Memorial University has pushed back the start of the 2021 winter semester.

The original start of classes was to be January 6, but that has now been pushed back to January 11.

Dr. Mark Abrahams, provost and vice president (academic), says he has received comments from students and staff who are feeling the strain of the current situation. He hopes the delay, without disrupting the flow of the semester, will help reduce stress.

The change in dates does not apply to the faculties of Medicine, Nursing, and Engineering and Applied Science—they will begin as scheduled on January 6.

As the Marine Institute diploma of technology and technical certificate operates on a separate academic calendar, a separate communication will be sent to students in that program.

All academic and financial add/drop deadlines have been extended by five days, with the sole exception being students in Medicine.

The day which would have been missed on Friday, April 2, for Good Friday has been rescheduled to Saturday, March 27. Classes scheduled on that day will not be mandatory for students and no form of evaluation will be scheduled for that day.

The dates for the winter break in February are unchanged, as is the final day of classes and the four-day study break between the last day of classes and the start of exams.