Cambridge University is scrapping face-to-face lectures for the entire year due to the pandemic

University of Cambridge  Shutterstock

The University of Cambridge has said it will scrap all face-to-face lectures until mid-2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A spokesperson for the prestigious British university said it expects social distancing measures to be in place throughout the upcoming year.

It will continue to make lectures available online, and some small-group teaching may take place if participants can maintain a safe distance, but students will not be able to attend lectures in person.

"The University is constantly adapting to changing advice as it emerges during this pandemic. Given that it is likely that social distancing will continue to be required, the University has decided there will be no face-to-face lectures during the next academic year," a University of Cambridge spokesperson said in a statement.

Cambridge and Oxford, the UK's two leading universities, rely far more on smaller group teaching than large lectures -- so the move will probably not be as disruptive as it would be at most institutions.

But it demonstrates the dilemma facing universities around the world, many of which have been forced to shut their campuses and move classes online in recent months.