Student COVID-19 vaccination requirements and deadlines

Dear Students,

We hope that you are enjoying the summer and we look forward to seeing you on campus for the fall semester in less than a month. We are writing to remind you of important health and safety requirements and upcoming deadlines to ensure that you are prepared for the transition from largely remote and hybrid learning to a more traditional in-person learning experience.

VACCINATION REQUIREMENT

• All students are required to get a COVID-19 vaccination prior to the fall semester if they are able to do so. This includes students at the regional campuses and students who participate in off-campus learning activities.
• Students must disclose their COVID-19 vaccination status through UIC Healthcheck as soon as possible. Returning students should disclose vaccination status by August 1. Freshman, transfer and new graduate students should disclose vaccination status by August 16. Students in the health sciences may have earlier deadlines that have been communicated by the colleges.
• If you are partially vaccinated at the beginning of the fall semester, you may participate in on-campus activities if you have a scheduled final vaccine dose and vaccination completion is imminent; however, you must continue to participate in on-campus COVID-19 saliva testing at least weekly, complete the daily UIC Healthcheck COVID-19 Self Monitoring Survey, and wear a face mask indoors. You may update your vaccination status through UIC Healthcheck after your final vaccine dose.
• If you have not received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine prior to the start of the fall semester and you do not have a COVID-19 vaccination exemption, you should not come to campus.
• Upon disclosing that you are fully vaccinated (at least 14 days since your final dose of a COVID-19 vaccine), you will not be required to participate in mandatory on-campus saliva testing, UIC Healthcheck, and you will not be required to quarantine if you are a close contact of someone with a positive COVID-19 test or if you have returned from international or domestic travel, unless otherwise required by applicable public health regulations. Your UIC Daily Pass will remain green.
• Following your vaccination disclosure, you will receive an email with instructions on how to submit proof of vaccination.

VACCINATION EXEMPTION

• In the interest of the health and safety of our entire UIC community, COVID-19 vaccination exemptions are limited to specific medical conditions with physician documentation and religious exemptions. You may request an exemption online.
• Unvaccinated students who obtain an exemption will be required to participate in symptom monitoring via UIC Healthcheck, on-campus COVID-19 saliva testing at least once weekly, and continue to wear a face-covering indoors to participate in classes, activities or events on campus.

ACCOMMODATIONS FOR ATTENDING AN ON-CAMPUS CLASS REMOTELY

• A vaccination exemption is not the same as an accommodation to attend an on-campus class remotely.
• Students may request this type of accommodation by contacting the Disability Resource Center.

EXPECTATIONS FOR FALL COURSES

The UIC campus is safe and we expect students who are vaccinated and those who have obtained a COVID-19 vaccine exemption to attend in-person classes which include those designated as on-campus and hybrid.

Because this fall is a transition semester, unvaccinated students or those with an accommodation not related to COVID-19 vaccination status who are not able to attend in-person classes may have the option to complete their course work through synchronous or asynchronous online courses, or by streaming and/or watching recordings of in-person courses.

Due to the nature of some courses, students should be aware that not all courses can be streamed and/or recorded.

Some courses do require in-person participation. If enrolled in a course with a required in-person component, the student should immediately talk to their faculty advisor to determine the best course of action for continuing degree progression. However, for many academic programs, progression may not be possible without attending in person.

COVID-19 REPORTING TOOL AND TRAVEL GUIDANCE

All students must use the COVID-19 reporting decision tool, regardless of vaccination status, if you have:

• a positive COVID-19 test,
• exposure to an individual with known or suspected COVID-19,
• if you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms,
• if you have plans to travel out-of-state or country; this includes personal travel and students or scholars returning to or arriving for the first time in Chicago from out-of-state or abroad. UIC contact tracing will provide you with pre- and post-travel counseling, including whether or not you need to quarantine and test. Should you need to quarantine and miss in-person classes, UIC does not require you to provide any documentation to your instructor. You will need to communicate your absence to your instructor for public health reasons.

All individuals who meet the above criteria, regardless of vaccination status, will need to follow the guidance provided by the university’s contact tracing team.

Please note, a request for international travel on official university business is a separate process and must be pre-approved prior to travel. For authorization, complete the COVID-19 University Travel Request Authorization Form.

WHERE TO OBTAIN A VACCINATION

• If you have not been vaccinated, you can take advantage of free, convenient vaccination appointments that are available on campus. For more information about COVID-19 vaccination at UIC/UI Health or to make an appointment, visit vaccine.uihealth.care. If you have any questions about making a vaccine appointment, please covidvaccine@uic.edu.
• You can find COVID-19 vaccination appointments or walk-in hours at a location near you by visiting vaccines.gov.

If you have additional questions about student vaccination requirements, please visit the Frequently Asked Questions webpage. We will continue to update our guidance based on recommendations from our public health partners.

Sincerely,

Karen Colley
Acting Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

Robert Barish, MD, MBA
Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs

Rex Tolliver
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs