On Thursday, Mar. 25, 2021, Jonathan Holloway, President of Rutgers University, announced that all students will be required to show proof of the COVID-19 Vaccine in order to attend school in person this coming fall. In his address to students, Holloway noted that only vaccinated students may attend, in order for the university to return to normalcy and resume usual activities.

Specifically, students who have either of the three FDA-approved vaccines – Moderna, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson – will be permitted at the university. Those who are enrolled in fully online degree programs or off-campus courses are exempt from this requirement. However, anyone who plans to enroll in Rutgers University for the Class of 2025, including the number of Hillsborough students who plan to do so, should make it their top priority to get the vaccine as soon as possible in order to both protect themselves from the virus and guarantee a normal first year of college. (Those who are 17 years old may only be eligible for the Pfizer vaccine.)

As explained by Holloway, now that President Biden is encouraging state governments to expand eligibility for the vaccine to all adults, the university is making the reasonable decision to require any in-person students to get the vaccine, given both its accessibility and urgency. Because the university does not have any vaccines to administer directly, it urges its students to register with the state in order to get the vaccine as soon as possible.

Just as at the beginning of the pandemic, all students must share the responsibility of protecting the public health and reducing the transmission of the virus. With that being said, the University is committed to resuming usual campus activities in the safest way possible. Only having vaccinated students attending, the university will be able to offer more interpersonal academic environments, campus events and activities, campus dining and recreation options, and interactions between students and staff.

In light of this announcement, students are looking forward to safely returning to the traditional college experience they’ve been robbed of this past year.