These Are the Colleges Requiring Vaccine Boosters Now
Schools are following the science showing that booster shots increase antibodies that fight the omicron variant of COVID-19, which has led to a wave of vaccine booster requirements.

- More than 1,000 colleges require their students to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
- An increasing number of colleges are also adding booster requirements.
- These moves follow scientific research showing boosters provide significant protection against the omicron variant.
As the delta variant of COVID-19 surges and the omicron variant spreads, colleges are instituting vaccine booster shot requirements in attempts to keep their campuses open and safe in 2022.
More than 1,000 colleges already require their students to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Now, a growing number of those institutions are following the emerging science and pivoting to also require COVID-19 vaccine boosters for students, faculty, and staff.
Last Updated: April 28, 2022
- Adelphi University
- Agnes Scott College
- Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
- Albany Law School
- Albertus Magnus College
- Allegheny College
- Alvernia University
- American Baptist College
- American International College
- American Jewish University
- American University
- Amherst College
- Anna Maria College
- Assumption University
- Babson College
- Bank Street Graduate School of Education
- Bard College
- Barnard College
- Bates College
- Bay Path University
- Bellarmine University
- Beloit College
- Bentley University
- Berea College
- Berklee College of Music
- Boston College
- Boston University
- Bowdoin College
- Bowie State University
- Brandeis University
- Bridgewater State University
- Brigham Young University - Hawaii
- Brown University
- Bryant University
- Bryn Mawr College
- Bucknell University
- Cabrini University
- Caldwell University
- California Institute of Technology
- California Lutheran University
- California State University system
- Cambridge College
- Carleton College
- Carnegie Mellon University
- Case Western Reserve University
- Castleton University
- Cazenovia College
- Centre College
- Champlain College
- Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science
- Chestnut Hill College
- City University of New York system
- Claremont McKenna College
- Clark University
- Clark Atlanta University
- Clarkson University
- Cleveland Institute of Art
- Colby College
- Colby-Sawyer College
- Colgate University
- College of Saint Benedict
- College of Saint Rose
- College of the Atlantic
- College of the Holy Cross
- College of William & Mary
- Colorado College
- Colorado State University system
- Columbia College Chicago
- Columbia University
- Community College of Philadelphia
- Community College of Rhode Island
- Connecticut College
- Coppin State University
- Cornell University
- Curry College
- Dartmouth College
- Davidson College
- Dean College
- DeAnza College
- Delaware State University
- Delaware Technical Community College
- DePaul University
- DePauw University
- DigiPen Institute of Technology
- Dillard University
- Dominican College
- Dominican University of California
- Drew University
- Drexel University
- Duke University
- Earlham College
- Elms College
- Elon University
- Emerson College
- Emmanuel College
- Emory University
- Endicott College
- Felician University
- Fitchburg State University
- Five Towns College
- Foothill College
- Fordham University
- Fort Lewis College
- Framingham State University
- Franklin & Marshall College
- Franklin Pierce University
- Frostburg State University
- Furman University
- Gallaudet University
- George Mason University
- George Washington University
- Georgetown University
- Gettysburg College
- Golden Gate University
- Goucher College
- Gonzaga University
- Grinnell College
- Guilford College
- Gustavus Adolphus College
- Hamilton College
- Hampshire College
- Hampton University
- Hartwick College
- Harvard University
- Harvey Mudd College
- Haverford College
- Hobart and William Smith Colleges
- Hofstra University
- Holy Cross College
- Holy Family University
- Holy Names University
- Hood College
- Howard University
- Illinois Institute of Technology
- Immaculata University
- Ithaca College
- Jewish Theological Seminary
- John Hopkins University
- Johnson & Wales University
- Johnson C. Smith University
- Kalamazoo College
- Kenyon College
- Keuka College
- Knox College
- La Salle University
- La Sierra University
- Lafayette College
- Laguna College of Art and Design
- Landmark College
- Lane Community College
- Lasell University
- Lehigh University
- Le Moyne College
- Lenoir-Rhyne University
- Lesley University
- Lewis & Clark College
- Lewis University
- Los Angeles College of Music
- Loyola Marymount University
- Loyola University Chicago
- Loyola University Maryland
- Loyola University of New Orleans
- Macalester College
- Maine Community College System
- Maria College
- Marist College
- Marquette University
- Marymount California University
- Marymount University
- Massachusetts College of Art & Design
- Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Massachusetts State University system
- McDaniel College
- Meharry Medical College
- Mercy College
- Merrimack College
- Methodist University
- Metropolitan State University Denver
- Michigan School of Psychology
- Michigan State University
- Middlebury College
- Mills College
- Minneapolis College of Art and Design
- Mitchell College
- Molloy College
- Monmouth University
- Montclair State University
- Moore College of Art & Design
- Morehouse College
