College immunization requirements in Massachusetts
The short answer
Massachusetts regulation requires full-time undergraduate and health-science students to document MMR, Tdap, Hepatitis B and varicella, and requires students in residential housing to receive meningococcal (MenACWY) vaccine or sign a waiver.
105 CMR 220.600 (immunization of college students)
Full-time and health-science students document MMR, Tdap, Hepatitis B and varicella; residential students need meningococcal vaccine or a waiver.
Massachusetts Department of Public Health · 105 CMR 220.600
Baseline requirements in Massachusetts
What most institutions in Massachusetts require, resolved from the statute or system policy plus national CDC/ACIP guidance. Individual campuses may add to this.
All students
| Vaccine | What's required | Status |
|---|---|---|
| MMR (measles, mumps, rubella)Verified | Two doses of MMR or proof of immunity for full-time students. | Required |
| Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis)Verified | One Tdap dose followed by Td/Tdap boosters per schedule. | Required |
| Varicella (chickenpox)Verified | Two doses of varicella vaccine or proof of immunity. | Required |
| Hepatitis BVerified | Complete Hepatitis B series or proof of immunity for full-time students. | Required |
Living in a residence hall
| Vaccine | What's required | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Meningococcal conjugate (MenACWY)Verified | MenACWY dose at age 16+ for students in on-campus housing, or a signed waiver. | Required / declination |
Recommended
| Vaccine | What's required | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Meningococcal B (MenB)Derived | MenB series recommended for young adults (ages 16–23) through shared clinical decision-making. | Recommended |
| Influenza (seasonal)Derived | Annual seasonal influenza vaccine for all students. | Recommended |
| COVID-19Derived | Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccination per current CDC guidance. | Recommended |
Health-professions & clinical-rotation students
Students placed in clinical sites carry an occupational-health style clearance on top of the all-student requirements — titers, TB screening and annual boosters tied to a clinical site.
| Vaccine | What's required | Status |
|---|---|---|
| MMR (measles, mumps, rubella)Derived | Documented immunity to measles, mumps and rubella by titer or a two-dose series. | Required |
| Varicella (chickenpox)Derived | Documented immunity to varicella by titer or vaccination. | Required |
| Hepatitis BDerived | Complete Hepatitis B series plus a positive surface-antibody (anti-HBs) titer before patient contact. | Required |
| Tuberculosis screeningDerived | Baseline tuberculosis screening (IGRA preferred) on entry, with annual screening based on risk assessment. | Required |
| Influenza (seasonal)Derived | Annual seasonal influenza vaccination during clinical rotations. | Required |
Sources & provenance
- Centers for Disease Control and PreventionCDC immunization of health-care personnel guidanceReference →
- Advisory Committee on Immunization PracticesCDC/ACIP recommended immunization scheduleReference →
- Massachusetts Department of Public Health105 CMR 220.600
Institutions in Massachusetts
40 institutions — open one for its full vaccine list, deadlines and clinical-rotation rules.
Recent updates · Massachusetts
- 2026-04-28policyMassachusetts residential MenACWY waiver language updated
105 CMR 220.600 residential-student meningococcal documentation continues to allow a signed waiver.
About this page. Illustrative concept generated by Enterprise Health to demonstrate a programmatic, knowledge-graph-driven requirements library. Confirm current requirements with each institution and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
Enterprise Health runs student immunization compliance in Massachusetts
One ONC-certified record per student, automated holds, and reporting that rolls up across every campus in the system.