NYU Shanghai and Go Local Graduate Students - Spring 2021

Welcome to NYU Shanghai’s Spring 2021 resource page for graduate students!

You are one of more than 800 master’s and PhD students who will pursue in-person coursework or research at NYU Shanghai. These opportunities have been made possible through close collaboration with the following NYU schools:

  • Center for Data Science
  • Center for Urban Science and Progress
  • Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences
  • Graduate School of Arts & Science
  • School of Global Public Health
  • School of Professional Studies
  • Silver School of Social Work
  • Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development
  • Stern School of Business
  • Tandon School of Engineering
  • Tisch School of the Arts
  • Wagner Graduate School of Public Service

At NYU Shanghai, the Office of Graduate and Advanced Education (OGAE) will support your educational experience. You may contact OGAE at shanghai.ogae-golocal@nyu.edu. We are currently receiving a high volume, but we will endeavor to respond to inquiries within 48 hours during the business week.

On this page, you will find FAQs and an archive of messages from NYU Shanghai Associate Dean of Graduate and Advanced Education Eric Mao. Please bookmark and return regularly for updates.

Key FAQs

When will my campus access begin?

Campus access will begin following Spring 2021 graduate student orientation. Students may not access NYU Shanghai prior to orientation.

Who is eligible for NYU Shanghai campus access?

Campus access is only open to students who:

  • are enrolled in NYU Shanghai graduate programs or the Spring 2021 go local program;
  • complete all required pre-orientation protocols, including COVID nucleic acid tests, if necessary (see below); and
  • attend orientation.

Go local students must be registered for at least one in-person Shanghai course or section. If you drop a course or section, which results in your no longer having any in-person Shanghai courses or sections, your go local status will be cancelled.

When will Spring 2021 graduate student orientation take place?

Spring 2021 graduate student orientation will take place during the morning of Sunday, January 24, at the NYU Shanghai Academic Building (1555 Century Avenue in Pudong). 

Is orientation mandatory?

Yes. Students who do not attend orientation will not gain campus access. If you cannot attend due to a mandatory quarantine, please contact shanghai.ogae-golocal@nyu.edu to make alternative arrangements.

Will I have to take COVID nucleic acid tests (NAT) before orientation?

This depends on your location and your arrival date in Shanghai.

You must take a COVID NAT if you travel from any other city besides Shanghai and arrive in Shanghai on or after January 10. This is also true if you arrive in Shanghai before January 10, but subsequently leave the city on or after January 10, even for a short trip. Your tests must be submitted to NYU Shanghai before orientation and be valid within 3 days of January 24. If you arrive in Shanghai before January 10 and do not leave Shanghai before January 24, you are not required to take a COVID NAT.

If you are traveling from cities or neighborhoods that contain medium-/high-risk zones of COVID infection, additional self-monitoring and testing requirements will apply. Please refer to the messages archived below sent by NYU Shanghai Associate Dean of Graduate and Advanced Education Eric Mao for further instruction.

Your test can be done outside of Shanghai at an approved location as listed on your province's 卫生健康居委会 website or in Shanghai. If outside Shanghai, the city of your testing location should not contain any medium-/high-risk zones of COVID infection. Before orientation, you will submit your test results via a NYU Shanghai Wechat app, for which instructions will be sent through email. Please consider that test results may take 1-2 days to receive. 

Miscellaneous FAQs

When and where will my courses be taught?

Graduate student courses begin the week of January 25 and are scheduled at the NYU Shanghai Academic Building or the NYU Shanghai Wework Fuhui campus. Classroom times and locations will be updated in Albert.

What is NYU Shanghai’s Academic Calendar?

Unless your program or course has an alternative schedule, Spring 2021 classes will begin the week of January 25 by default and end with a final exam period from May 17 to May 21.

The Spring Festival holiday will be observed from February 11 through February 19. The full Spring semester calendar, including additional holidays and legislative days, can be accessed at https://shanghai.nyu.edu/academics/calendar.

