It was a tough fall semester for many American colleges and universities, with declining enrollment, canceled classes and sporting events, widespread Zoom fatigue and enough coronavirus-infected students nationwide to fill three and a half Rose Bowls.
But many university officials say that lessons from the fall will allow them to do something many experts considered unthinkable a few months ago: bring even more students back onto campus in January and February, when classes resume for the spring.
The University of California, San Diego, for instance, is making room for more than 11,000 students in campus housing — about 1,000 more than it housed in the fall.