Student Immunization Form FAQs

Harvard University Health Services (HUHS) no longer requires 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 vaccine documentation you currently have to the Patient Portal, as soon as possible. Our staff will review your records, let you know what additional vaccine(s) are needed, and work with you so that you meet Massachusetts and Harvard University immunization requirements in time to register for your program. 

You are responsible for knowing your School’s registration deadline and submitting all required, English-language documentation early enough to avoid a registration hold. Submissions are processed in the order in which they are received and will take 10-15 business days to be reviewed.

For vaccines that require multiple doses (such as MMR, Hepatitis B, and Varicella), you must submit proof that you have started the series and received as many doses as the recommended schedule allows. You may be granted a temporary exemption until the series is complete. Registration holds are not placed on students who are actively in the process of completing a required vaccine series.

• You will receive instructions for claiming your HarvardKey from your program/school (not from HUHS). For details on how and when you can claim it, visit key.harvard.edu or contact your program directly.
• After you have activated your HarvardKey, please allow 48–72 hours before trying to access the Patient Portal.
• Once your HarvardKey is active and the processing time has passed, log in to the HUHS Patient Portal.

If you are a graduate student, check with your previous school’s health services to see if they can provide your immunization history.

If no records are available, you will need to create a new immunization record at Harvard by obtaining all required vaccines or blood tests (titers) for: Hepatitis B, Measles, Mumps, Rubella, and Varicella. If your titers show no immunity, you must receive the corresponding vaccines.

Some vaccines cannot be confirmed by titers and must be obtained before your registration date: Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis) and Meningococcal (for students 21 and under).

You will need to obtain the required vaccine.

Your physician can complete the HUHS Immunization History Form and note a history of chickenpox, or you may submit medical records from your provider that document a history of chickenpox. You can also have a blood test (titer) to prove immunity. If your titer results show that you do not have immunity, you will be required to receive the varicella vaccine.

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 Hepatitis B.
• 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.

No, forms should be uploaded to our HUHS Patient Portal. 

Before arriving at Harvard, you should contact HUHS to make an appointment. You will be temporarily exempt until your appointment. If appointments are unavailable, you will be provided with a list of local clinics where you can schedule an appointment to receive the vaccine. Please be aware that the formulation for this immunization must contain Pertussis; some students receive a vaccine with Polio rather than Pertussis and must be immunized again.

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 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.

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. A provider signature and official stamp are required on provider-submitted documents.

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 a 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.