With most universities returning to full operating capacity this fall, students have a lot of questions about the continuation of COVID-19 policies from last year.

One of the most common questions we get from DC-area students is, “What happens if I get COVID while on campus? Do I have to report it to someone?”

The answer is almost certainly yes. While different universities may have different policies about testing and self-reporting, almost every university is strictly keeping track of all COVID cases on their campus.

So if you test positive for COVID-19, you’ll need to report it to your school, and then isolate until you get better.

At DC Student Defense, we make it our job to help you understand all of your school’s conduct policies. Read on for more information about self-reporting a positive COVID test on a DC college campus.

The DC Health Department requires all DC-area colleges and universities to appoint a Point of Contact (POC) for students, faculty, and staff to report their cases. This POC will then work with the Health Department to keep track of all COVID cases on DC college campuses.

While it’s worth doing research into the specifics of your school’s policies and procedures, it’s almost a given that your school will have strict requirements for frequent testing and reporting the results.

Most schools will at least have implemented the following procedures:

Check out our recent blog post for more information on which schools are requiring students to get vaccinated for the fall.

In order to find out your school’s specific policies around reporting positive tests, and the procedures for testing and reporting, you’re going to have to do a little research.

For reference, here are the requirements for a few prominent DC-area universities:

If you can’t find the information on your school’s website, try contacting your school’s health or medical department, or your academic advisor.

Violating your school’s COVID -19 policies can lead to serious academic consequences, for example:

Failing to report a positive COVID test will almost certainly land you in hot water with your school’s administration. That’s why it’s a good idea to follow your school’s COVID policies to the letter.

However, if you are accused of violating your school’s COVID policies, you’ll need an experienced student defense attorney to help prepare your defense.