Vaccine choice at your college or university of choice may be complex, but not impossible.
Vaccine choice is personal.
Vaccine choice is not antivax. Some students choose to fully vaccinate, others delay or selectively vaccinate, many no longer vaccinate after injury, and some simply never have.
Full Vaccination
While most people follow the CDC's vaccine schedule, many realize the importance of vaccine choice for school, work, travel and more.
Delayed Vaccination
Infants and children can receive up to 8 shots in a single "well child" visit. Some parents choose to separate or delay those shots across a few visits rather than all at once.
Selective Vaccination
Ever skip the flu shot?
If so, you already practiced vaccine choice. Whether you didn't want it, didn't have the time, or figured you would get it later—it was a choice.
Declining All Vaccination
The majority of people who opt-out of vaccines entirely do so after they experience or witness a vaccine injury. They are not "antivax."
Common Vaccine Requirements for College, whether attending In-Person or Online
Vaccine mandates in higher learning environments have been justified by the reality of close living and learning quarters as well as for public health. Despite the increase in online learning, some institutions even require full compliance for remote students.
The most common requirement for college admission is the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) and Varicella vaccines. Students are usually required to show proof of two doses of the MMR, one dose of Varicella, vaccine or a blood test confirming immunity to measles or chicken pox, respectively. Proof of immunity would qualify the student for a medical exemption.
Many institutions also require at least one dose of the meningococcal conjugate vaccine for students living in campus housing. Some also require a Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis (Tdap) vaccine (or booster within the last 10 years) and the Hepatitis B vaccine series, which consists of three doses administered over several months. The Tdap and Hep B vaccines may only be required for medical or veterinary students.
Some colleges also offer religious or philosophical exemptions to all vaccines, but you would have to inquire with the admissions office and follow their process, assuming it is reasonable. If that exemption request is denied, it is best to seek the advice of an attorney.
C19
COVID-19 is another potentially required vaccine, although fewer institutions are requiring it for admission than when it was first available. Several legal scholars believed that it was illegal for colleges and universities to require COVID-19 vaccination when the available vaccines had previously only received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), but the vaccines have since been approved and added to the CDC's recommended vaccine schedule for both children and adults, and therefore may be required for admission or to live on campus.
Typical Exemption Options
Medical Exemption
Can be as simple as providing proof of immunity to a given vaccine-targeted disease, but more often requires a letter from your physician explaining the reason for your exemption to a particular vaccine, such as for a prior injury, allergy to one or more vaccine ingredient, pregnancy (if the vaccine is not recommended for pregnant women), contraindications with certain prescribed medications, etc.
Religious Exemption
While this route may seem relatively straightforward on the surface, the exemption may not be as easy to obtain, depending on the institution's review and approval process.
Start by reviewing the process, ask what reasons the exemption hasn't been granted to other students in the past, and consider seeking legal advice prior to submitting your exemption request.
Student and Parent Resources
No College Mandates is comprised of a group of concerned parents, doctors, nurses, professors, students and other college stakeholders working towards the common goal of ending COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
and
Siri & Glimstad is a leading national law firm assisting students and individuals with vaccine exemptions for higher learning, including clinical rotations.
SiriLLP.com/vaccine-exemption-attorneys/student-exemptions
and
SiriLLP.com/vaccine-exemption-attorneys/clinical-rotation-exemptions
Advice from Siri & Glimstad
Each religious exemption request must be individualized. Using templates or form letters can often result in a vaccine exemption denial. Some schools use AI to identify exemption requests that contain copied language and use this as a basis to argue the exemption is not sincere.
Spotlight on Clinical Rotations
The following is an excerpt from
https://nocollegemandates.substack.com/p/vaccine-exemptions-for-clinical-rotation
"It is a common misconception among clinical rotation students that they are definitely protected by the prohibition against religious discrimination in the workplace by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII).
Unfortunately, while this federal law safeguards employees and job applicants from religious discrimination in the workplace, it may not cover independent contractors and non-paid individuals like volunteers or clinical rotation students.
The good news is that other laws may offer protections, depending on the state and type of institution involved (i.e., private, public, or religious)."