April 1 is Census Day! Off-Campus Students Can Complete the Census Online

Every 10 years the United States does a headcount of all of its people. April 1, 2020, is national census day! The census is required by the constitution and provides data that allocates billions of dollars in federal funding to our communities each year. It also determines our representation in the U.S. House of Representatives and is used to draw new congressional and state legislative districts. All census responses are confidential and your information cannot be shared with law enforcement agencies.

The student population at the University of Scranton is a very important piece of the City of Scranton’s count. The University counts all students who live in University-owned residences and reports that data.

Students who normally live in off-campus residences, even if they are currently at home, still need to fill out the Census for their off-campus residence to ensure that Scranton gets a full count of our student body. Though the coronavirus pandemic is delaying census field operations, mail and online completion are available now to complete.

The 2020 Census is only nine questions and all you need is your address to fill it out at my2020census.gov. You can also complete the Census by mail or by phone at 1-844-330-2020. The U.S. Census Bureau will begin field operations on April 15, 2020 to count households that have not yet responded.

Check out this video from the U.S. Census Bureau on what college students need to know to be counted in the right place.