Top 102 Colleges Vaccination Requirements

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a global pandemic on March 11, 2020. Life changed as we knew it. Stay-at-home orders, mask mandates, and social distancing altered the way we lived day-to-day. Lives, jobs, and plans of the future were put on hold.

Our world worked tirelessly to invent the COVID-19 vaccination. Finally, in December 2020, the first person received the vaccination outside of a clinical trial in the U.S. The vaccination, once again, shifts the conversation.

In higher education, the 2020 school year focused on transitioning to online classes and striving to provide the best experience for at-home students. 2021 shifts to the transition back to campus, and with it, the intense debate has ignited of whether or not to require COVID-19 vaccinations in the upcoming fall semester.

Below are the decisions of the top 102 universities on student, faculty, and staff COVID-19 vaccination requirements, as of June 22nd, 2021. We've included links to the university's COVID-19 portal for the latest news and updates.

How Colleges and Universities are Transitioning to In-Person Classes

The curated list offers a holistic look at the status of vaccination requirements at each of the top 101 universities of 2021, as of June 22nd. 

Required (65%)

The following colleges and universities have chosen to require students, faculty, and staff to be fully vaccinated prior to the start of the fall 2021 semester.

1) Princeton University (NJ)

2) Harvard University (MA)

3) Columbia University (NY)

4) Massachusetts Institute of Technology

4) Yale University (CT)

6) Stanford University (CA)

6) University of Chicago

8) University of Pennsylvania

9) California Institute of Technology

9) Johns Hopkins University (MD)

9) Northwestern University (IL)

12) Duke University (NC)

13) Dartmouth College (NH)

14) Brown University (RI)

14) Vanderbilt University (TN)

16) Rice University (TX)

16) Washington University in St. Louis

18) Cornell University (NY)

19) University of Notre Dame (IN)

21) Emory University (GA)

23) Georgetown University (DC)

24) University of Michigan--Ann Arbor

24) University of Southern California

26) Carnegie Mellon University (PA)

28) Wake Forest University (NC)

30) New York University

30) Tufts University (MA)

30) University of Florida

34) University of Rochester (NY)

35) Boston College

41) Tulane University (LA)

42) Boston University

42) Brandeis University (MA)

49) Lehigh University (PA)

49) Northeastern University (MA)

53) Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (NY)

53) Santa Clara University (CA)

53) Villanova University (PA)

58) Syracuse University (NY)

58) University of Maryland--College Park

58) University of Pittsburgh

58) University of Washington

63) Rutgers University-New Brunswick (NJ)

63) University of Connecticut

66) Fordham University (NY)

66) George Washington University (DC)

66) Loyola Marymount University (CA)

66) University of Massachusetts--Amherst

66) Worcester Polytechnic Institute (MA)

74) Virginia Tech

76) American University (DC)

76) Indiana University--Bloomington

76) Yeshiva University (NY)

80) Gonzaga University (WA)

80) Howard University (DC)

80) Stevens Institute of Technology (NJ)

80) University of Denver (CO)

88) Binghamton University--SUNY

88) Colorado School of Mines

88) Marquette University (WI)

88) Stony Brook University--SUNY

88) University at Buffalo--SUNY

88) University of San Diego

97) University of Delaware

Encouraged (28%)

Some colleges and universities have decided not to require the vaccination prior to returning to campus. These schools are listed below.

26) University of Virginia

28) University of North Carolina--Chapel Hill

35) Georgia Institute of Technology

42) Case Western Reserve University (OH)

42) University of Texas--Austin

42) University of Wisconsin--Madison

47) University of Georgia

47) University of Illinois--Urbana-Champaign

49) Pepperdine University (CA)

49) University of Miami (FL)

53) Ohio State University--Columbus

53) Purdue University--West Lafayette (IN)

58) Florida State University

63) Pennsylvania State University--University Park

66) Southern Methodist University (TX)

66) Texas A&M University--College Station

66) University of Minnesota--Twin Cities

74) Clemson University (SC)

76) Baylor University (TX)

80) Brigham Young University--Provo (UT)

80) Michigan State University

80) North Carolina State University--Raleigh

80) Texas Christian University

88) Elon University (NC)

88) University of Iowa

97) Auburn University (AL)

97) University of Arizona

97) University of Utah

Pending Requirement (9%)

The following universities have pending proposals to require the COVID-19 vaccination on campus. Many of these proposals depend on FDA approval.

University of California campuses proposed a vaccination requirement policy in April. The governor recently issued a new executive order related to vaccinations and testing on university and college campuses. Changes will be implemented in the coming weeks.

20) University of California--Los Angeles

22) University of California--Berkeley

30) University of California--Santa Barbara

35) University of California--Irvine

35) University of California--San Diego

39) University of California--Davis

39) College of William & Mary (VA)

88) University of California--Riverside

97) University of California--Merced

97) University of California--Santa Cruz

The majority of top universities will require students, faculty, staff, and any other individuals living or visiting campus to receive the COVID-19 vaccination prior to their return. As the fall semester approaches, more schools have implemented these policies. We plan to see continued changes in the higher ed space in the coming months.

Need help communicating your vaccination decision?  Contact UN today.