Vaccination Policies
COVID-19
Required: All patient-facing community members must provide documentation of a COVID-19 primary series and a booster (or if previously unvaccinated, one bivalent dose) or obtain a religious or medical accommodation. The patient-facing community at Tufts includes:
- All Dental, Medical, PA, DPT, and OTD students, faculty, staff, and volunteers as defined by each school as having a role in which the individual provides or is expected to provide patient care.
- All Occupational Health Services and Student Health Service staff, including Tufts Counseling and Mental Health Service staff.
- University-employed faculty at TUSM and TUSDM.
Strongly Recommended: Tufts encourages all faculty, staff, students, vendors, affiliates, and visitors to remain up-to-date with COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters. Following CDC vaccination guidance is the best defense against illness and will help keep everyone on our campuses healthy.
Documentation: Boston Health Sciences students should email SAHA with documentation. All others should email OHS.
Complete Policies: These policies are for Tufts University faculty, staff, and students who provide patient-facing healthcare.
FAQs and Additional Resources: Explore all of the university's COVID-19 guidance, additional resources, and answers to frequently asked questions about the vaccination here: Public Health/COVID-19.
The university reserves the right to amend these policies, including as needed based on data, public health guidance, and in compliance with applicable law.
Influenza
Required: All Tufts Health Sciences students on the Boston Health Sciences and Grafton campuses are required to receive an annual flu vaccine. See more information on Health Sciences immunizations.
Strongly Encouraged: Tufts strongly encourages all students, faculty, and staff to be vaccinated against influenza during the 2022–2023 flu season, following CDC guidance.
Documentation: Boston Health Sciences campus and Grafton campus students should email SAHA with documentation of their annual flu shot.
Upcoming Vaccination Clinics
Tufts periodically offers vaccination clinics for influenza and COVID-19 booster shots. Details can be found here when clinics are scheduled.
Other Student Immunization Requirements
Select Your Campus:
Incoming students on these campuses will find information about immunization and other health requirements, health insurance, other health-related concerns here: Health and Wellness Requirements for New Students.
The Student Advisory Health Administration (SAHA) collects and screens immunization documentation for vaccinations required by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and Tufts University as well as those recommended for health care workers by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Explore the requirements for your school via the SAHA website.
Medical and Religious Accommodations
Medical and religious accommodations will be granted under the law. Individuals who have already received an accommodation for their primary vaccination series are considered accommodated for the booster requirement but are obliged to inform the Office of Equal Opportunity or Tufts Occupational Health Services if their beliefs or medical conditions have changed. Medical accommodations are granted for contraindications as defined by the CDC.
How to Request Medical Accommodations
Email Occupational Health Services at OccupationalHealth@tufts.edu.
- Students (Boston Health Sciences and Grafton campuses): Contact Occupational Health Services
- Faculty and Staff: Contact Occupational Health Services
How to Request Religious Accommodations
Contact the Office of Equal Opportunity at oeo@tufts.edu.
Where To Find Your Documentation
You may obtain your vaccine information through the Massachusetts State Vaccine Registry at myvaxrecords.mass.gov. It will take at least four weeks after your vaccination date for the information to be in the system.
If you get a flu vaccination in the Southern Hemisphere between March and June, you will need to get another flu shot when you come to Tufts in September, since it will be the beginning of a new flu season in the Northern Hemisphere.