Northwestern University will require students to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before returning to campus this fall, the school said.
Students who plan to access Northwestern’s campus or enroll in any in-person classes or activities in the fall must be fully vaccinated to be able to register for classes, according to an email sent to students Wednesday.
“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,” Kathleen Hagerty, Northwestern’s provost, Luke Figora, vice president for operations, and Julie Payne-Kirchmeier, vice president for student affairs, said in a joint statement.
Northwestern joins Loyola University Chicago, Columbia College and DePaul University in requiring students to get the COVID-19 vaccination.
Northwestern will grant exemptions for medical or religious reasons.
International students unable to access vaccinations in their home countries will have the chance to request a temporary exception and sign up to be vaccinated when arriving back to campus, according to the email.
The university estimates over 75% of Northwestern’s students are either fully vaccinated or have completed their first dose.
Though the vaccine mandate doesn’t include faculty and staff, Northwestern is strongly encouraging them to get vaccinated.
