. When you study at University College Roosevelt, you’ll be experiencing an education built around you – able to pursue your interests and passions. And you’ll become part of a small, close-knit community of students, faculty and alumni from around the world.

But we also know that you, as current or incoming student, will have a lot of questions about what you can expect from the next academic year. If you will be joining UCR in Fall 2020, you will undoubtedly have questions about your application, the admissions process, and what your first weeks at UCR may look like. On this page, we hope to answer some of those questions for current and incoming students. Information for UCR faculty and staff are available at www.ucr.nl/fall2020.

Fall 2020 at UCR

Community is the heart and soul of UCR. Our small, tight-knit student community lives on campus, socializes and learns here. Our faculty and staff enjoy the frequent in-person interactions they have with students and with each other. As intelligent lockdown measures continue to be relaxed by the national government, we have set our sights on the future, and what this means in practice for our (incoming) students, our community, and our teaching.

We want our community to have in-person touch points. However, the safety and well-being of our students, faculty and staff is of course our top priority. As we prepare for the next academic year, we have considered all the options available to us as it relates to teaching and learning within government guidelines. In our approach, we worked to guarantee high teaching quality throughout our program, whilst not losing sight of the importance and value of our community. And at the same time we want to adopt a model that can be adjusted should governmental guidelines change.

In reaching our decision, current government regulations, RIVM guidelines, the VSNU protocol and Utrecht University regulations have been our guiding principles. In addition, we consulted widely with the UCR community. During the conversations we asked participants to reflect on their experiences of Spring 2020 and to think ahead and consider various scenarios for Fall 2020.

In light of the foregoing, UCR will adopt a flexible teaching model as of the start of Fall 2020.

A flexible model provides for both online and limited (especially where necessary) face-to-face classes. In practice, this means that on-campus students may attend classes both online, as well as in person where and whenever possible. Students who have not been able to come to campus, would still be able to attend classes remotely using Zoom. This flexibility is particularly useful when the effects of the pandemic are forcing us to make decisions about how many students can fit into a classroom on campus. The model also enables it to function for students who may not be able to come to campus at the moment, which might be the case for some of our new international students.

What this flexibility means in practice

Participation in class is important for both students and faculty, regardless of where and how students attend. Our approach offers the potential to resume some face-to-face teaching and learning. With this model, some of our lectures could be delivered to a classroom of students, enabling the real-time student reactions and interactions on which everyone relies, others will be online and in person at the same time. And classes can be delivered online when classroom size and availability prevents in-class teaching in a safe and responsible way. This means that:

  • Courses which involve some kind of lab work, will be limited to 8 students. This will ensure that those highly practical classes can be delivered in-person, whilst adhering to rules regarding the 1.5m society. We will evaluate what this means for students currently enrolled in lab courses and will consider the possibility of running an extra lab course in Spring 2021 if needed.
  • The same accounts for courses where the total number of students are small enough to be accommodated in a single classroom whilst maintaining a distance of 1.5m between all.
  • All other courses will take a flexible approach. In some courses, the instructor may teach the whole class online, with students logging in remotely via Zoom. In other cases the instructor may split the class into smaller groups, allowing both groups to meet in-class but at different times. Or some courses may in online and in-person at the same time, with some students attending online and others via Zoom.

The flexibility of this approach also ensures that if a student cannot make it to class (think of international students under travel restrictions) they may still participate online. If an instructor cannot make it to class (think of instructors in high risk groups) they may teach the class online. And if no one can make it to class (think of a second wave in Coronavirus cases) the whole class can quickly and easily move online.

This model holds the potential of maximizing the opportunity to participate in a face-to-face learning experience under conditions of social distancing whenever possible. And at the same time, it enables students who cannot attend class in person to participate and learn safely, online. These sessions are not meant to be passive observations of a class video stream, but rather to have fully interactive engagements, including Q&A, group work (if possible) and student presentations.

Detailed information about how this model will be implemented in specific courses will be communicated in the two weeks before the start of the next academic year.

So what happens next?

Our flexible teaching model will commence at the start of Fall 2020. Both current and incoming students will thus be taught in this way. Details about the practicalities and how the model relates to particular courses will be communicated with all students in the two weeks before the start of the next academic year.

In the weeks ahead, UCR will acquire and integrate the new technologies needed in our classrooms to facilitate teaching in a flexible manner. We will also embark on a comprehensive logistics plan to ensure the safe set-up of classrooms, flow of people in and out of buildings, ensuring excellent levels of hygiene throughout our buildings and more.

Housing remains available to all UCR students. However, in order to live in accordance with the RIVM guidelines and the governmental regulations of the 1.5 meter society, Villex has implemented further measures and regulations specific to each campus location. Measures include the provision of disinfection supplies as well as the creation of one-way routing through buildings. Additional regulations provide guidelines for the use of communal areas as well as the occurrence of visits, group gatherings and parties. Guidelines on what happens if a student falls ill and needs to be quarantined are also made available for each campus location.

What does this mean for incoming students?

To get the most out of your UCR education, including both your formal education as well as learning through being part of a small-scale and tight-knit community, we encourage all incoming students to move to campus as soon as possible. While we are hoping to welcome as many of our incoming class on campus this Fall as we can, we understand there are very real limitations for some.

  • I have been given an offer. Who do I contact about about submitting my documentation to finalize my enrolment?

    After you have been given an offer to study at UCR, and you have accepted that offer, your file will move from the Admissions Office to the Education and Student Office. For any questions about your visa application or the documents you need to submit to finalize your enrolment please get in touch via enrolment@ucr.nl.

  • What will education look like in Fall and how will I be able to participate?

    UCR is adopting a flexible model of education. The specific details about its implementation can be found above. For you as an incoming student this means that you either:

    • move to the UCR campus and benefit from online education complemented with face-to-face instruction; or
    • join classes online for as long as you need to. You will be able to move to campus and join the flexible teaching model as soon as travel barriers are lifted; or
    • choose to defer your enrollment to a Spring 2021 or Fall 2021 start. If you wish to pursue this option, or have questions about how it may impact a scholarship you have been offered for Fall 2020, please get in touch via admissions@ucr.nl.

  • Will housing on campus be available (and what if I need to move in later)?

    Housing remains available to all UCR students and is managed by Villex. Villex has provided additional measures and guidelines (see above) to ensure all students can live on campus safely.

    New students can start arriving on campus from August 5 onwards. It has been agreed with Villex that incoming students who can only move to the UCR campus at a later date due to travel restrictions or visa limitations, will pay rent on a pro-rata basis. This means that students will start to pay rent when they move into their campus location (from the first day of the month inclusive). If this date is later than November 2020, it may make financial sense to only come to campus in January 2021. However, this decision is entirely up to the student.

  • Will there be an Orientation program?

    The Dutch government decided to cancel all events until September 2020 to prevent the spread of Covid-19. As a result, the Orientation week will have a different format than initially planned. The good news is that Orientation will, nevertheless, go ahead on the scheduled dates! The new format will consist of both online and small-scale (up to 10 people outside and in accordance with rules set out by the RIVM) in-person activities. You will therefore still get the chance to meet other students and associations. You’ll learn more about UCR, the town of Middelburg, and your new student life on campus. We will provide you with everything you need to know to get settled into your new home and to kick off your studies with us.

  • I still have some questions, what can I do?

    If you have a question that is not answered in the above, please reach out to us via email admissions@ucr.nl.

Chat with current students

If you still have questions about our university, program, Middelburg or anything else that you would like to ask to help you decide if University College Roosevelt is right for you, you can ask students who are currently on the program. Use the Unibuddy cards below to chat with one or all of them directly.