Brown University, Northeastern join schools requiring vaccines for returning students

Brown University and Northeastern University are joining the list of colleges requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for students returning to campus.

Brown President Christina Paxson sent a letter to students on Tuesday saying the school will mandate vaccinations for all undergraduate, graduate and medical students who will be on campus or engage in “any level of in-person instruction.”

The university will grant medical and religious exemptions to students, and “reasonable accommodations will be provided.”

“Undergraduate and graduate students who are not vaccinated and do not qualify for a medical or religious exemption will not be permitted to access campus and will need to either petition to study remotely — as described later in this letter — or take a leave of absence,” Paxson said.

Paxson said that the school’s health services will provide further information on the implementation of the program, including providing vaccination documentation, over the summer.

Also on Tuesday, Ken Henderson, chancellor and senior vice president for learning at Northeastern, unveiled the school’s policy for vaccination. Students will have to show proof that they have been inoculated with one of the vaccines “that are approved in the country where the campus the student is attending is located.”

The university said in a separate statement that it will help international students or others who cannot get vaccinated before arriving on campus navigate vaccinations if needed.

The announcements come as universities plan to return to campus normally in the fall after a year of either fully remote or hybrid learning. Cornell University, Rutgers University, Fort Lewis College, Nova Southeastern University and St. Edward’s University were among the colleges to unveil similar requirements for vaccination last week.