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USC Kicks Off 2020-21 School Year Online

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — More than 40,000 USC students will start the fall semester Monday, but the large majority will not step foot on campus this week.

Monday was the first day of school for USC's 2020-21 school year, but most of the classes will be online because of the coronavirus pandemic, with exceptions for clinical education.

USC President Carol Folt acknowledged that this was an unprecedented way start to college for many students.

"If you're one of our first-year students, you're starting college in a way you never anticipated, but I'm certain you'll settle in like students who came before you," she said.

She said that thousands of academic courses have been prepared to be delivered online.

"From entertainment to networking, from well-being sessions to roundtables, USC will come alive online," Folt said.

USC had previously hoped to open the year with a mix of online and in-person instruction.

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