Please note NYU Shanghai’s Academic Calendar is independent from NYU New York’s Academic Calendar. If you are taking NYU New York courses remotely, those courses will be on NYU New York’s Academic Calendar. Note that on March 14, daylight saving time begins, meaning that clocks are turned forward by one hour in the United States.

Please tell me about the Wework Fuhui campus.

Wework Fuhui is located at 16 Qixia Road in Pudong. The closest subway stop is Exit 1 of Dongchang Road on Line 2. NYU Shanghai will occupy the 9th and 10th floors with abundant classroom space, study areas, lounges, faculty / administration offices, a library, and a health & wellness station. Wework Fuhui will also have NYU services such as networked Internet, printing, and public safety.

Wework Fuhui will be open Monday through Friday from 7:45 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and any legislative make-up day. No access is permitted after these hours unless there is a scheduled class.

Is campus housing available for graduate students?

NYU Shanghai does not have an on-campus residential program for graduate students. Please plan to self-arrange off-campus housing.

Spring 2021 is my first semester as a NYU student. How can I receive an ID card?

If you have not done so, upload your photo to photoid.nyu.edu. Your ID card will be distributed by NYU Shanghai during orientation.

NYU Shanghai Textbook Policy

It is the policy of NYU Shanghai to purchase required textbooks in bulk in advance with the cost applied to students' bursar bills. This is done as a service to students for a number of reasons, including to ensure that textbooks are available in a timely manner and to ensure compliance with applicable copyright laws. NYU Shanghai works with approved vendors, prioritizes e-textbooks, and strives to minimize cost. Students are charged at cost, and therefore no profit is made by NYU Shanghai.

If you are taking a course for which every student must have an individual copy of a required textbook, you will be notified of the related charges prior to the course. If the textbook is provided as an e-version and you have a non-pirated hard copy, you may contact us about verifying the hard copy and avoiding the e-version charge.

Health Insurance Information for Go Local Students

Go Local students will be automatically enrolled in the NYU-sponsored GeoBlue insurance plan. The charge for this plan will be posted as <Shanghai Go Local Health Insurance> on your Bursar bill. It is not possible to waive GeoBlue, as NYU Shanghai must be able to confidently and accurately report that all Go Local students will have coverage as provided for in our Spring 2021 plan to the Pudong New District Government and Shanghai Municipal Education Commission. In the event of an emergency, NYU Shanghai must also be able to activate our protocols without having to question the coverage. The following brochure provides an overview of your coverage.

Can I use the GeoBlue plan to waive out of Wellfleet?

You will be automatically waived out of the Wellfleet Plan for the Spring semester and your bursar account will be credited. You do not have to submit a waiver as you might have done in the Fall semester. No action is needed by you. You may not waive out of the GeoBlue Plan.

If I have already waived my Wellfleet plan in the Fall and received confirmation for an annual waiver, do I need to do anything else?

If you have already waived your Wellfleet plan using another insurance coverage, you will not need to submit another waiver. If you received confirmation for a Fall only waiver you will also not need to submit an additional waiver. The Bursar will credit your account for the Spring Wellfleet charge of $2,487.

What if I already paid for Wellfleet Insurance for the Spring Semester?

Your bursar account will be adjusted accordingly to reflect the appropriate charges.

What if I return to the United States prior to 08/20/21 and would like to enroll in the Wellfleet plan?

You should contact health.insurance@nyu.edu and they will assist you to enroll.

Key NYU Shanghai Contacts
Center for Data Science Yunyi
Cai (yc3632@nyu.edu)		  
Center for Urban Science and Progress Yiyao He
(yh3221@nyu.edu)		  
Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences Yunyi Cai
(yc3632@nyu.edu)		  
Graduate School of Arts & Science Eric Mao
(ehm4@nyu.edu)		  
GRI Fellows Vivien Du
(xd7@nyu.edu)		  

