Dear Incoming and Returning Students,

As President Holloway announced on March 25, all students taking classes in the 2021-2022 academic year must receive a COVID-19 vaccine and upload their COVID-19 vaccine records by Sunday, August 1, 2021. This requirement applies to students living both on- and off-campus.

Failure to comply with the COVID-19 vaccine mandate will prevent you from continuing your academic work at Rutgers in fall 2021. Students not compliant with the vaccine mandate will have their NetID access blocked. This means they will NOT be able to access any Rutgers application that requires a login such as my.rutgers.edu, Canvas, email, WebReg, and housing information. Students with on-campus housing assignments will not receive keys to their residence halls or apartments.

If you have not already done so, please upload your completed immunization documents as soon as possible to https://rutgers.medicatconnect.com. Once you have uploaded your COVID-19 vaccine documentation, your record will be reviewed, and you will be notified if any further action is needed. You can check the status of your vaccination uploads by logging into the immunization portal; detailed guidance on reviewing your status can be found at this FAQ on the vaccine webpage. Bear in mind that Rutgers staff is working hard to review an unprecedented number of vaccination records as quickly as possible, and we appreciate your patience while we work through the uploads.

Additionally, there has been some confusion over the exemption policy for students in online degree programs. That exemption applies only to fully online degree-granting programs. These are programs that only offer online courses and did so pre-pandemic. The vaccination requirement applies to all undergraduate students and to all graduate students in programs that traditionally offer in-person courses regardless of the mix of online and in-person courses for which they register for the fall semester.

We understand that you have a lot to do before starting the semester and want to make sure that the COVID-19 vaccine mandate is complete so you can enjoy a safe and healthy academic experience. Additional information is available by visiting the Rutgers University COVID vaccine information page. We look forward to seeing you on campus and in classrooms.

In health,

Francine Conway, Ph.D. Chancellor-Provost, Rutgers University–New Brunswick