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Stanford University is requiring all undergraduate, graduate and professional students to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 this fall, university Provost Persis Drell announced Thursday.
“All students will be asked about their vaccine status prior to their arrival on campus for the fall quarter,” Drell said in an April 22 statement.
In bold font, the statement emphasizes that the university will accommodate people who cannot take the vaccine for “medical or religious reasons” and students can request an exception. If approved, the university said exempted students are required to be regularly tested for COVID-19. The university will put in place other requirements that were not specified in the statement.
The university briefly explained that its decision was based on recommendations from public health officials at the county, state and national levels, as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Stanford’s COVID-19 Vaccine Governance Committee, which is tasked with tracking vaccine developments.
“We believe this approach to student vaccination is necessary to support health and safety this fall,” Drell wrote. “Vaccinations are a critical component in our efforts to mitigate risk and protect one another’s health within our student environment.”
As a university, Stanford does not receive its own supply of vaccines. The announcement directs students to a separate university webpage that lists how they can get a vaccine, though it also acknowledges that supplies are limited.
Further details on the policy as well as an update on vaccination for faculty and staff will be announced soon, Drell said.
Also on Thursday, the University of California and California State University systems announced a proposed policy to require students, faculty and staff entering their campuses to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 starting this fall at their universities. The CSU announcement notes that the requirement is contingent on the Food and Drug Administration giving full approval of one or more vaccines and an adequate supply of fully approved vaccines.
Other U.S. universities, including Princeton University, also said this week that they’ll require full vaccination from its students for the upcoming academic year. Princeton students will have to upload their vaccine record to their online student portal, according to the university’s Office of Communications.
Find comprehensive coverage on the Midpeninsula’s response to the new coronavirus by Palo Alto Online, the Mountain View Voice and the Almanac here.
