ANNOUNCEMENT TEXT

Coronavirus Updates

Updated July 27, 2020

The following information is for prospective students, enrolling first-year and transfer students, and campus visitors to the Atlanta campus and the Oxford campus. 

If your question is not answered below, contact your regional admission counselor, email admission@emory.edu (Atlanta campus) or oxadmission@emory.edu (Oxford campus). We look forward to hearing from you!

Visit Emory Forward for information about the university’s plans for the fall 2020 semester and what Emory is doing to support its community.

Test Optional

Emory University does not require standardized tests for first-year or transfer students who plan to enroll in Fall 2023. This policy applies to both entry points of Emory University, Emory College of Arts and Sciences and Oxford College, all decision plans (both Early Decision rounds and Regular Decision, and Transfer students). It also applies to students under consideration for merit scholarships, including membership in any of Emory’s Scholar Programs.

Review this year’s test policy in detail.

When you apply, you will be asked "Do you want test scores (SAT or ACT) to be considered in the review of your application for Emory University?Students can simply answer "no" on that question if they so choose.

In answering "no," the admission committee will not take any test scores into consideration, even if test scores come to us as self-reported scores on the application or as official scores on the high school transcript. We encourage students to know how they plan to answer that question when they apply.

If you change your mind after you've applied, applicants may update their "test optional" answer in the Emory applicant portal up to a certain point in time. The deadlines for those changes are based on decision plan and provided to the applicant via email and in their applicant portal.  

Emory continues to accept self-reported test scores. We will continue to superscore the SAT and the ACT.

We expect that standardized test scores will continue to demonstrate academic preparation. For students who choose to have us look at their scores, the admission committee will view the scores within the context of your application. 

Review this year’s test policy in detail.

Students will not have to share their reasons for not submitting test results. Additionally, students will not be disadvantaged in the review process if they do not submit scores.

In the absence of test scores, the admission committee will lean even more heavily on other application materials, including an applicant’s personal statements, short answer questions, letters of recommendation, transcript, and, where available, feedback from the Alumni Interview Program.

We will continue to look for students who have:

  • Taken challenging classes in the context of their school and done well in them.
  • Pursued outside-of-class educational, volunteer, or work opportunities, whether in person or virtually.
  • Authentically shared of themselves through their application personal statements and short answer questions.

Review this year’s test policy in detail.

Fall 2022 and Fall 2023 transfer applicants are not required to submit test scores. Review the test policy in detail.

Incoming Students

The window of time that allows us to accommodate deferred admission requests for Fall 2020 has passed. Emory has worked diligently to provide several options, and students will need to choose what works best for them.
Moving forward, students can choose to:
  • Start studying at Emory on campus this fall. The university hopes to be able to offer 1 in-person class for first-year students. Additionally, in-person residence life activities are being planned. More information about the fall activities can be found on this FAQ page.
  • Study at Emory by taking online classes from the student's home or other location of choice. 
  • Cancel their enrollment and re-apply for admission as part of Emory's Class of 2025, with an entry of Fall 2021.
To discuss these options further, please reach out to the appropriate campus, and we will connect you with an admission counselor:

Emory University leadership, informed by our leading medical and science experts and by federal, state and local health directives, has announced the following for fall 2020:
  • We will offer both online and in-person classes this fall on both the Atlanta campus and Oxford campus, allowing us to provide the excellence of an Emory education to all students.
  • In order to de-densify campus, first-year, transfer, and international students will be allowed on campus. All other class years, with a few exceptions, will study this fall remotely.
  • The academic calendar will start on August 19, with classes ending November 24, before Thanksgiving. Exams will be conducted remotely after Thanksgiving.
  • There will be no Labor Day holiday or fall break this fall semester.
  • Residence halls will be open with a standard one student per room.
Students will have options for learning on campus or interacting remotely. We will deliver an equivalent Emory experience, knowing the necessity of health and safety protocols prevent us from providing an identical experience to past years.
More information is available on Emory Forward.

We encourage families to review Emory Forward for information about our community's values, outlook on campus health and safety, classroom spaces, and residence halls. We have worked with our public health experts, relying on the best medical and scientific advice, to implement plans to create a safe environment for all community members. As the world learns more about COVID-19, our plan will evolve, and protocols will be adjusted as needed.  

Additionally, first-year and transfer students should refer to their campus for more details about housing, class registration, and orientation.

We understand you will probably have questions, and we encourage you to reach out to us. Contact your regional admission staff, email admission@emory.edu (Atlanta campus), or oxadmission@emory.edu (Oxford campus). We look forward to hearing from you. 

Emory University is here to support you with any questions, concerns, or potential issues you may face in getting to the United States and to campus for an on-campus residential experience. Please contact the advisor on the appropriate campus with your questions.

We understand that many incoming first-year and transfer students attend(ed) schools that are temporarily closed, preventing you from completing what is considered a "typical last semester" of classes, testing protocols, or graduation.

Emory will accept any new grading policies adopted by your school, including pass/fail and satisfactory/unsatisfactory grades. We encourage enrolling students, as much as they are able, to continue to engage with their coursework and their teachers. Remember that leadership doesn't always come with a title, and compassion is core to the human experience, especially during times such as these.

Emory University will accept AP credit in the same way as we have in the past. Review our AP test and credit policies.

We do not plan to add additional, university-specific, entrance exams for Emory class placement.

Visiting Campus

All on-campus visits are cancelled for the foreseeable future. This includes visits for both the Atlanta campus and Oxford campus. 

Hosting families on campus is one of the highlights of our job. At the same time, as we prioritize the health and safety of guests and the campus community, we appreciate Emory's decision to put the well-being of all our guests top of mind. That is the foundation of Emory’s culture of care. 

Please do not come to campus at this time. We ask that you reconsider all travel in the context of the pandemic. 

If you choose to travel to the Atlanta campus or Oxford campus, please understand that we are closed to the public. Under normal circumstances, we love meeting with families and engaging in good conversations. Right now, however, staff are not available to meet with anyone in person while we all work remotely.

Unfortunately, we do not know. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization have emphasized the importance of taking active measures to contain the spread of the virus to mitigate the risk to vulnerable populations. As a world leader in public health and the CDC’s neighbor, Emory has a responsibility to heed this guidance.

A team of representatives from Emory's emergency preparedness, health care, campus life, and other units are acting around-the-clock to protect students, faculty, staff, and visitors. We also continue to work closely with local and state partners to monitor the situation.

As soon as our office can re-open to the public, we will let you know. We are eager, just like you are, for things to return to a more normal cadence.

If you haven't already, sign up for the mailing list. We'll email everyone when the time comes to welcome visitors to our two campuses again!