International undergraduate students in the Class of 2024 who can’t enter the United States because of travel restrictions have the option of spending the Fall semester at Duke Kunshan University, according to the website of the Office of DKU Programs.
The website notes that Duke can’t guarantee students the ability to choose this option, because the ability to enter and study in China is subject to China’s travel policies. It states that students who choose this option would still be Duke students and receive full credit toward their Duke degree.
Duke students studying at DKU would take a combination of in-person DKU classes and remotely delivered Duke classes, Michael Schoenfeld, vice president for public affairs and government relations, told The Chronicle.
“We very much still hope you will be joining us at Duke in Durham in the fall,” the Office of DKU Programs website reads. “If it is not possible for you to arrive in Durham by then, we hope you will consider the advantages of the DKU option, which will allow you to join the global Duke community and still stay on schedule towards earning your Duke degree in 2024.”
In addition, incoming international DKU first-years who can get to the United States—but not to China—can start in Durham in the fall, Schoenfeld said. The availability of these options depends on the universities resuming operations in the fall in a way that allows students to be on campus, he said.
“This reciprocal effort could provide students a unique opportunity to begin their Duke or DKU education if global travel restrictions imposed a delay,” he wrote in a message to The Chronicle.
Duke students who start at DKU “would still be Duke students and would be expected to come to Duke as soon as they could,” he wrote, and DKU students starting at Duke would similarly be expected to return to DKU.
Schoenfeld said the option is only open to incoming first-years right now, as there is a limited amount of space on both campuses.
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Matthew Griffin was editor-in-chief of The Chronicle's 116th volume.