Student Immunization Form FAQs

Harvard University Health Services (HUHS) will no longer require students to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

We strongly recommend that all members of the Harvard community stay up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccines, including boosters if eligible. Additionally, we continue to emphasize the benefits of wearing a high-quality face mask in crowded indoor settings and remaining at home if unwell.

HUHS considers state and federal guidance, along with advice from the University’s public health experts, in responding to COVID-19. We will continue to monitor public health data and will periodically review requirements.

Please upload any information you have to the Patient Portal as soon as possible, as we need to process information for thousands of students. You will need to provide all of your information and be in compliance with Massachusetts and Harvard University regulations prior to your School’s registration deadline. Registration holds are placed on students who are not in compliance. All documentation must be in English.

For immunizations requiring more than one inoculation (such as measles, rubella, mumps, hepatitis B, and varicella), you must submit proof that you have begun the series and had as many of the inoculations (shots) as possible within the time frame/schedule specified.

Harvard University requires that the first shot in a series must be completed prior to the first semester for which a student is registered. The remaining immunizations must be completed prior to registration for the second semester.

You will need to activate your HarvardKey in order to access the HUHS Patient Portal. For more information about how to claim your HarvardKey, and when it will be available, please visit key.harvard.edu. You will receive your HarvardKey from your program, not HUHS. Please contact your program regarding issues obtaining a HarvardKey. Once you have your HarvardKey, log in to https://patient.huhs.harvard.edu/login_dualauthentication.aspx. NOTE: It can take 48 to 72 hours before you will be able to access the Patient Portal after claiming your key.

If you are a graduate student, you may be able to contact your undergraduate program’s health services to obtain a copy of your immunization history.

Students who have no immunization records can create an immunization record while a student at Harvard University. If you have no records, you will need to obtain all necessary vaccines or blood tests (titers) to measure your immunity to the following required immunizations: Hepatitis B, Measles, Mumps, Rubella, and Varicella (Chicken Pox). Please note that if your results show that you do not have immunity, you will be required to obtain the immunizations. The following immunizations are not able to be tested for immunity and would need to be obtained prior to your registration date: Tetanus, Diphtheria and Pertussis (Tdap), and Meningococcal (required for students 21 years and younger only).

You will need to obtain the required immunization.

Your physician can complete the HUHS Immunization History Form and note a history of chickenpox. You can also have a blood test (titer) to prove immunity.  Please note that if your results show that you do not have immunity, you will be required to obtain the immunizations.

Vaccine data and documents can be added to and uploaded into the Patient Portal at any time you have additional information or updated vaccines. All documentation must be in English.

Once you have claimed your Harvard Key, you can access the HUHS Patient Portal to upload the required immunization documentation. However, it may take up to 72 hours after claiming your Harvard Key for you to have access to the HUHS Patient Portal.

• Log into the HUHS Patient Portal
  • Select I Would Like to: Medical Clearances (Immunization Requirements)

Upload Instructions:

• Required immunizations are listed below.
• Upload your documents under the immunization record UPDATE button, located above the Hepatitis B below.
• Click the UPLOAD button and submit your documentation.
• Enter the dates of the required immunizations under each individual vaccine.*

*Not entering the dates of each of the required immunizations will delay the verification of your submission.

Forms should be uploaded to our Patient Portal. Please note you will need to activate your HarvardKey in order to access the Patient Portal. For more information about how to claim your HarvardKey, and when it will be available, please visit key.harvard.edu. You will receive your HarvardKey from your program, not HUHS. Please contact your program regarding issues obtaining a HarvardKey.

Before arriving at Harvard, you should contact HUHS to make an appointment. You will be able to be temporarily exempt up to the appointment you have made. If appointments are not available, you will be provided with a list of local clinics where you can make an appointment to obtain the vaccine. Please be aware that the formulation for this immunization must contain Pertussis—some students obtain a vaccine with Polio vs. Pertussis and must be immunized again.

At this time, regulations for the State of Massachusetts recommend one TDAP in a lifetime and TD every ten years. As a private institution, we can require immunizations ahead of the state making a regulatory requirement. Due to previous outbreaks of Pertussis on campus, HUHS believes that there is evidence that it is in the best interest of the University and the overall public health that students should have more recent Pertussis immunization protection.

In the case of countries that do not provide TDAP immunization, students can receive the TDAP here on campus at the Fall Semester immunization clinics at the end of August.

HUHS will be able to review your prior records. If requirements have changed, you will need to obtain additional immunizations.

No. Only students matriculating at Harvard University are requested to submit an immunization history.

Yes, as long as the information you are sending is official, we will accept it. Examples of other documentation include records from your primary care physician’s office, printouts from another patient portal, and records from another school you attended. Please note that forms must be in English, contain full dates for each immunization (i.e., month, date, year), be certified by a health care provider or medical records official, and must demonstrate compliance with Massachusetts and Harvard University regulations.

No. We can not accept self-reported immunization information. Massachusetts regulations require that all immunization documentation and information must be certified by a healthcare provider (a physician, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, or school official) or be in the form of official medical record documentation.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) prohibits us from sharing this type of information with anyone except you, the student.

You may check the status of your immunization certification by visiting the Patient Portal, Immunization Tab. Please allow several weeks for processing of your information before checking your status in the Patient Portal.

Once your documents have been reviewed, you will see the list of required immunizations updated with either a green mark (indicating “compliant”) or a red mark (indicating “not compliant”). All immunizations marked in red require your immediate attention to resolve to ensure your compliance prior to your program’s registration and/or deadline.

In order for clinicians at HUHS to provide you with care while you are a student, a physical exam from your current provider is required.

The only circumstances under which a student may be exempted from the Massachusetts Immunization Law are as follows:

• Certification in writing by an examining healthcare provider who is of the opinion that your physical condition is such that your health would be endangered by one or more of the immunizations. You will be required to submit laboratory evidence of immunity to measles, mumps, and rubella, and if you are not immune, you may need to leave campus in the event of an outbreak.

OR

• You state in writing that the required immunizations would conflict with your religious beliefs. It is recommended that you present evidence of immunity as above. Otherwise, you may have to leave campus in the event of an outbreak.

If you are claiming vaccine exemption, complete the Student Vaccine Exemption Form. Medical exemption requires the completed Student Vaccine Exemption Form in addition to your medical provider’s letter stating your need for an exemption. Meningitis exemption requires the Massachusetts Waiver for Meningococcal Vaccination Requirement Form in addition to the Student Vaccine Exemption Form. Religious exemption requires the completion of the Student Vaccine Exemption Form.