Stanford students must receive their COVID-19 booster shot by Monday, Jan. 31, Associate Vice Provost and Executive Director of Vaden Health Services Jim Jacobs reiterated in a Friday email. The University will place a hold on enrollment for spring quarter classes for students who do not provide proof of a booster shot by the deadline.
Students are eligible to receive the booster shot five months after receiving both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Those who received their first two doses of the vaccine within the past five months will receive an extension on their deadline to receive the booster, in accordance with CDC guidance. Additionally, students who provide a religious or medical exemption from the mandate will not receive a hold on their Axess accounts.
Those who do not provide proof of a booster shot by April 15 will be unable to enroll in classes ahead of the spring study-list deadline. Financial aid, University research and teaching assistantships and fellowships may also be affected for those in violation of the University’s mandate.
“Our booster requirement is intended to support sustained immunity against COVID-19 and is consistent with the advice of county and federal public health leaders,” Jacobs wrote. “Booster shots enhance immunity, providing additional protection to individuals and reducing the possibility of being hospitalized for COVID.”
Stanford’s mandate is aligned with the CDC’s booster-shot guidance, which highlights the effectiveness of boosters in helping individuals maintain protection against illness and severe disease, especially given the highly transmissible omicron variant.
The University’s reminder comes in the wake of first-year management science and engineering Ph.D. candidate Monte Fischer’s now unsuccessful Change.org petition, which calls on the University to reverse its booster mandate. The petition has since garnered over 2,000 signatures, though it is unclear how many of the supporters are members of the Stanford community.
Jacobs expressed optimism that the mandate will ensure the future of in-person classes, activities and on-campus living, writing that “a heavily boosted campus community reduces the possibility of widespread disruptions.”
For those who have not yet uploaded their booster documentation, they can share their proof of vaccination at vadenpatient.stanford.edu ahead of the Jan. 31 deadline.