NYU Shanghai Global Dissertation Fellows

 Vivien Du
(xd7@nyu.edu)		  
School of Global Public Health Yipeng Sun
(ys1792@nyu.edu)		 Yaoyao Zhuang
(yz74@nyu.edu)
School of Professional Studies Yipeng Sun
(ys1792@nyu.edu)		  
Silver School of Social Work Yunyi Cai
(yc3632@nyu.edu)		 Michelle Hua
(yh1694@nyu.edu)
Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development Michelle Hua
(yh1694@nyu.edu)		 Peiyue Wu
(pw1094@nyu.edu)
Stern School of Business Eric Mao
(ehm4@nyu.edu)		  
Tandon School of Engineering Peiyue Wu
(pw1094@nyu.edu)		 Yiyao He
(yh3221@nyu.edu)
Tisch School of the Arts Peiyue Wu
(pw1094@nyu.edu)		 Yaoyao Zhuang
(yz74@nyu.edu)

Wagner Graduate School of Public Service

 Yaoyao Zhuang
(yz74@nyu.edu)		  
#7 Final Pre-Orientation Message and Shanghai COVID Alert
To: New Go Local Graduate Students
From: Eric Mao, Associate Dean of Graduate and Advanced Education
Date sent: Friday, January 22, 3:31 pm CST

Dear Student,

Here is our final message before orientation this Sunday, January 24. Please read carefully.

(1) Yesterday, we learned of new confirmed cases in Shanghai. Huangpu District Zhaotong Road Residential Area (South of Fuzhou Road) / 黄浦区昭通路居民区（福州路以南区域）has now been raised to medium risk. More information about the city's announcement on these cases can be read here: Chinese / English.

If you live in this neighborhood or have traveled there or visited the relevant hospitals where cases were discovered in the past 14 days, please let NYU Shanghai Public Safety know immediately at shanghai.publicsafety@nyu.edu, and stay away from campus until further notice.

(2) Read my message #6 again for full details about orientation. Message #6 is archived here.

If you cannot attend in person because you are self-monitoring or because you have opted to travel after Spring Festival, please attend via Zoom at this link or via Zoom Meeting ID 925 2396 7896.

(3) Remember that the following pre-orientation protocols are required.

Submit your NYU Shanghai Health Declaration and if necessary, your COVID NAT reports. Re-read my previous message #5 for full instructions. The message is archived here.

Login with your NYU ID and complete the NYU Shanghai Health & Safety Online Module, consisting of a 15-minute video followed by your e-signed acknowledgment of having read and understood our codes of conduct. The module is not complete until you have watched the video until the end and submitted the acknowledgment. The video was originally recorded before the Fall 2020 semester, but it still applies to Spring 2021.

Shanghai Address Collection - As required by the Shanghai government, in order to study at NYU Shanghai this Spring, students must relocate and live in Shanghai during the semester, and restrict their travels beyond Shanghai.

At this website, login with your NYU ID and submit your Shanghai residential address.

(4) Before Sunday, if you are a first-semester student - if Spring 2021 is your first semester with NYU - please email your photo to shanghai.publicsafety@nyu.edu. Use a white background and face straight to the camera. You cannot be wearing a hat nor sunglasses. Emailing your photo will expedite printing your ID card for pick-up.

Everyone at NYU Shanghai looks forward to meeting you in less than 48 hours. We have faith that with the same spirit that enabled us to successfully complete the Fall semester, we will do so again this Spring.

#6 Spring 2021 at NYU Shanghai - January 24 Orientation Information
To: New Go Local Graduate Students
From: Eric Mao, Associate Dean of Graduate and Advanced Education
Date sent: Wednesday, January 20, 6:53 pm CST

Dear Student,

This message describes what you can expect during Sunday, January 24, orientation. Please read carefully.

(1) First, if you have not done so already, make sure you have completed all of the required pre-orientation protocols now. If you have not completed these protocols, university officers will begin contacting you by phone later this week.

  • Submit your NYU Shanghai Health Declaration and if necessary, your COVID NAT reports. Re-read my previous message #5 for full instructions. The message is archived here.

  • Login with your NYU ID and complete the NYU Shanghai Health & Safety Online Module, consisting of a 15-minute video followed by your e-signed acknowledgment of having read and understood our codes of conduct. The module is not complete until you have watched the video until the end and submitted the acknowledgment. The video was originally recorded before the Fall 2020 semester, but it still applies to Spring 2021.

