Beginning Fall 2021 semester, the University of Hawaiʻi System is adding the COVID-19 vaccination to its student health clearance requirements. This means that, to be on any UH campus, students must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. As with existing health clearance requirements, students will be able to request exemptions for medical and religious reasons. More detailed information will be made available in the coming months as implementation plans are finalized.
Unvaccinated UH students will be able to enroll in online courses. Online learners will be able to engage with student services online as well as participate in student activities virtually.
UH’s health clearance requirements for students currently include a TB clearance and immunizations for Measles Mumps, Rubella (MMR) and Tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis and Varicella. The Meningococcal Conjugate vaccination is also required for first-year students living in on-campus housing.
All UH students and employees can sign up now to be vaccinated, and UH urges all members of the UH community to be vaccinated immediately. The university will also ensure there are vaccination opportunities over the summer and at the beginning of fall for members of the UH community who arrive from other locations where they may not have been able to be vaccinated.
Hawaiʻi Department of Health Director Libby Char says UH’s decision to add the COVID-19 vaccine is an important development for the university and the state. In a press release Char said, “having fully vaccinated campuses will help tremendously to create a much safer learning environment and minimize any transmission of COVID-19 from person to person.”
The university will also be initiating formal discussions with the three unions that represent UH employees about possibly requiring COVID-19 vaccination.
For more information, please visit the UH COVID-19 vaccination requirement for students FAQs.
