Information for Students & Families

For students returning to campus for the regular start of the spring semester, the plan is as follows: 

Move-in will take place on Sunday, January 23, and Monday, January 24. Check-in will take place in 15 minute windows at the Barbara Walters Campus Center from 8:30 a.m. until 3:45 p.m. on each day (students had an opportunity in the fall to select their check-in time). Students should enter the BWCC through the Andrews doors, and family members/guests assisting with move-in should wait outside.

Residential students must bring with them to check-in proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 48 hours of arriving on campus. Both PCR and rapid tests are acceptable, but tests must be administered by an official testing site or lab (at home test results are not acceptable). Test results must show student's name and date of test. For help finding a testing location near you, consult the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services nationwide testing locator.

All students will receive a COVID-19 test as part of check-in. Testing will be administered by Health & Wellness Center staff in the BWCC. 

For all the latest information on housing for the spring semester, visit the Residential Life section on MySLC.

As the spring semester is beginning while COVID transmission rates are high, the College has established the following processes and policies to mitigate the spread on campus during the opening of the semester. Unless otherwise indicated, these measures will be in place until at least February 1. The College will review the results of on-campus testing as well as positivity rates in our region to determine the duration of these measures and an update will be provided on February 1. 

• Students must wear well-fitting masks inside their residence, including bedrooms, except when eating, sleeping, or showering, until they receive notification of a negative result from their on-campus COVID test.
• Travel off-campus is restricted with the exception of: medical appointments; work, academic, or internship obligations; SLC athletics matches; religious observance; or access to food or medicine.
• Only students assigned to a living space (room, apartment, townhouse, or house) are permitted in that space. Nonresidents, including commuter students, are not permitted in student residences. Even residential students should not visit other residential students’ rooms before February 1 while we establish a baseline for our collective health as we come together from disparate locations.
• Students should dine only with others in their same living groups to limit the number of people with whom they are in close proximity when unmasked.
• Large gatherings will not be held right at the start of the semester, and food will not be served at College-sponsored events. Small events and programs will occur.

Yes. As was the case in the fall semester, asymptomatic students, faculty, and staff may sign up for free, weekly COVID-19 testing through SafeCircle. Testing is by appointment only, and will initiate for the spring semester on Wednesday, January 26. The appointment scheduler will open on Monday evening, January 24.

Symptomatic students should continue to contact the Health & Wellness Center for a clinical assessment and, if advised, testing.

The College will follow guidelines established by the New York State and Westchester County Departments of Health regarding isolation and quarantine. At present, the guidance is as follows: Individuals testing positive for COVID-19 must isolate for at least five days; if they are asymptomatic or once their symptoms are resolving (without fever for 24 hours), the isolation period will be followed by five days of wearing a mask at all times (even when outdoors) to minimize the risk of infecting others.

Students determined by the Westchester County Department of Health to have been in close contact with an individual who is COVID-19 positive may be required to quarantine, depending on vaccination and/or booster status.

The College announced in April 2021 that all resident and commuter students must be vaccinated prior to arriving on campus for the start of the fall 2021 semester. Exceptions were only granted for students who cannot be vaccinated due to approved medical or religious exemptions.

In addition, all employees of Sarah Lawrence College are required to provide proof of full vaccination, barring an approved medical or religious exemption. As of mid-October 2021, 99% percent of faculty and staff are fully vaccinated.

In January 2022, it was announced that booster shots are also required for all students, faculty, and staff.

All faculty, staff, students, and campus visitors must wear masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status. The exception to this policy will be for individuals dining indoors, students in their own residence rooms/apartments, and faculty or staff in a private office. A private office is defined as a designated space, occupied by one person with a closed door; it does not include open, shared spaces that are accessible to others (such as cubes, an office with a shared photocopier/printer that others will be routinely accessing, etc.) Anyone working in such a space is required to wear a mask at all times due to the likelihood of foot-traffic around their work space. In addition, masks must be worn in hallways, elevators, and shared bathrooms.

Unvaccinated individuals are also required to wear masks outside when gathering with others.

Individuals should wear the best fitting, highest quality mask available to them. Multi-layer cloth masks with a filter, a surgical mask under a cloth mask, and KF94, KN95, or N95 masks are all appropriate options.

Sarah Lawrence is not presently administering booster shots on campus to the community. Booster shots are widely available at pharmacies and local vaccine centers, many of which are in walking distance from campus. Examples of walkable booster shot sites are CVS in Bronxville and the CVS, Walgreens, and ​Stop & Shop in Yonkers. To locate a vaccination site that has your specific COVID-19 booster vaccine, use the vaccines.gov or New York State Vaccine Eligibility websites to make an appointment. You can also text your zip code to 438829 to receive information on local vaccination sites. Health & Wellness Center staff are happy to assist students who are having difficulty securing a booster shot appointment.

Students are not mandated to upload proof of a booster shot to the Health & Wellness portal, but are welcome to do so!

For the latest information booster shots and when you should get yours, please visit the CDC website.

Yes! Our admissions team looks forward to welcoming you to campus. 

The fluid nature of the COVID-19 pandemic means that sometimes policies will need to shift quickly, but we have resumed in-person tours of campus by prospective students and families. In addition to in-person tours, we offer a self-guided audio tour available remotely or in-person for those who can't make a formal tour, and other ways to get to know our beatiful campus are available here. Have a question? Please reach out to the Office of Admission at 914.395.2510 or via email at slcadmit@sarahlawrence.edu.

All visitors to campus, including family members, guest speakers, and vendors, must be fully vaccinated OR provide proof of a negative COVID test taken within 48 hours of arrival on campus. Both PCR and rapid tests are acceptable, provided they were conducted at an official testing site or lab (at-home test results are not acceptable). Test results must show the visitor's name and date of test.

In addition, visitors to campus must adhere to all other COVID protocols in place on campus at the time of their visit.