COVID-19 Vaccines Mandatory For Northwestern University Students

EVANSTON, IL — Coronavirus vaccinations will be required for all students at Northwestern University in order for them to take part in any on-campus programs in the fall, university officials announced.

Students will not be able to register for classes unless they demonstrate that they have been fully vaccinated or receive an exemption. Faculty and staff are not yet required to be vaccinated against COVID-19, according to administrators.

"COVID-19 vaccines are the most important tool to help end the pandemic, and requiring students to be vaccinated will best support the health of our community and position us for in-person classroom and co-curricular activities for the Fall Term," Provost Kathleen Hagerty and Vice Presidents Luke Figora and Julie Payne-Kirchmeir said Wednesday in a message to the school community. "We will provide information about how to share vaccination status in June."

More than 75 percent of Northwestern students have already received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, the administrators said, citing data from responses to vaccine clinic invitations and self-disclosures from students.

"Because we do not currently have comprehensive information about students’ vaccination records and a portion of the community remains unvaccinated, all students must continue COVID-19 testing for the remainder of the spring, regardless of vaccination status," they said.

Northwestern's decision follows announcements last month from Columbia College Chicago, DePaul University and Loyola University Chicago that students returning to campus for the 2021-22 school year must be fully vaccinated.

Surveillance testing requirements for vaccinated, asymptomatic Northwestern students are expected to be reduced in the fall.

"Final decisions regarding testing requirements for the summer and fall are in review, following recent updates from the CDC and feedback from public health agencies," the administrators said.

"We will closely monitor the data as more people are vaccinated, and await initial results from a few important studies about vaccination and testing. Students receiving a COVID-19 vaccination waiver as noted above should expect to have increased testing protocols in the fall. Protocols for vaccinated students are expected to be significantly reduced and will be shared this summer as they are finalized."

School officials said more information would be released next month about how to request an exemption, including for medical and religious reasons.

Students may also request to be excepted from the requirement due to the emergency use authorization status of COVID-19 vaccines. But that exemption will no longer be valid if the U.S. Food and Drug Administration grants full approval to any vaccine, according to information on the university's website.

Those who are unable to meet the vaccination requirement before arriving at Northwestern's Evanston, Chicago, Qatar, Washington, D.C., or San Francisco campus may also seek an initial exemption in order to register for classes.

EARLIER: Loyola, DePaul, Columbia College Require COVID-19 Vaccination