(2) Before January 24, if you are a first-semester student - if Spring 2021 is your first semester with NYU - please also upload your photo to photoid.nyu.edu. This will expedite printing your ID card for pick-up during orientation.

(3) Shanghai Address Collection - As required by the Shanghai government, in order to study at NYU Shanghai this Spring, students must relocate and live in Shanghai during the semester, and restrict their travels beyond Shanghai.

At this website, login with your NYU ID and submit your Shanghai residential address.

(4) Below is the orientation schedule. Please arrive early for check-in. This will take place in the driveway outside NYU Shanghai, where university staff and public safety officers will meet you before entering the building. From there, you will pick up a welcome bag and proceed to the 3rd Floor Auditorium.

If you cannot attend in person because you are self-monitoring or because you have opted to travel after Spring Festival, please attend via Zoom at this link or via Zoom Meeting ID 925 2396 7896.

Check-In - 8:00 - 9:15 a.m.

Orientation - 9:30 - 12 p.m.

Welcome from School Leadership in Shanghai and New York

Introductions from Office of Graduate and Advanced Education

Introductions from Go Local Student Cohort Leaders

Health & Safety at NYU Shanghai

NYU Shanghai Community Standards and COVID Code of Conduct

Campus Resources - Library, Facilities, IT, WeWork virtual tour

Lunch - 12:00 - 12:30 p.m.

Many people have been involved in planning this orientation. We are all looking forward with anticipation to your first day at NYU Shanghai. Please cooperate with all procedures to ensure a smooth day for yourself and everyone else.

#5 Spring 2021 at NYU Shanghai - Required Protocols, Your Health Declaration and Pre-Orientation Health & Safety Module
To: New Go Local Graduate Students
From: Eric Mao, Associate Dean of Graduate and Advanced Education
Date sent: Monday, January 18, 1:57 pm CST

Dear Student,

This message describes two additional required protocols before orientation on January 24. Please read carefully. You will be contacted by university officers if any of these protocols is incomplete or contains discrepancies.

Required Protocol 1 - NYU Shanghai Health Declaration

(1) Either via Wechat or online, complete the NYU Shanghai Health Declaration Form.

In the Form, you will upload a copy of your ID (身份证 or Passport); Health Code information (健康码); Travel History (旅行码); and if necessary, your COVID nucleic acid test (NAT) reports.

For detailed instructions, click here.

Required Protocol 2 - NYU Shanghai COVID Code of Conduct and Online Health & Safety Module

Read and understand your responsibilities under NYU Shanghai’s Codes of Conduct, and under our COVID-19 Code of Conduct.

Related to this, login now with your NYU ID and complete the NYU Shanghai Pre-Orientation Health & Safety Module. This module consists of a 15-minute video followed by your e-signed acknowledgment of having read and understood our codes of conduct. The video was originally recorded before the Fall 2020 semester, but it still applies to Spring 2021.

The module is not complete until you have watched the video until the end and submitted the e-signed acknowledgment.

Thanks for your cooperation. Please also look for our next message, which will contain full information about orientation.

*Visit our Spring 2021 Resource Page. The Resource Page includes an archive of my messages and essential other information relating to orientation, building access, the Graduate Student Wework campus, textbooks, and health insurance policy.

**At NYU Shanghai, the Office of Graduate and Advanced Education will support your experience. You can contact the OGAE at shanghai.ogae-golocal@nyu.edu. We are currently receiving a high volume, but we will endeavor to respond to inquiries within 48 hours during the business week.

#4 Important New Shanghai Guideline on Travel and Start of Semester
To: New Go Local Graduate Students
From: Eric Mao, Associate Dean of Graduate and Advanced Education
Date sent: Thursday, January 14, 11:54 am CST

Dear Student,

Yesterday afternoon, shortly after my email below was sent, the Shanghai Government issued a new guideline regarding individuals who return from low-risk districts that are located in cities that also include medium-risk or high-risk districts.

