Virtual Spring Commencement Planned For Raritan Valley Students

BRANCHBURG, NJ — As the COVID vaccine becomes more readily available, Raritan Valley Community College has made some announcements regarding the spring commencement, fall semester, vaccine requirements, and tuition rates for upcoming semesters.

Spring Commencement

RVCC will stream a virtual celebration of its spring 2021 graduates on May 15 due to coronavirus restrictions.

The college had previously switched to hosting classes online only in mid-March 2020 when the pandemic was in full swing. This past fall, the college expanded its services to offer a limited number of hands-on campus classes.

Fall Semester

Moving forward, Raritan Valley Community College is planning a return to mostly in-person instruction for the Fall 2021 Semester, with faculty and staff working on campus, according to Donna Stolzer, Director of Media Relations, Raritan Valley Community College.

"As was the case before the pandemic, a number of online courses will be available for students. We will closely monitor CDC and the State of New Jersey health guidelines and will make any adjustments in our scheduling, if needed," said Stolzer.

Vaccine requirements

As of April, the college has not made any plans to mandate vaccination unless it is required by the state.

Instead, "RVCC strongly encourages students, faculty, and staff to get vaccinated against COVID-19 when the vaccine is available to them," said Stolzer. "The health and safety of the Raritan Valley Community College community is always our top priority."

This is in contrast to some nearby universities that offer on-campus housing. Rutgers University, Princeton University and Lehigh University all have announced they will require all students who wish to return to campus prove they have been vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Tuition

The college also recently announced that it will not be raising tuition rates for the upcoming fall semester. Tuition will remain at $168 per credit for in-county students.

"At a time when so many RVCC students have experienced personal and financial hardships due to the pandemic, the College's Board of Trustees has decided not to raise tuition for Somerset and Hunterdon County students," said Stolzer.

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