University students allowed back on campus only from May 17 with free Covid tests offered on campus

LONDON April 13: All university students who have not yet returned to campus and in-person teaching will be able to do so from 17 May, at the earliest, the Government said in a press note today (Tuesday 13 April).

Creative and practical students started returning from the 8 March, with an estimated 49 per cent of students already eligible to return to in-person teaching, subject to decisions by their institutions, and remaining students have received online provision throughout the term.

Upon return, all students and staff are encouraged to take three supervised tests (3 to 5 days apart) at an asymptomatic testing site on campus, where this is available.

After this, students will also have access to home testing kits throughout the summer term through both the Government’s offer of free rapid LFD tests twice weekly to everyone in England, and ‘University Collect’ services, under which universities will distribute tests from communal locations on campus, such as libraries. This is in addition to the onsite testing already offered.

All tests will be free, and all students and staff who test positive from an LFD test will need to self-isolate for 10 days, unless they receive a negative PCR test within two days.

The Government has made available an additional £15 million in hardship funding to support those students most in need, such as those struggling to pay accommodation costs due to the pandemic. International and postgraduate students will be eligible for this funding along with domestic undergraduates.

The decision not to lift restrictions on universities until May 17 means that students who have been denied a year of full university life – many of whom have paid £9,250 in tuition fees – will receive fewer than four weeks of campus learning before universities close for the summer in June.

On returning, all students and staff are encouraged to take three supervised tests – three to five days apart – at an asymptomatic testing site on campus.

After this, students will also have access to home testing kits throughout the summer term, the Department for Education said.

Upon return, all students and staff are encouraged to take free three supervised tests three to five days apart at an asymptomatic testing site on campus.

After this, students will also have access to free home testing kits throughout the summer term through both the Government’s offer of free rapid LFD tests twice weekly to everyone in England, and ‘University Collect’ services.

All students and staff who test positive from an LFD test will need to self-isolate for 10 days unless they receive a negative PCR test within two days.

The timing aligns with Step 3 of the roadmap, where curbs on social contact and indoor mixing will be further eased, the Department for Education (DfE) said. It also aims to limit potential public health risks associated with student populations moving across the country, a statement from the department added.