The University of Iowa will offer at-home COVID-19 test kits for students in the spring semester.

Angie Reams, associate vice president and dean of students, wrote in a campus-wide email on Friday, that the UI will provide test kits at the Iowa Memorial Union, UI Student Health locations, and at each residence hall front desk.

“We strongly encourage symptomatic students to pick up one test kit, if needed,” Reams wrote.

She wrote that individuals can also get PCR test kits for free with pick-up or mail delivery through Test Iowa, the state’s testing program.

“Students are expected to self-report a positive COVID-19 test, if they have been informed they have been in close contact with an individual testing positive, or who are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19,” Reams wrote.

A self-report will serve as an official absence notice for instructors, the email said. The UI will inform professors that the student is absent or not able to go to in-person classes.

Student Health wrote in a statement on Jan. 10 that Student Health has a limited supply of free take-home saliva test kits and is working hard to get more supplies on campus.

Students with mild symptoms and no underlying medical conditions will be given alternative testing options, like a free take-home saliva test kit from Test Iowa or a test purchased at pharmacies, the Student Health statement said. Students who have symptoms are advised to take the My-Chart Self-checker to determine if a scheduled test is needed.