26 Colleges In MD Requiring COVID-19 Vaccine: See The List

MARYLAND — Hundreds of colleges nationwide, including more than two dozen in Maryland, are having students return to class this fall with more than a computer and textbooks in tow.

More than 500 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, 26 are in Maryland.

The University System of Maryland announced in April that all students, faculty and staff who want to be on campus in the fall needed to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Variants and the desire to protect public health of students and staff factored into the decision to mandate COVID-19 vaccination, according to University Chancellor Jay A. Perman.

"I'm convinced that the risk of doing too little to contain COVID on campus this fall is far greater than the risk of doing too much," Perman said. "For this reason, I'm requiring that all eligible students, faculty, and staff who will be on our Maryland campuses this fall be vaccinated against COVID."

Related: University System Of Maryland Requires COVID-19 Vaccination

Here’s the full list of colleges in Maryland now requiring the vaccine and who is required to get it:

Goucher College, Towson (private)

• Announced: May 14
• Who Must Be Vaccinated: All students

Hood College, Frederick (private)

• Announced: June 4
• Who Must Be Vaccinated: All students

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore (private)

• Announced: April 9
• Who Must Be Vaccinated: All students, contractors, employees, visitors

Loyola University of Maryland, Baltimore (private)

• Announced: May 10
• Who Must Be Vaccinated: All students

Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore (private)

• Announced: May 13
• Who Must Be Vaccinated: All students

McDaniel College, Westminster (private)

• Announced: June 15
• Who Must Be Vaccinated: All students

Morgan State University, Baltimore (private)

• Announced: April 23
• Who Must Be Vaccinated: All students, employees

Mount St. Mary's University, Emmitsburg (private)

• Announced: April 23
• Who Must Be Vaccinated: All students, employees

Notre Dame University of Maryland, Baltimore

• Announced: May 26
• Who Must Be Vaccinated: All students

St. John's College, Annapolis (private)

• Who Must Be Vaccinated: All students

St. Mary's College of Maryland, St. Mary's City (public)

• Announced: May 12
• Who Must Be Vaccinated: All students, employees

Stevenson University, Owings Mills (private)

• Announced: May 25
• Who Must Be Vaccinated: All students

University System of Maryland (public)

• Announced: April 23
• Who Must Be Vaccinated: All students, employees
• Campuses:
  • Bowie State University
  • Coppin State University
  • Frostburg State University
  • Salisbury University
  • Towson University
  • University of Baltimore
  • University of Maryland, Baltimore
  • University of Maryland, Baltimore County
  • University of Maryland, College Park
  • University of Maryland, Eastern Shore
  • University of Maryland, Global Campus
  • University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science

Washington Adventist University, Takoma Park (private)

• Announced: May 25
• Who Must Be Vaccinated: All students, employees

Washington College, Chestertown (private)

• Announced: May 12
• Who Must Be Vaccinated: All students

As of July 23, more than 540 colleges were mandating the vaccine in some capacity. The list compiled by The Chronicle of Higher Education 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.

— By Elizabeth Janney and Megan VerHelst