Brown University to begin requiring vaccines for students come fall

Brown University announced Tuesday that it will require COVID-19 vaccination of students starting this fall.

Delivering the news in a letter to the university community, President Christina Paxson said shots would be mandatory "for all undergraduate, graduate and medical students who will be on campus or engage in any level of in-person instruction."

The school will permit medical and religious exemptions as well as reasonable accommodations as determined by law. Paxson made clear that any student who remains unvaccinated and does not qualify for an exemption will not be allowed on campus, but could petition to study remotely or opt for a leave of absence.

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Paxson said that Brown's COVID-19 Vaccine Working Group is still deciding whether vaccination should be mandatory for staff.

"The group will provide me with a recommendation by June 1, and policies and protocols will be based on the best scientific evidence," she said. "Similar to the policy for students, if Brown decides to make the vaccine mandatory for employees, medical and religious exemptions will be granted and reasonable accommodations will be provided under applicable law."

The news follows Roger Williams University's announcing a similar policy last week requiring student vaccinations. Like Brown, it will allow medical and religious exemptions.

Aside from vaccination, Brown says it's envisioning a near-normal year, complete with a two-semester academic calendar, in-person enrollment, standard class sizes and room occupancy, expanded dining and recreation, standard lab and research operations and increased in-person administrative operations. 

The university isn't yet sure to what extent it will require masks in the future and how frequently asymptomatic testing will be conducted.

However, Paxson emphasized that "flexibility remains essential" and said the university will base its decisions on information from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the state Health Department and its own health experts, making changes as needed.