More U.S. Colleges Requiring Students To Get COVID-19 Vaccine

ACROSS AMERICA — A growing number of U.S. colleges and universities are implementing a new rule: Students must be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus before returning to class this fall.

The University of Notre Dame on Wednesday became the latest school to add the requirement to its expectations for students. The South Bend, Indiana-based college said proof of vaccination will be required to enroll for classes during the 2021-22 academic year.

"We will, of course, accommodate documented medical and religious exemptions," Notre Dame said on its website. "We urge everyone who is not already vaccinated to sign up this week to receive the first of two doses of the Pfizer vaccine, with the goal of fully vaccinating as many members of our campus community as possible before the end of the spring semester."

Notre Dame joins other universities including Cornell, Rutgers, Nova Southeastern in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado; St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas; and Manhattanville College in the New York's Hudson Valley.

Other large Midwestern institutions, including Loyola and Northwestern University, have encouraged students to get vaccinated but have not yet taken a stance on the sometimes murky issue.

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Rutgers reversed course from its previous stance by announcing late last month that it would require vaccines. It was the first college in the nation to do so.

Rutgers officials said they were following guidance from public health experts and were relying on assurances from the Biden administration that more vaccines will be made available.

"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," the university said in a statement.

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Also among the first schools to make the decision, Cornell officials said in a statement that “the expectation will be that our campuses and classrooms will overwhelmingly consist of vaccinated individuals, greatly reducing the risk of infection for all.”

This week, Northeastern University in Boston and Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, also made the call to require vaccines.

Northeastern, which is planning for a full return to in-person learning this fall, was the first college in Massachusetts to make the decision.

"What we've learned over the pandemic period is the power of human interaction and the power of teaching and learning in the classroom, is something we want to enhance and build upon moving forward," said Ken Henderson, Northeastern's chancellor and senior vice president for learning. "We expect to be back fully in-person at regular occupancy, including fully in-person teaching, and normal occupancy in residence halls and dining facilities."

Read more on Northeastern requiring vaccine on Boston Patch

In a letter to Brown students, President Christina Paxson said vaccines will be mandatory "for all undergraduate, graduate and medical students who will be on campus or engage in any level of in-person instruction,” the Providence Journal reported.

Brown officials are still determining whether to require vaccines for staff.

Read more on Brown requiring vaccines on Cranston Patch

More schools are likely to follow their peers, Lynn Pasquerella, president of the Association of American Colleges and Universities, told NBC News. Pasquerella also noted the pressure colleges are feeling to address not only the needs of students and parents, but also faculty, staff, legislators and boards of trustees as well.

“It’s complicated,” she told NBC News. “No matter what decision one makes, one group will ultimately be displeased.”

Dorit Rubinstein Reiss, a professor at the University of California Hastings College of Law who studies vaccine law, told USA Today that more universities are likely to make a decision after seeing other schools act.

However, Reiss anticipates lawsuits to follow.

“I am very sure we’ll see court cases,” she told USA Today. "I am also fairly certain — though you never know with the courts — most or all of them will lose.”

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