- Moreno Valley College
- Mount Holyoke University
- Mount Saint Mary College
- Mount St. Joseph University
- Muhlenberg College
- Naropa University
- National Louis University
- Nazareth College
- Nebraska Wesleyan University
- New England College
- New England Conservatory of Music
- New England Institute of Technology
- New Jersey Institute of Technology
- New Mexico Highlands University
- New Mexico State University
- New York Film Academy
- New York University
- Norco College
- Norfolk State University
- Northeastern Illinois University
- Northeastern University
- Northwestern University
- Norwich University
- Notre Dame of Maryland University
- Oberlin College & Conservatory
- Occidental College
- Oglethorpe University
- Ohio Wesleyan University
- Olin College of Engineering
- Oregon State University
- Otis College of Art and Design
- Pace University
- Pacific Lutheran University
- Pacific University Oregon
- Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
- Pitzer College
- Pomona College
- Post University
- Pratt Institute
- Prescott College
- Princeton University
- Providence College
- Queens University of Charlotte
- Quinnipiac University
- Radford University
- Ramapo College of New Jersey
- Randolph College
- Reed College
- Regis University
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
- Rhode Island College
- Rhode Island School of Design
- Rice University
- Ripon College
- Rivier University
- Roanoke College
- Rochester Institite of Technology
- Roger Williams University
- Roosevelt University
- Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
- Rosemont College
- Russell Sage College
- Rutgers University
- Sacred Heart University
- Saint Elizabeth University
- Saint John's University (Minnesota)
- Saint Joseph's College of Maine
- Saint Louis University
- Saint Louis University
- Saint Mary's College
- Saint Michael's College
- Saint Peter's University
- Salem College
- Salem State University
- Salisbury University
- Salve Regina University
- Samuel Merritt University
- San Diego Community College District
- San Diego State University
- Santa Clara University
- Santa Monica College
- Sarah Lawrence College
- School of the Art Institute of Chicago
- Scripps College
- Seton Hill University
- Siena College
- Simmons University
- Skidmore College
- Soka University of America
- Southern California Institute of Architecture
- Southern New Hampshire University
- Southwestern College
- Southwestern Law School
- Spelman College
- Smith College
- Spelman College
- Springfield College
- St. Augustine College
- St. Bonaventure University
- St. Catherine University
- St. John's College, New Mexico campus
- St. John Fisher College
- St. John's University (New York)
- St. Joseph's University New York
- St. Mary's College of Maryland
- St. Olaf College
- St. Lawrence University
- Stanford University
- State University of New York system
- Stevens Institute of Technology
- Stevenson University
- Stockton University
- Stonehill College
- Suffolk University
- Susquehanna University
- Swarthmore College
- Sweet Briar College
- Syracuse University
- The College of St. Scholastica
- The College of Wooster
- The Juliard School
- The New School
- Towson University
- Trinity College
- Trinity Washington University
- Tufts University
- Tulane University
- Union College
- University of California system
- University of Chicago
- University of Colorado system
- University of Connecticut
- University of Delaware
- University of Denver
- University of Hartford
- University of Illinois system
- University of Indianapolis
- University of La Verne
- University of Lynchburg
- University of Maryland system
- University of Massachusetts system
- University of Michigan system
- University of New England
- University of New Haven
- University of New Mexico
- University of Northern Colorado
- University of Notre Dame
- University of Oregon
- University of Pennsylvania
- University of Portland
- University of Puget Sound
- University of Rhode Island
- University of Rochester
- University of Saint Joseph
- University of San Diego
- University of San Francisco
- University of Scranton
- University of Southern California
- University of the Arts
- University of the District of Columbia
- University of the Pacific
- University of the Sciences
- University of Utah
- University of Vermont
- University of Virginia system
- Ursinus College
- Utica University
- Valparaiso University
- Vassar College
- Vermont Law School
- Vermont State College system
- Villanova University
- Virginia Commonwealth University
- Virginia State University
- Virginia Tech
- Virginia Wesleyan University
- Wagner College
- Wake Forest University
- Warren Wilson College
- Washington and Lee University
- Washington College
- Wayne State University
- Wellesley College
- Wells College
- Wesleyan University
- Western New England University
- Westfield State University
- Wheaton College
- Whitman College
- Whittier College
- Widener University
- Willamette University
- Williams College
- Wofford College
- Worcester Polytechnic Institute
- Worcester State University
- Xavier University of Louisiana
- Xavier University Ohio
- Yale University
- Yeshiva University
Studies show that the immunity provided by COVID-19 vaccines wanes after around six months, but that booster shots increase protective antibodies to fight a potential infection. In the months since the COVID-19 omicron strain was detected and designated a "variant of concern" by the World Health Organization, new research shows that vaccine booster shots are even more essential to protecting against infection.
