Rutgers University may be the first public university to require all students to be vaccinated against COVID before returning to campus in the fall.
The university says in a statement:
“Assurances from the federal government that vaccines will be available for all Americans by the end of May and assessments by public health experts prompted university leaders to adjust the vaccine requirements for the fall semester.
“We are committed to health and safety for all members of our community, and adding COVID-19 vaccination to our student immunization requirements will help provide a safer and more robust college experience for our students,” said Rutgers President Jonathan Holloway.
Students may request an exemption from vaccination for medical or religious reasons. Students enrolled in fully remote online degree programs and individuals participating in online-only continuing education programs will not be required to be vaccinated.”
Of course the schools says that students will be able to request an exemption for medical or religious reasons.
Can Colleges & Universities require COVID vaccinations for students?
Harvard Law Review says “...there is no federal guidance on colleges and universities mandating COVID-19 vaccination”.
However, they note that “there is a well-established practice of universities mandating that students receive specified vaccines for other diseases as a condition of attendance, and exemptions are often hard to obtain.”