The Bing Overseas Studies Program notified students waitlisted for the spring quarter program that capacities will be “lower than usual,” with some programs decreasing their capacities by 50% or more in an email sent on Friday. Fewer students were admitted than usual to accommodate social distancing guidelines. 

BOSP will require students to take precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including “wearing facial coverings, maintaining physical distancing, handwashing, and other hygiene expectations,” according to the email. Housing details, such as maximum room occupancy and host family programming, may change depending on the location. Pre-departure meetings will take place entirely virtually. 

The announcement comes after international programming between the spring 2019-20 and winter of 2020-21 quarters was canceled. In-person instruction at Stanford’s main campus was suspended near the end of the 2019-20 winter quarter. 

The email, which was addressed from BOSP, said that the program may need to change plans due to the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, including potential country entry restrictions. The suspension of programming in the spring is still possible given the volatility of the situation.  

In the email, BOSP wrote that many courses will need to impose enrollment caps. The email also noted that there may need to be further curricular changes and limits. In light of this, BOSP encouraged students to “retain as much flexibility” as possible in their academic planning. 

Contact Anna Milstein at annamil ‘at’ stanford.edu