Classes at George Washington University will remain mostly online for the spring semester, university officials announced Friday.

In a letter to the campus community, GWU President Thomas J. LeBlanc and other university leaders cited the continued spread of the coronavirus and said all undergraduate courses and most graduate programs will remain virtual when the semester starts Jan. 11. 

It is also unlikely the university will hold an in-person graduation ceremony in May.

“As with the fall semester, we will continue to offer a high-quality virtual GW experience,” the letter said. “Managing this pandemic has called on us all to do our part to keep the community healthy and safe, and to support one another through these difficult decisions.”

The university said it would continue to discount tuition by 10% for undergraduate students who do not live on campus. A limited number of students with extenuating personal or academic circumstances are allowed to live in campus housing this school year. 

Classes at colleges and universities in the Washington region have been all or mostly virtual since the start of the academic year, as the region grapples with the coronavirus pandemic. Some campuses, including The Catholic University of America in the District and George Mason University in Fairfax County, are providing limited in-person classes.

The Virginia Community College System, which oversees 23 colleges at 40 campuses, announced last month that most spring classes would be conducted online.