Under this new citywide guideline, you would need to complete 14 days of self-monitoring and two nucleic acid tests (each one likely consisting of nasal and throat swabs) upon return to Shanghai. This supersedes the prior requirement of a 7-day self-monitoring period and one nucleic acid test.

You can review the official announcement here: 权威发布！本市公布冬春季来沪返沪人员8条防控措施. (If necessary, you can use the translate function in WeChat to convert the text to English.) The key language is in paragraph 5:

#5: 对所有来自或途经国内疫情中风险地区及其所在县（区、市）的来沪返沪人员，一律实施14天严格的社区健康管理，实行2次新冠病毒核酸检测。

For those students who are in these cities with medium-risk or high-risk districts, we now strongly encourage you to remain at home until further guidance is issued or until your city turns back to "low-risk." For those of you in Beijing, note that we are treating all areas of Beijing as covered by this guideline.

However, if you still choose to return or if you recently returned, again - you must self-monitor off-campus for 14 days before your first re-entry to campus, and undergo 2 COVID NAT, on the 11th and 13th day of your self-monitoring.

*The current list of medium-/high-risk zones of COVID infection can be found here.  

For those in low-risk areas, the past 48 hours have highlighted the fact that a location can become medium-risk or high-risk in a matter of hours. We recommend that you return to Shanghai as soon as possible and not plan to leave.

For all students, remember to complete the start of Spring semester Google form as soon as possible if you have not done so already. Please also submit it again if the new Shanghai guideline causes you to update or change your plan.

It is very important that all of us at NYU Shanghai comply strictly with these guidelines. Last year, our city’s careful response to the pandemic helped to protect us against significant community spread of the COVID-19 disease and enabled us to resume a fairly normal life in the city. Let us hope that this year’s actions will be equally effective.

#3 Follow-up FAQs about Spring 2021 Guidance on Travel and Start of Semester
To: New Go Local Graduate Students
From: Eric Mao, Associate Dean of Graduate and Advanced Education
Date sent: Wednesday, January 13, 3:10 pm CST

Dear Student,

In response to some common questions that have been raised since my previous email, please see the following FAQ.

(1) Who should complete the start of Spring semester Google form?

Everyone receiving this email should complete the form as soon as possible. The purpose is to collect information for your professors about who may or may not need assistance with remote learning accommodations. The form will ask for your current location, your Shanghai address, and your start of Spring plans. Even if you are in Shanghai now and will not require accommodations, please submit the form so that your professors can have the most complete picture.

(2) Tell me more about my start of Spring options.

The Google form presents your options depending on your current location. Every option presumes, as noted in my previous message, that students will make no more than one trip between now and Spring Festival. Thus -

  1. If you are in Shanghai now, either (i) stay here through Spring Festival, or (ii) declare that you hope to make one trip to leave right before Spring Festival.
  2. If you are not in Shanghai now, either (i) return now and stay through Spring Festival, or (ii) don’t return at all until after Spring Festival.

The increased risks of infection or getting caught in an unexpected lock-down associated with repeated cross-province travel are simply too great to encourage frequent back-and-forths. You will find the same guidance echoed in various already-published government notices around China.

(3) Does this really mean if I return now, I cannot go home again for Spring Festival?

Again, now is the time to take seriously the possibility that things will get worse before they get better in ways that may cause significant disruption to your semester if you are moving between cities so often. This may be the year to consider prioritizing your studies over Spring Festival.

All this being said, if you return now, but still hope to go home again for Spring Festival, there will be a process to apply for a travel exception after the start of the semester which we will announce later.

Reminder of Message #1 Google Survey

If you have not done so already, use your VPN now to complete this short survey (1-minute Google form) collecting required personal information.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. Please continue to look out for additional onboarding messages in the coming days.

#2 Spring 2021 at NYU Shanghai - Guidance on Travel and Start of Semester
To: New Go Local Graduate Students
From: Eric Mao, Associate Dean of Graduate and Advanced Education
Date sent: Monday, January 11, 7:17 pm CST

Dear Student,

This is the second in our series of Spring 2021 welcome messages for new graduate students at NYU Shanghai. Remember to check your NYU email regularly to stay updated. You will be required to complete several protocols before gaining access to campus. Please read carefully.

