Rowan University will be bringing the classroom into some students’ homes as the school gets ready to reopen in a post-pandemic world.

When students return for the new school year, they will resume class in a new world.

“Students are definitely ready to come back,” says vice president of university relations Joe Cardona.

But for incoming freshmen who aren’t ready to step on campus for a variety of reasons, including COVID-19, a new program called “Rowan at Home” may be the perfect fit.

“The idea is that normally anybody can take online classes courses at any degree, but it’s normally your non-traditional age student sort of chipping away at their education,” says Cardona. “This is a little bit different. We’re bringing students in online and we’re keeping them in cohorts, so they’re together so that we can provide more advice and support for that group as they come through.”

While the Rowan at Home students will be completing all of their classes online, they will still have the opportunity to participate in campus activities and sports and will be able to live on campus if they want as well.

“It’s designed so that the student still feels as though they are part of the university community,” Cardona says.

Campus life will also look different. Masks will be required indoors, along with social distancing. University officials say that they learned from a small group of students living on campus during the summer.

“The biggest part of keeping people safe are the little things that you learn, like for instance, how do you serve food to students? Well now you put them in boxes and you make it so when they order it through GrubHub, which we now do, even with our own cafeteria, they go and they pick it up and then they leave. So, little adjustments like that,” says Cardona.

Registration for Rowan at Home is now underway. Students may be eligible for scholarships as well. The deadline to apply is Aug. 1.