Update on vaccination requirements

Dear Wake Forest community, 

As fall break nears, we write to provide an update with regard to vaccine requirements for students, faculty, and staff. The University continues to shift out of emergency operations and into embedded policies and practices that support campus health. Given this context, we are adjusting our COVID-19 policies accordingly. 

Moving forward, incoming students (except those who qualify for an exemption under state law) and new employees will continue to be required to begin or complete the initial COVID-19 vaccine series, or establish a Wake Forest-approved medical or religious exemption, before their enrollment or start of employment. A vaccine series includes the minimum recommended dose plus one Moderna or Pfizer booster. Please note the following:

  • Wake Forest accepts all vaccines approved by the FDA and selected vaccines approved by the World Health Organization.
  • Incoming students will complete verification of their COVID-19 requirement in accordance with and as part of the University’s vaccine policy and verification process. 
  • New employees who have not received the initial vaccine series must either complete the initial dose of the vaccine series within three days of their hire date or receive a University-approved religious or medical exemption. Employees who have completed the initial COVID-19 vaccine series but have not received a booster will need to be boosted at the end of the month following the month in which they become eligible for the booster shot.

We strongly recommend all community members continue to receive variant-updated boosters for COVID-19 and flu each year. As the late fall and winter respiratory viral season approaches and we transition to more indoor activities, the likelihood of COVID-19, flu and other viral infection increases. Our annual campus community flu shot program concludes this week, with about 1,000 student appointments and 620 faculty and staff appointments completed on campus. COVID-19 vaccine boosters and flu shots are also widely available in the community: 

We continue to monitor information from the North Carolina Health Department and consult with local public health experts in order to make decisions that support our community’s wellbeing, including updating policies and protocols as our circumstances warrant. As with all policies related to campus health, our vaccine requirements are subject to continual review and modification as necessary. 

More information is available at campushealth.wfu.edu. We will continue to provide campus updates on an as-needed basis as the academic year continues. Thank you for your personal efforts to take care of yourselves and the Wake Forest community. 

Sincerely, 

Shea Kidd Brown
Interim Chair, Campus Health Committee
Vice President for Campus Life 

Warrenetta Mann 
Incoming Chair, Campus Health Committee 
Assistant Vice President for Health and Wellbeing

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