Immunization Compliance

Immunization Documentation Practices at HUHS

• If you have received your vaccine outside of the United States, your documentation must be translated into English in order for us to update your record accurately.
• Supporting vaccine documentation must be uploaded to the HUHS Patient Portal.
• If you receive vaccines from Harvard University Health Services, you do not need to submit the documentation. This documentation will automatically be added to your medical record within 24-48 business hours.
• You are responsible for ensuring that you remain compliant with all the University’s immunization requirements by checking the HUHS Patient Portal and reading all communications from HUHS.
• If you should fall out of compliance at any time for any of the required immunizations, registration holds will be automatically applied.

---

Immunization Requirements

Seeking a Medical or Religious Exemption: Students seeking a medical or religious exemption for a required vaccine should complete the Student Vaccine Exemption Form and provide the required documentation. All documentation must be in English.

Harvard Affiliates, Faculty, Staff, Researchers, Non-Students, and any other Harvard Community Members: As of December 22, 2022, HUHS no longer requires employees to submit COVID-19 vaccine documentation to HUHS. 

---

Flu Vaccine Requirement Information & Flu Vaccine Documentation Submission

All students are required to receive an annual flu vaccination. 

• Flu vaccines need to be obtained on or after 7/1/2025 to be compliant for the upcoming year. Noncompliance with the flu requirement will not impact your ability to register for classes for the summer or fall semester but would impact your ability to enroll for spring 2026 courses. Plan on receiving and uploading your flu vaccination data as soon as possible after 7/1/2025. Your HUHS Patient Portal page will continue to show non-compliance until you are able to submit the documentation and it is reviewed by HUHS staff.
• You may receive your flu vaccination from your primary care provider or local retail pharmacies, including Walgreens and Rite Aid, which provide easy access to the flu vaccine. You must confirm coverage of the flu vaccine with your health insurance plan before receiving the vaccine outside of HUHS. Not all local retail pharmacies will be covered, and you may have out-of-pocket costs associated with the flu vaccine.

If you receive your flu vaccine outside of HUHS:

• If you receive your flu vaccine or any other outstanding vaccination outside of HUHS, you will need to upload the documentation directly to the Patient Portal as soon as possible. At this time, flu vaccine documentation should be uploaded to the Patient Portal under Medical Clearances, Immunization Record. All documentation must be in English.
• If you are enrolled in Harvard’s Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP), please note that the flu vaccine is NOT covered when administered at CVS.
• HUHS must review your submission manually prior to noting your compliance with the regulation. This review may take up to 10 to 15 business days from the time of your submission on the HUHS Patient Portal. Plan accordingly when scheduling to receive your vaccines.