Wisconsin Colleges Requiring COVID-19 Vaccine: See The List

ACROSS WISCONSIN — Hundreds of colleges nationwide, including several in Wisconsin, are having students return to class this fall with more than a computer and textbooks in tow.

Nearly 600 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, at least four are in Wisconsin. They are all private universities, and the University of Wisconsin system has not announced a vaccine requirement for returning to campus.

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

BELOIT COLLEGE, Beloit

• Announced: May 21
• Who Must Be Vaccinated: All students and staff.

CARTHAGE COLLEGE, Kenosha

• Announced: July 14
• Who Must Be Vaccinated: All students and staff.

LAWRENCE UNIVERSITY, Appleton

• Announced: April 28
• Who Must Be Vaccinated: All students.

MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY, Milwaukee

• Announced: June 7
• Who Must Be Vaccinated: All students.

As of July 20, 586 colleges were mandating the vaccine in some capacity. The list compiled by the publication 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.