Campus & Community

Students Who Lived Off Campus in Spring Semester Asked to Participate in 2020 US Census

Thursday, September 10, 2020, By News Staff

Syracuse University students who lived off campus during the Spring 2020 semester are asked to take part in the 2020 U.S. Census by Sept. 30.

Census officials have indicated that all college students, regardless of where they are currently located now, should be counted at the address where they were residing while attending college in-person. View this video to learn more about the U.S. Census.

There are several easy and quick ways to respond to the 2020 Census:

To complete the 2020 Census, students should use their off-campus address in Syracuse where they were residing during the Spring 2020 semester.

Syracuse University students who lived on campus in the Spring 2020 semester, including on-campus apartments, are counted administratively in the 2020 Census and do not need to fill out the 2020 Census. University officials will report their residence information directly to our regional Census office.

Responding to the Census is very important. Every 10 years, the federal government conducts a nationwide Census, as required by the U.S. Constitution. The results of the 2020 Census help determine how hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding flow into communities, like Syracuse and Central New York, every year for the next decade. That funding will also shape many different aspects of our university and community.

Importantly for Syracuse University, the Census results determine federal funding for a wide range of areas, including science education, agriculture, engineering, wellness programs, health and mental health services, and financial aid to our students, such as Pell Grants.

The results of the Census also determine the number of seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives, and they are used to draw congressional and state legislative districts.

It is crucial that every person who lives in the United States, regardless of their citizenship (including international students attending U.S. colleges), be counted in the 2020 Census. The Census Bureau will not ask whether you or anyone in your home is a U.S. citizen. They do not share any information with law enforcement or immigration officials.

Questions about the 2020 U.S. Census may be directed to Emily Winiecki in the Office of Community Engagement and Economic Development at ejwiniec@syr.edu.