Harvard Law School Library in Langdell Hall at night.

Harvard Law School late Wednesday announced that fall classes will be fully online in light of the COVID-19 pandemic—making it the first top law school to confirm that it won't be returning to campus next semester.

"This is not the announcement we'd hoped to make," wrote dean John Manning in a message to students. "But our first priority is, and must continue to be, the health and safety of our community, and we cannot reliably conclude at this time that we can safely provide an effective on-campus program this fall."

The move was not entirely unexpected. Several other graduate programs at Harvard announced similar moves earlier in the day. But it remains to be seen whether other law campuses follow suit—as Harvard Law is arguably the country's most prominent law school.

Manning wrote that while the public health situation could improve to allow for more in-person interaction next semester, the school needed to reach a decision so that students and incoming students can plan accordingly. With classes held online, it's unnecessary for students to relocate to Cambridge, Massachusetts, for instance. (A reduced number of law school dorm rooms will be available for students whose home environment is not conducive to learning for technology or other reasons.) And the law school is allowing current students to take a leave of absence if they so choose, and for admitted students to defer their start in light of the change. Incoming J.D. and LL.M. students have until June 19 to make deferral decisions.

"The Harvard Law School faculty is already hard at work adapting their teaching plans in order to offer the best online courses and clinics possible," Manning wrote. "In order to be prepared in the event it proved necessary again to teach and learn online, we have been busy, in recent weeks, studying and absorbing the latest research about how students best learn online and identifying the range of tools, techniques, and approaches that create excellent, engaging online courses."

The law school is looking for avenues to foster student connections and keep extracurricular activities going while remote, Manning added. Incoming students and foreign students will meet in small groups prior to the start of classes, according to the message.

The law school also posted a list of frequently asked questions, clarifying that it has set aside $1 million to help students with internet access and technology issues. Tuition for next year will remain at the 2019 rate: $65,875.

Harvard was among the many law schools that abandoned its usual grading system in favor of pass/fail grading during the spring semester, but the upcoming fall semester will see a return to the normal grading scheme. And most clinics will be able to operate in a remote capacity.

"While we will keep you apprised as we learn more, we must now turn our focus fully to developing the best, most robust, highest-quality online academic, clinical, and extracurricular programming we can for the coming term," Manning wrote.