RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – Every university in the Triangle within the UNC System will require masks to be worn by everyone to some degree this fall semester.

“I just hope everybody stays safe,” said Stephen McBride, a grad student at North Carolina State University.

It is what students and teachers alike want as they head back to the classroom.

“Last year, we had our experiment with coming in-person to class – it didn’t work, so I think we need to be extra careful this year and make sure we can have a fully functional semester,” said Ben Harris, a junior at N.C. State.

N.C. State updated its mask policy on Monday.

The university is requiring masks be worn for everyone inside classrooms, labs, clinical areas, and buses for the first three weeks of the fall semester.

If fully vaccinated, mask will not need to be worn inside other campus spaces.

N.C. State said it will revisit the requirements after three weeks.

“I think it’s a good precaution, especially since everything’s up in the air with the Delta variant, so I feel good about it,” said Hope Ketola, a rising sophomore at N.C. State.

“I really hope that measure keeps students on campus longer, keeps us healthier of course,” said Alisa Andrews, a rising junior at N.C. State.

At UNC-Chapel Hill, masks have been and are required for everyone inside any university building and bus.

North Carolina Central University said it is reviewing its guidance for fall, but masks are currently required for everyone inside classrooms, labs, and buses.

Masks are not currently required at NCCU for fully vaccinated people in non-teaching areas, like offices or cafeterias.

“Everybody should take as many precautions as they can,” said McBride. “It would be great if everybody that returned to campus was vaccinated and we just kept cases of COVID to a minimum.”

None of the universities within the UNC System are requiring vaccines but are strongly encouraging them.