News Releases

UWI Committed to Student Access: No Amenities Fee and Expanded Payment Plan this year

For Release Upon Receipt - September 1, 2020

St. Augustine


ST. AUGUSTINE, Trinidad and Tobago. September 1, 2020 – Professor Brian Copeland, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Campus Principal at The University of the West Indies (The UWI) St. Augustine Campus announced a number of commitments to help UWI St. Augustine students navigate the current reality in an internal note to all students today, September 1. These commitments include the removal of the TTD$500 Student Amenities Fee for this academic year as well as an expanded Student Payment Plan. The expanded plan will allow students of all countries (not just UWI’s contributing territories) to pay tuition fees in three instalments.

The decisions came out of a series of virtual student engagements last week, which included a meeting with the Guild of Students on August 23 and town hall meetings with Regional, International, and Exchange students on August 24, and another with all students on August 27. The Campus Principal used the opportunity to thank all students for their efforts and patience as the institution prepares for the semester ahead.

The Campus also pledged support in the following ways:

  • Students currently residing on Halls of Residence will continue to be accommodated. 
  • Laptops and Tablets continue to be available on loan from the Campus.
  • Library Access is available via its virtual and drop-off service to support students’ education and research needs.
  • Repatriation support is available for non-national UWI students currently in T&T seeking repatriation, as well as nationals abroad seeking to return.
  • Virtual health and wellness support available through the Campus’ Health Services Unit (HSU) and Counselling and Psychological Services (CAPS). The Sport and Physical Education Centre (SPEC) will also launch online wellness sessions. 
  • Teaching staff will make recording of lectures available to students while teaching and assessment continue in the virtual mode.
  • Relaxation of the 75% Attendance Record regulation, given the prevailing circumstances.
  • Continuation of Clinicals for Medical Sciences students, through support from the Ministry of Health. The Campus Principal added, “A policy will come into effect to guide this process soon and using our network across the region, we will leverage clinical opportunities for students outside of T&T at this time.”

Additionally, the communique stated that teaching will now begin on Monday, September 14, a one-week adjustment from the initial start date of September 7, to allow for a smooth transition for all new and continuing students. Currently, online course registration is underway for all new and continuing students. All registration information is available on the Campus website at https://sta.uwi.edu/registration/.

For students who may have missed the virtual sessions, recordings of both virtual town halls are available on UWI St. Augustine’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/uwistaugustine.

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About The UWI

Since its inception in 1948, The University of the West Indies (UWI) has evolved from a fledgling college in Jamaica with 33 students to a full-fledged, regional University with well over 40,000 students. Today, The UWI is the largest, most longstanding higher education provider in the Commonwealth Caribbean, with four campuses

in Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Open Campus. The UWI has faculty and students from more than 40 countries and collaborative links with 160 universities globally; it offers undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Food & Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities & Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science and Technology, Social Sciences and Sport. The UWI’s seven priority focal areas are linked closely to the priorities identified by CARICOM and take into account such over-arching areas of concern to the region as environmental issues, health and wellness, gender equity and the critical importance of innovation. Website: www.uwi.edu

(Please note that the proper name of the university is The University of the West Indies, inclusive of the “The”, hence The UWI.)

 

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