Dear Jessica Braham

It's important to us that you have every opportunity to engage with student life at Leeds, so we're working hard on developing our plans to ensure you receive the high-quality academic experience you would expect.
 
Coming here offers you much more than a degree. Everything from our community to our single-site campus and the incredible range of extracurricular opportunities all make for a unique student experience, and we're dedicated to ensuring you get the most out of your time with us.
 
We're thinking carefully about the implications of the coronavirus pandemic. Your personal safety remains our top priority, so you can be sure we'll take all the appropriate social distancing and hygiene measures, which will be in place right across campus.
 
Your student experience
Our campus will open in September, so your studies are not delayed. How we deliver our courses will depend on government guidance on social distancing at the time but our approach will be flexible, offering a mix of face-to-face and online learning. We're preparing for all possibilities.
 
Teaching activities with large numbers of students will go ahead using digital technology. Teaching in small-group settings, including seminars, tutorials and practicals, will be delivered face to face on campus wherever it can be done safely.
 
Nearer the start of term, we'll let you know the balance of on-campus and online teaching for your course and the support available to help you through your University journey. We'll continue to review our plans regularly and implement any changes, in line with government guidance, as quickly as possible. Be assured, if you can't travel to campus immediately, you'll have remote access to all the support services and teaching resources you need for your studies.
 
We understand that getting to know the University, meeting new people and moving into halls are all important to help you settle in. Welcome and arrival preparations for September are already underway to give you the best student experience possible. We're busy working with our students' union, Leeds University Union, to develop a series of activities and events, both on campus and online, so you can be sure of a warm and friendly welcome.
 
Moving into University accommodation
We're also taking measures to ensure you feel safe and confident about staying in our accommodation and we're sure you'll soon feel at home.
 
We're introducing a staggered and contactless arrivals process, as well as effective social distancing measures, so you'll be able to meet new people and socialise in a safe way. All our residences will be cleaned more regularly and hand sanitiser will be provided for you to use.
 
Our experienced accommodation team will also be available to help you, offering advice and support to keep you safe and well. Don't forget, we guarantee single University accommodation for your first year as long as you apply by 1 July 2020 deadline. We also guarantee that as an international undergraduate you can apply to stay in University accommodation for the duration of your course (application deadlines apply).
 
Next steps and staying up to date
You can take a look at our latest FAQs, which are being updated regularly and keep checking your emails for updates from us.
 
We're really looking forward to welcoming you to our Leeds student community.
 
Stay safe and take care of yourself.
 
Best wishes,
 
Professor Tom Ward,
Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Student Education