California Colleges Requiring COVID-19 Vaccine: See The List

CALIFORNIA — Hundreds of colleges nationwide, including several in California are having students return to class this fall with more than a computer and textbooks in tow.

Nearly 600 colleges and universities are now requiring students, faculty, staff or a combination of the three to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before coming back to campus, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Of those, 35 are in California.

Here’s the full list of colleges in California now requiring the vaccine, and who is required to get it:

1. University of California at Davis
2. University of California at Irvine
3. University of California at Los Angeles
4. University of California at Merced
5. University of California at Riverside
6. University of California at San Diego
7. University of California at San Francisco
8. University of California at Santa Barbara
9. University of California at Santa Cruz
10. University of Southern California
11. California College of the Arts
12. California Institute of Technology
13. California Jazz Conservatory
14. California Lutheran University
15. California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo
16. California State Polytechnic University at Pomona
17. California State University at Bakersfield
18. California State University at Chico
19. California State University at Fresno
20. California State University at Fullerton
21. California State University at Long Beach
22. California State University at Los Angeles
23. California State University at Northridge
24. California State University at Sacramento
25. California State University at San Bernardino
26. California State University at San Marcos
27. California State University Maritime Academy
28. California State University-Channel Islands
29. California State University-Dominguez Hills
30. California State University-East Bay
31. California State University-Monterey Bay
32. California State University-Stanislaus
33. Dominican University of California
34. Saint Mary's College of California
35. University of California at Berkeley

As of July 20, 586 colleges were mandating the vaccine in some capacity. The list compiled by the publication is updated regularly.

As the delta variant continues to spread across the country, the number of colleges requiring the vaccine will likely climb. Daily average coronavirus cases in the United States are hovering near 35,000, a 200 percent increase from 14 days ago, according to a database compiled by The New York Times. Deaths are also up 75 percent.

Colleges will also be battling a decline in the number of people seeking vaccines. Demand has slowed considerably in recent weeks and, currently, just under 60 percent of all adults in the United States are considered fully vaccinated.

In 2020, the pandemic emptied dormitories, lecture halls and other facilities as colleges shifted to remote instruction.

This year, college officials are hoping to avoid a repeat of last year in hopes of offering students a more traditional experience, which means in-person lectures, study groups in the library, and social gatherings.

So far, colleges have typically taken four different approaches, according to a report by U.S. News & World Report. While some are fully requiring vaccines, others are offering students incentives to voluntarily get immunized. Some are waiting to see if the U.S. Food and Drug Administration fully approves a vaccine. Others are simply opting not to require it.

Currently, all COVID-19 vaccines in use in the United States have received emergency use authorization by the FDA, a status that some experts say makes mandating the vaccine a “legal gray area,” U.S. News reported.

Once the FDA fully approves a vaccine, colleges should have no difficulty requiring it, especially considering most already require students to provide proof of other vaccinations.