A Complete Census Count Became More Challenging

We continue to remind our students and parents that despite all the changes around us right now, the U.S. Census remains important. Following guidelines from the U.S. Census Bureau, students need to be counted where they live and sleep most of the time and, for the majority of our students, that should be Tucson, even if they are temporarily elsewhere. We established census.arizona.edu to help communicate this message.

We need everyone’s help sharing this important message with our students. Here are details about how students should be counted, depending on where they reside when they are at the University:

On-campus students, even if they recently left the dorms:

Because they live, or lived, in one of the residence halls for the majority of the last year, the University will automatically count these students in the 2020 Census. These students do not need to take any further action, except letting their parents know that they’ve been counted at school.

Off-campus students, even those who have left for their permanent residence:

These students should have received an invitation in the mail to participate in the Census at their off-campus address. If they need help completing their Census questionnaire, or they don’t have their Census ID, they can call the Census Bureau at 1-844-330-2020 or visit census.arizona.edu. Students should complete their own Census, even if their parents counted them on their Census form. The Census Bureau will identify duplicates and be sure the count is accurate.

International students:

The 2020 Census counts every person living in the United States on April 1—no matter where they are from, or why they are here in the United States. This includes international students.

As of 4/1/2020 Tucson’s self-response rate is 38.8%, which is the same as Arizona’s self-response rate. We’ve got a long way to go to get a complete count and welcome everyone’s help getting there. If you need more information or materials to help us share this important message, please contact Julie Katsel jkatsel@arizona.edu.