Ohio Colleges Requiring COVID-19 Vaccine: See The List

OHIO — Hundreds of colleges nationwide, including several in Ohio, 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, six are in Ohio.

Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland

• Announced: July 15
• Who Must Be Vaccinated: Students and employees

Cleveland State University, Cleveland

• Announced: April 1
• Who Must Be Vaccinated: Only residential students

Kenyon College, Gambier

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

Mount Saint Joseph University, Cincinnati

• Announced: May 11
• Who Must Be Vaccinated: Only residential students

Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware

• Who Must Be Vaccinated: All students

The College of Wooster, Wooster

• 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.