Since the start of the 2021 Spring Semester, classes have been held completely online to prevent the spread of COVID-19. However, the educational needs of students were not being met through online learning. Since the COVID-19 crisis has been prolonged, the need for Face-to-Face classes, especially for courses that involve laboratory sessions, demonstrations, and physical activities was considered. Furthermore, freshmen were unable to come to campus to meet with professors and upperclassmen. Accordingly, the Academic Affairs team announced on April 2 a partial conversion to Face-to-Face classes which commenced from April 26, the 10th week of the semester. 
68 undergraduate classes and 39 graduate classes switched to Face-to-Face classes, while 314 undergraduate classes and 164 graduate classes remained online. 52 undergraduate classes and 147 graduate classes did not provide their class type (as of May 7). Due to these changes, “course drop” of converted courses was treated as “course cancellation”, which does not leave a “W” (withdrawal) on the student transcript.
On April 18, All students taking Face-to-Face classes as well as any student who wished to come to school were allowed to move into dormitories. POSTECH carried out free COVID-19 diagnostic tests on campus for students of Face-to-Face classes who lived in provinces with social distancing measures below level 2. All other students were required to show a negative result for COVID-19 before entering the dormitories on April 24 and April 25. Including students residing near campus, 1,014 from a total of 1,341 undergraduate students (75.6% as of May 7) returned to participate in Face-to-Face classes.
It is highly advised that school members keep in compliance with infection prevention measures and take care of personal health even after moving into the dormitories. Private gatherings (gathering for the purpose of socializing) of five or more people in Gyeongsangbuk-do province is banned. To prevent the spread of COVID-19 at POSTECH, the following key precautions should be followed: 1) wear a mask at all times, 2) wash your hands often 3) keep a distance of at least 1 meter (recommended 2 meters) between students 4) cover your nose and mouth while coughing.
Park Joon-won, the director of Infectious Disease Control, said, “Despite the difficult situation of COVID-19, POSTECH has been maintaining a relatively safe situation for the past year with the active cooperation and help of our members. We ask that you continue to comply with the quarantine regulations and actively cooperate with the educational policy of the university. We will do our best to achieve excellence in education and minimize educational losses.”