North Carolina Colleges Requiring COVID-19 Vaccine: See The List

NORTH CAROLINA — Hundreds of colleges nationwide, including several in North Carolina, 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, 14 are in North Carolina.

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

Bennett College, Greensboro, NC

• Who Must Be Vaccinated: All students

Brevard College, Brevard, NC

• Announced: April 28
• Who Must Be Vaccinated: Employees, all students

Duke University, Durham, NC

• Announced: April 9
• Who Must Be Vaccinated: Employees, all students

Elon University, Elon, NC

• Announced: June 17
• Who Must Be Vaccinated: All students

Johnson & Wales University, Charlotte, NC

• Announced: May 11
• Who Must Be Vaccinated: All students

Johnson C. Smith University, Charlotte, NC

• Announced: May 18
• Who Must Be Vaccinated: Employees, all students

Lees-McRae College, Elk, NC

• Who Must Be Vaccinated: All students

Lenoir-Rhyne University, Hickory, NC

• Announced: June 25
• Who Must Be Vaccinated: Employees, all students

Queens University of Charlotte, Charlotte, NC

• Who Must Be Vaccinated: Employees, all students

Salem College, Winston-Salem, NC

• Who Must Be Vaccinated: All students

Shaw University, Raleigh, NC

• Who Must Be Vaccinated: All students

Union Presbyterian Seminary at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC

• Announced: April 16
• Who Must Be Vaccinated: employees, all students

Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC

• Announced: April 20
• Who Must Be Vaccinated: All students

Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa, NC

• Announced: May 4
• Who Must Be Vaccinated: All students

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.