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Vaccination Information for Students

University requirements and policies for students

How to get the COVID-19 vaccine  

  • Search vaccines.gov, text your ZIP code to 438829, or call 1-800-232-0233 to find vaccination locations near you in the U.S.

Information about the vaccine 

  • Prevalence of vaccination 
    • According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than half of all US adults have had at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and more than 150 million Americans are fully vaccinated.
    • A study by the American Medical Association showed 96% of US doctors are fully vaccinated, and almost half of the 4% who are not already vaccinated plan to get vaccinated.
  • Vaccine Myths and Facts, according to the CDC and Johns Hopkins University
    • Myth: You can get COVID-19 from receiving the vaccine.
    • Fact: None of the authorized COVID-19 vaccines contain the live virus.

    • Myth: Pregnant women or those hoping to become pregnant should not take the vaccine.
    • Fact: The COVID-19 vaccine will not affect fertility.

    • Myth: I do not need to get vaccinated if I’ve already had COVID-19
    • Fact: People who have gotten sick with COVID-19 may still benefit from getting vaccinated. Due to the severe health risks associated with COVID-19 and the fact that re-infection with COVID-19 is possible, people may be advised to get a COVID-19 vaccine even if they have been sick with COVID-19 before.

    • Myth: The approval process for the vaccines was rushed, and these vaccines did not undergo the same scrutiny as other vaccines in the past.
    • Fact: The methods used to create these vaccines have been in development for years, and vaccine developers didn’t skip any testing steps but conducted some of the steps on an overlapping schedule to gather data faster.

    • Myth: There may still be undiscovered side effects of the vaccine.
    • Fact: While this is possible, the likelihood is extremely low.  The first US adults who were part of initial clinical trials received the vaccine over one year ago and continue to be monitored closely. In addition, the years of research and development that have been put into mRNA and adenovirus vaccines (long before COVID-19) suggest it is unlikely that new, unknown side effects will emerge over time.

    • Other Myths: These include that the vaccine can make a person magnetic, alter a person’s DNA, cause a person to test positive for COVID-19, or affect a menstrual cycle.
    • Facts: None of these are factual. See the CDC and Johns Hopkins University for more information. 

According to the CDC, there can be side effects from the vaccine. The most common of these include pain, redness, and swelling at the injection site or flu-like symptoms (fatigue, chills, fever, aches), and most typically go away after two days. If you are worried about how your specific health conditions might affect vaccination, you should speak to your physician.   

What is certain is that COVID-19 is a deadly virus. Even if you are not worried about getting COVID-19 yourself, getting vaccinated yourself may also protect people around you, who may be more vulnerable.