Guidance on Travel and Start of Semester

Many of you have written seeking our guidance on travel between now and Spring Festival. Unless there are any unforeseen developments with the pandemic situation in Shanghai, our goal is still to abide by our published academic calendar and start the semester with orientation on January 24 to avoid having to compress the term with legislative makeup days.

In recent weeks, an escalation in locally transmitted infections around China has led to an increase in the number of medium-/high-risk zones, transportation lockdowns, quarantine requirements, and mass testing in multiple cities. It is hard to predict whether the situation will get better or worse.

To avoid disruption to your Spring semester and coursework, if you are currently away from Shanghai, we strongly recommend you travel here as soon as possible and remain in Shanghai at least through Spring Festival. Doing so will reduce the likelihood of your unexpectedly getting caught elsewhere for months without the ability to come back.

For those who are unable to come to Shanghai for orientation on January 24 due to travel restrictions or who cannot remain in Shanghai during Spring Festival and therefore cannot take classes in person, complete this form by Thursday, January 14, at 5 p.m. to inform us of your start of Spring plans. Your response will help us to plan for remote learning accommodations, as necessary. If we do not hear from you, we will assume that no accommodations are required.

In all cases, you should plan to make no more than one trip between now and Spring Festival.

Specifically

If you are currently in Shanghai or outside Shanghai in a low-risk area, we strongly recommend you to remain or travel to be here for the start of the semester and throughout Spring Festival. If you are at home with family, consider celebrating the essence and spirit of Spring Festival now. Then, when the time comes next month, celebrate with your classmates in Shanghai.

If you are currently outside of Shanghai and located in a city that contains a neighborhood that has been designated as a medium-/high-risk zone of COVID infection, you must self-monitor for 7 days away from campus after returning to Shanghai. For this reason, you should try to return as soon as possible, and no later than January 16 in order to be ready to attend orientation on January 24.

Note: You should complete your 7-day self-monitoring at home and notify your neighborhood association. Self-monitoring requires that you remain in isolation to the extent possible; you may not attend social events or return to campus until the 7 days are completed.

*The current list of medium-/high-risk zones of COVID infection can be found here.

Reminder of Message #1 Google Survey

If you have not done so already, use your VPN now to complete this short survey (1-minute Google form) collecting required personal information.

Thank you for your attention to and cooperation with these protocols.

#1 Important Update about Spring 2021 at NYU Shanghai
To: New Go Local Graduate Students
From: Eric Mao, Associate Dean of Graduate and Advanced Education
Date sent: Thursday, January 07, 5:06 pm CST

Dear Student,

Greetings from NYU Shanghai! You are receiving this message because Spring 2021 will be your first go local semester at NYU Shanghai.

This is the first in a series of messages that will prepare you for orientation and your go local experience as one of more than 800 graduate students who will pursue coursework or research at the university. Please check your NYU email regularly to stay updated. You will be required to complete several protocols before gaining access to campus. The first protocol is described below.

  1. Using your VPN, complete this short survey (1-minute Google form) collecting required personal information. Complete the survey by January 11.
  2. Visit our Spring 2021 Resource Page. The Resource Page includes essential FAQs about orientation, building access, pre-arrival COVID testing, the Graduate Student Wework campus, textbooks, and health insurance policy.
  3. Orientation will take place during the morning of Sunday, January 24, at NYU Shanghai’s main academic building on Century Avenue. Your campus access will not begin until after you attend orientation. More specific information about orientation will come in a future message.
  4. At NYU Shanghai, the Office of Graduate and Advanced Education will support your experience. You can contact the OGAE at shanghai.ogae-golocal@nyu.edu.

Know that NYU Shanghai has been working very closely with schools at NYU New York to ensure you a complete and fulfilling experience in the coming semester. Vast teams of faculty and administration across both campuses have committed to making this possible.

While the Spring will undoubtedly be unconventional and different from what one might expect, we have confidence the qualities that define a NYU education, no matter in New York City or Shanghai, will continue to thrive.