Dear ESF Graduate Students,
We are excited to begin Fall 2020 semester classes on August 24. The health and safety of our students, faculty, staff, and the community are of utmost concern to us. As such, we are pleased to share that students on the ESF Syracuse campus who would like to study completely online – and can build a schedule with courses that are offered online for the Fall 2020 – are welcome to do so.
Process to Choose Online Only for Fall 2020
1) View Your Current Schedule
Graduate students, including international graduate students, can view and change your schedule in MySlice between August 3 and August 14. After reviewing your current schedule in MySlice, if you would like to adjust your schedule, we strongly urge you to discuss this decision with your major professor first.
2) Communicate Your Decision
To officially declare a change to your status for the Fall 2020 term from a residential student to an online-only student you must respond to an Action Item on the new ESF Student Portal. You can access that portal at https://banner.esf.edu/StudentSelfService. (A document is attached explaining other details about ESF Student Portal access.) The Action Item will be called “Fall 2020 COVID Student Status.” The Action Item is currently available, with a deadline for responding by Aug. 12, 2020, at 4:00 p.m.
Points to Consider
Before making the decision to study completely online for the Fall 2020 semester, please consider the following points:
- Not all academic programs at ESF can be completed online. Experiential learning is a hallmark of the ESF academic experience, and many courses require face-to-face instruction for full understanding.
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Not all courses offered during the Fall 2020 semester will be offered online. Faculty have determined the best approach to deliver their courses, choosing from a variety of modalities, including completely online, completely onsite, or flex (a combination of online and onsite). To identify the modality for your Fall 2020 semester courses, visit MySlice or the ESF website, Academic Year.
- Changing your Fall 2020 course semester may impact your financial aid awards. Financial aid recipients who choose to take only online classes for Fall 2020 will be notified as costs of attendance and aid award types/amounts are modified. Staff in the Office of Financial Aid may be reached at finaid@esf.edu or 315-470-6706.
- Changing your Fall 2020 course schedule may impact your ability to graduate on time. Not all courses at ESF are offered every semester or even every year. If you choose not to take a required course this semester, because it is not offered online, it might not be offered in the spring. Your schedule may be further complicated if the course you opt out of this semester is a pre-requisite for another required course.
- Graduate students who hold research or teaching assistantships may still be required to fulfill obligations on-site. Please discuss your situation with your supervisor.
ESF will adjust the cost of attendance for students who choose to study completely online for the Fall 2020 semester as follows:
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Tuition charges are set by State law and SUNY policy and may be reviewed online.
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Fees will be adjusted for students who choose to – and can – study completely online for the Fall 2020 semester as detailed here.
In Summary
Choosing to be an online student is a big decision. Residential students have greater access to the full suite of campus resources, can better take advantage of ESF’s relationship with Syracuse University, will be better positioned to enroll in the courses in the appropriate sequence to graduate on time (saving time and money), and will enjoy the many lush green spaces of ESF’s campus as you look for places to relax.
As pleased as we are that we can offer you this option, we know that it is a pivotal decision. If you have questions, please contact your major professor. We are eager to help you make the best decision for your academic career.
Sincerely,
Dr. David Newman
Interim Provost
Vice President for Academic Affairs
S. Scott Shannon
Associate Provost for Instruction & Dean of the Graduate School
