COVID Vaccines Will Be Required For Students At California Universities

Students wishing to return to college campuses in California will be required to get the COVID-19 vaccine, reports CNS.

The California State University and the University of California released a joint statement on Thursday, April 22, announcing that they will require all students, faculty, and staff returning for in-person classes to be fully vaccinated.

However, the requirement will not take full effect until one of the COVID-19 vaccines receives full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), according to CNS.

The available vaccines are currently being administered under emergency use authorization from the FDA.

"Together, the CSU and UC enroll and employ more than 1 million students and employees across 33 major university campuses, so this is the most comprehensive and consequential university plan for COVID-19 vaccines in the country," said CSU Chancellor Joseph I. Castro in the statement. "Consistent with previous CSU announcements related to the university's response to the pandemic, we are sharing this information now to give students, their families, and our employees ample time to make plans to be vaccinated prior to the start of the fall term."

Both university systems are anticipated to make exemptions for those with certain medical conditions or religious beliefs.

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