Vanderbilt Student Health Compliance Frequently Asked Questions

Welcome to Vanderbilt!  We look forward to serving you at the Student Health Center. 
Please review the list of Frequently Asked Questions below regarding the Immunization Compliance process for incoming students.

If your question was not answered, please contact us at studenthealth@vumc.org and we will reply within 2 business days.

 

  • The most recent available COVID-19 vaccine is strongly recommended in your best health, but not required for class registration or by the State of TN.   School of Nursing students may need to meet additional requirements per their clinical rotations.

    The Student Health Center will document your COVID-19 vaccines and all other recommended vaccines in your VUMC medical record for your continuity of care.  Please upload your COVID vaccine document or CDC card to our portal along with your other records.

  • If you do not comply with VU & State Requirements, you will not be able to register for classes at the assigned time.  Every full-time enrolled student starts out with an "Immunization Registration Hold".  By submitting the proper documentation and allowing Student Health to review and approve, your hold will be lifted from your YES portal allowing you to register at the assigned time. 
     
    Spring students often register in December and January.  Summer students register often register in May.   Fall Undergraduates register in June, while Fall Graduate Programs and Health Professional Programs vary.   Please check with your individual program. 
     Allow at least 7 business days for us to review your records, so that you can register when assigned.

  • All students are required to submit BOTH immunization information and TB screening forms.  You will not be able to register for classes until Student Health receives and verifies both requirements.  The TB screening survey should be completed online, printed/saved as a .pdf or .jpeg and uploaded with your immunization records.  Follow the instructions on the completed screening survey to see if additional testing will be required.  If testing is needed, it must be in 2024 (current year) for undergraduate and graduate programs.  VUSM & VUSN Clinical programs will only allow 3 months before your program start date for TB testing.

  • The student health portal is the preferred method to submit your forms.  Our staff can communicate compliance or next steps with you and no tracking faxes or mail is needed.

    If your forms are at your physician's office, please request those records be sent directly to you first, so that you can upload to the portal and have a copy in case of questions.  If your MD office will not send records directly to you, our FAX NUMBER IS  615-343-0047  Attn: VU Incoming Student Compliance.  Include your phone number and email address on a cover sheet in case communication is needed.  Note that you must have previously uploaded the TB survey in the DOCUMENT UPLOAD tab to us in the student health portal.
     

  • Option 1-  Check with your high school or undergraduate institution.  These schools may have your records and hold on to them for 10+ years.

    Option 2-  If Option 1 doesn't result in your records in a timely manner, have antibody blood tests (titers) done at a physician's office, walk in clinic or retail lab facility to prove immunity.   The results often take less than a week. 
    You will want to obtain a lab report with IgG results and reference ranges for Measles, Mumps, Rubella and Varicella.  Your records should show positive immunity for compliance. If your report does not show immunity, be proactive and get your required vaccine.

    Remember that Graduate and Undergraduate students will still need to complete the TB screening survey and upload this TB Survey .pdf along with your immunization records/lab report. 
    School of Medicine and School of Nursing programs will also take the survey, but will have a result that TB testing within 3 months is needed.

    If you are already in Nashville, you may contact us at 615-322-2427 to schedule an appointment for titers or TB testing.

  • Tennessee is a verification state, which means we must receive official records signed by a clinician (MD, NP, PA, RN, LPN) or official state, county, public records to verify that the immunizations you received are valid.  Entering these dates in the portal expedites our review process and allows us to quickly confirm your records.  

  • After you upload your documents, it may take Student Health staff 7 business days for review.  Submit your forms early and then check the portal for a message of compliance or next steps.

  • Recommended vaccines are just that -- recommended for your health per CDC guidelines.
    Required vaccines are those that are required before you can register for classes.  Measles, Mumps, & Rubella (MMR) is required for all students born after 1956.  Varicella vaccination or proof of immunity is required for all students born after 1980.  Meningococcal ACYW after age 16,  is required for all students living on campus.  Medical and Nursing programs also require Hepatitis B and Tdap.   For more specific details, visit our Vaccine Guidelines.
     

  • Our secure messages include detail about what is needed or why it is needed.  If you do not have existing documentation to upload, then proceed to your provider, walk-in clinic, travel clinic, or retail drugstore clinic and show them what has been requested and why it has been requested.   

    Go to the DOCUMENT UPLOAD tab and upload the NEW documentation that is being requested.  DO NOT RESUBMIT ALL ITEMS.  These NEW items will be reviewed within 2 business days and a follow up message will be sent to you from a staff member.

    Common reasons for non-compliance include:

    • Vaccines administered at inappropriate intervals (before age 1 and/or not spaced 28 days apart).
    • Meningococcal ACYW vaccine administered before age 16.
    • No titer lab report with IgG results included in upload.
    • No TB screening form included in upload.
    • Not an official form.
    • Form being signed by a parent.
    • Not including the appropriate number of doses for vaccines 

  • No, the Meningococcal ACYW vaccine is only required for students living in campus housing, this is usually undergraduate students and transfer students.  If you are an undergraduate or transfer student living on campus housing, then this vaccine must be administered after age 16. 

  • The Meningococcal Serogroup B vaccine is recommended for students living on campus, but NOT required.  Click here for more information about these vaccines.

  • No--You must submit records in English.  Please have your records officially translated and then provide both versions upon upload.   Your records should also include your full name and date of birth on every page.

  • Religious Exemptions must be approved by Vanderbilt University Equal Opportunity and Access before a student may register for classes. 
    If you would like to submit a waiver for religious beliefs for any state-mandated vaccine, we ask that you begin the process via our Student Health Portal.  Please upload any immunization documentation that you do have (if applicable), a TB survey (yes/no questions document), plus your request to the Student Health Portal.  This will begin the collaborative process between our departments.  You may also visit https://www.vanderbilt.edu/eoa/ if you have any questions.

    As noted above, if you do have some prior vaccination history or history of chicken pox disease, upload these documents to the portal for your VUMC medical record and to avoid possible quarantine in the case of an outbreak.  

  • Medical exemptions for state-mandated vaccinations must be approved before a student may register for classes.  Please follow the "New Student Checklist" to upload your existing vaccination records, TB survey and testing if applicable, along with with supporting documentation from a Medical Provider regarding your medical exemption request to the Student Health Portal. 

    These documents will be reviewed by our Student Health Medical Review Team in collaboration with Student Access Services.  We will communicate with you via phone or email.

  • Yes-- There may be additional items that are "health" related, but not administered by the Student Health Center. 

    • INSURANCE:  All students are automatically enrolled in the Student Health Insurance Plan and this charge will appear on your Student Account.  If you have comparable coverage (from a parent or employer), you may wish to waive the automatically enrolled Student Health Insurance Plan.  The deadline is August 1st for Fall students and January 1st for Spring students.   Please note that if you chose to waive the insurance plan, you must do so every academic year.  Insurance questions should be directed to ship@vanderbilt.edu.
       
    • If you have special health related needs prior to arrival on campus, please see additional information  on this page;  https://www.vumc.org/student-health/information-new-students 

  • Email studenthealth@vumc.org with your full name and the correct email address that you want to use and can easily access.  You can also call us at 615-322-2427.  We will reset your account allowing you to re-register for the portal from the beginning.