Kean joins list of universities in NJ requiring COVID-19 vaccines

Kean University has been added to the list of colleges requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for students to return to campus for the fall semester.

By the end of August, students need to be fully vaccinated against COVID and have updated vaccination records sent to the school in order to return to campus, the university has announced, noting that students would be able to request an exemption for health or religious reasons.

Rutgers University was the first to announce in late March its requirement for on-campus students, while strongly urging vaccination among faculty and staff.

Both New Jersey Institute of Technology and Stevens Institute of Technology have gone a step further with their policies, recently announcing a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for all students, faculty and staff by the end of summer.

"Those with valid medical reasons precluding vaccination, as well as those with established and sincerely held religious beliefs that preclude receipt of a vaccination, may request an exemption," according to a release from NJIT.

Other colleges that have added COVID to student-required vaccines include:

• Fairleigh Dickinson University
•  Montclair State University
•  New Jersey City University
•  Drew University
• Princeton University

In each school's policy, students will be able to request an exemption for health or religious reasons.

The Stevens Institute requirement extends to all students and employees, "including but not limited to faculty, full-time staff, adjuncts, and part-time staff whose program of study or work assignment requires them to be on-campus."

College students in-state already are required to be vaccinated against meningitis , hepatitis B and measles, mumps and rubella (either two MMR vaccines or two doses of measles vaccine and one dose of mumps and rubella vaccine).

At least some colleges only require the Hepatitis and MMR vaccines among students 30 and younger. 

"This is an essential step in our return to an active campus community that will be functioning at full capacity in classrooms, labs, residence halls, and throughout campus for the Fall semester," NJIT said in its April 28 release.

Students need to be fully vaccinated with proper documentation, receiving either their second dose of Pfizer or Moderna or a single-dose of Johnson & Johnson at least two weeks before the start of the Fall semester or moving into campus housing.