Travelling between home and campus

Following the Government’s announcement of the four-step roadmap to ease lockdown restrictions, UCL can resume in-person teaching for students on practical and practice-based courses and who require specialist equipment from 8 March 2021. 

Departments are contacting students who can resume face-to-face teaching. Some students are already on campus because they are studying one of the Government’s exempt courses or because their personal circumstances mean that they need to study here at UCL.

All other students whose courses are being delivered online should not come back to campus or their term-time accommodation at this stage. Your department will contact you to confirm when you should return. 

The guidance below outlines who is legally permitted to travel and how you can help reduce the spread of infection by getting tested before and after you travel. 

Around 1 in 3 people have COVID-19 without displaying any symptoms. By following the safety guidelines and getting tested regularly, you are playing an important part in protecting our community. If you test positive, you will be required by law to self-isolate for ten days and should not travel. Please also report your test results through UCL Connect to Protect. 

When you are asked to return to campus: 

• Please get tested for COVID-19 before you travel wherever possible. Local councils in England are offering free rapid-tests for people without symptoms as part of the community testing programme.
• Further restrictions may apply if you are travelling from overseas. Please see our guidance about preparing to arrive in the UK. 
• Check the Government’s advice on safer travel before you leave. 
• You are strongly encouraged to get tested as soon as possible when you arrive and again three days afterwards. 

If you are already on campus: 

• You are strongly encouraged to get tested twice a week. 

If you are on campus and planning to travel home for the Easter break

• For students who returned to university from 8 March: the Government is asking that you do not travel wherever possible, including travelling home for the break. 
• For students who returned to university from the beginning of term 2: you are permitted to travel home for the break, provided you do so only once before 29 April 2021. You can travel back to your term-time accommodation at any time.
• If you do decide to travel, you are strongly encouraged to get tested before you leave and then again before you travel back to university, where community testing is available. 

Further support and information

You can find more information about the Government’s travel guidance on the Office for Students website. 

If you’re not sure if you’re eligible to travel to or from campus, or you would like to talk to someone in confidence about how the pandemic is affecting you, please get in touch with UCL’s Student Support & Wellbeing team.