May 19, 2021
To all students with permanent addresses outside the United States,
I am looking forward to welcoming you when you come to campus this fall, whether you are a returning or an incoming first-year student. 2021-2022 is going to be an exciting academic year now that all four classes will be in residence again after last year’s restrictions allowed only three classes to be on campus at one time. In order to make a full return possible, all students are expected to be fully vaccinated for the Fall 2021 semester, ideally in time for their scheduled move-in date, as you learned in President Salovey’s April 19 message. Because vaccination availability may be limited at your origin of travel, I am writing with information to help you meet that requirement. I also ask that you complete a survey, required of all students enrolling in the fall whose permanent addresses are outside the U.S. and available at the end of this message, by June 1, 2021.
The most straightforward way for you to meet your vaccination requirement is to get vaccinated now or early this summer. To qualify as fully vaccinated, complete your vaccination series at least two weeks prior to your arrival. Yale accepts vaccines that have been granted emergency use authorization by the United States Food and Drug Administration or the World Health Organization. If you have access to a vaccine that is not yet on the approved list, Yale still recommends that you proceed with the vaccine available to you, as it is likely to provide protection and may yet be approved by the WHO. More details are available on the Yale Health FAQ page for international students and scholars.
Once you are vaccinated, submit documentation to Yale Health through the vaccine portal ; more instructions are available on the Yale Health COVID-19 Student Information page. It may take up to a week after you submit your documentation for this to be reflected in Yale’s systems. You are in compliance with Yale's vaccination requirements once you have submitted documentation of your vaccination and two weeks have passed since the final shot of your vaccination series.
Here is how to proceed if you are unable to meet these requirements:
If you receive a vaccine that is not on the FDA or WHO lists, OR if you will be only partially vaccinated, you may need to arrive a week early from your expected move-in date to quarantine and receive additional vaccination if necessary. This guidance will be developed over the summer as more public health information emerges.
If you will not have access to vaccination in your country of residence , you will need to end your summer early in order to come to campus for vaccination and an extended quarantine and testing period. To come into compliance this way, your date of arrival will depend on the vaccination you request:
August 2 for the Pfizer vaccine, which requires two doses spaced three weeks apart,
or
August 16 for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which requires only one dose.
If you will be living on campus in the fall, you will be housed in a temporary room during your extended quarantine, at no extra cost to you. (If fall of 2021 will be your first semester of in-person enrollment, you will be permitted to participate in a pre-orientation program during your quarantine period.) If you will be living off campus, you will quarantine there.
When you respond to the survey below, you will be able to fill out an application to participate in the early arrival quarantine.
If you will be requesting a medical or religious exemption from the vaccination requirement , you may do so via the vaccine portal. Note that all exemption requests must be reviewed and are not automatically granted. If you receive a waiver, you will need to come to campus a week early to quarantine. You will also need to meet additional requirements such as regular testing during your time on campus.
If you are not yet ready to get vaccinated , you may petition for a leave of absence (returning students) or request a deferral of your matriculation (first-year students.)
Regardless of your plans, please complete the survey below by June 1. That will enable my office to send you more detailed instructions by June 15 and arrange the necessary steps to help you meet the vaccination requirement.
I send you my best wishes for the summer, and I look forward to greeting you in person this fall.
Sincerely,
Melanie Boyd
Dean of Student Affairs
Senior Associate Dean in Yale College
she | her | hers