The latest news related to this topic is out of Israel, where researchers reported that a three-shot course of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine provided significant protection against the new omicron variant. Last week, BioNTech and Pfizer presented similar findings that booster shots can protect against infection from the newly identified variant.
Schools Pivot To Require COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shots
Wesleyan University, a private school in Connecticut with 3,200 students, was the first higher education institution in the country to require booster shots for students, faculty, and staff. University President Michael S. Roth announced the mandate in a videotaped message two days before Thanksgiving.
"Thanks to our high vaccination rates, mask mandates, and robust testing protocols, the Wesleyan campus community has consistently maintained COVID-19 positivity rates lower than our surrounding area. This remains the case, even as we have seen an increase in positive campus cases. Most importantly, since we have the protection of vaccinations, the COVID-19 cases we've had thus far have been asymptomatic or mild," Roth said in his message.
All Wesleyan students are required to get both the COVID-19 booster and a flu vaccine in order to enroll for the spring semester.The deadline is Jan. 14, 2022. To assist students, the university held two booster clinics on campus, making a total of 600 shots available.
Syracuse University, a private institution with more than 21,000 students in upstate New York, was one of the first schools in the country to require COVID-19 vaccinations for its students when it announced that mandate in April 2020.
"That proactive decision proved central to our ability to safely resume campus activities, events and student services throughout the fall semester. For that reason, given data and counsel from public health experts indicating that booster shots are critical to enhancing immunity and public health, Syracuse University will require all eligible students, faculty and staff who routinely access any Syracuse University campus location or facility … to receive a booster shot prior to the start of the spring semester, or as soon as they become eligible," Vice Chancellor J. Michael Haynie wrote in a Dec. 6 letter to students and staff.
Smith College is requiring all eligible students, faculty, and staff to get booster shots by Jan. 21, 2022. Nearly 100% of the 2,100 women who attend the private school in Massachusetts are vaccinated. The college has scheduled a Dec. 12 booster clinic for students
"New guidance from the CDC recommends that 'everyone ages 18 and older should get a booster shot' as an important additional layer of protection against the omicron variant. Booster shots also ensure protection against severe disease," the college said while justifying its booster mandate.
At the University of Massachusetts Amherst, students must get their booster shots before the start of spring semester on Jan. 25, 2022. Students are also expected to take a coronavirus test two weeks before the start of spring classes.
"Our goal is to provide a safe and robust student experience upon our return to campus in the spring. In accordance with the existing requirement that students be fully immunized against COVID-19, all students will be required to receive a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot," UMass Chancellor Kumble R. Subbaswamy said in a statement.
Bentley University pointed to increasing COVID-19 cases when it announced that booster shots will be mandatory for the more than 4,000 students planning to enroll for spring semester classes that begin on Jan. 24, 2022.
"With COVID-19 cases beginning a precipitous rise in Massachusetts and across the country, it's important that we use all of the tools at our disposal to ensure we reduce the risk of the virus spreading on campus," the private university said in its announcement.
"Getting your booster shot will not only give you added protection against contracting COVID-19 or becoming seriously ill, but will also help you to prevent spreading the virus to family members, colleagues and friends," the announcement continued. "By the start of the spring semester, 94% of the Bentley community will be eligible to receive a booster shot."
Hampshire College, a private school in Massachusetts, hosted a booster shot clinic after informing its nearly 800 students that they must get a booster shot by March 21, 2022.
"The decision to implement the booster requirement is consistent with the current requirement that students and employees be fully immunized against COVID-19, and will help us maintain the safest possible campus environment," the college said in a statement to BestColleges.
Bowdoin College President Clayton Rose noted the rising number of coronavirus cases in Maine as the reason for requiring booster shots. The private college's more than 1,800 students must be vaccinated by Jan. 21, 2022, if they plan to return to campus.
"The vaccines are highly effective and are our most powerful tools in protecting the health and safety of everyone here and in Brunswick," Rose said.
New York University is also requiring COVID-19 boosters for all students, faculty and staff by January 18, 2022.
“A booster vaccination against COVID-19 will be a vital – and required – part of NYU’s effort to enhance the safety of the NYU community,” the school said in a statement.
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