College immunization requirements in Pennsylvania

College and University Student Vaccination Act (35 P.S. §633.1)VerifiedReviewed June 2026 · illustrative concept

The short answer

Pennsylvania's Student Vaccination Act requires that students living in residence halls receive meningococcal and Hepatitis B vaccination, or sign a waiver after being informed of the risks. General-population requirements are set campus-by-campus on a common core.

College and University Student Vaccination Act (35 P.S. §633.1)

Students living in residence halls must receive meningococcal and Hepatitis B vaccination, or sign a waiver after being informed of the risks.

Pennsylvania Department of Health · 35 P.S. §633.1

Baseline requirements in Pennsylvania

What most institutions in Pennsylvania 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)Derived	Two doses of MMR or proof of immunity (common campus requirement).	Required
Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis)Derived	Tdap within the last 10 years (common campus requirement).	Required

Living in a residence hall

Vaccine	What's required	Status
Meningococcal conjugate (MenACWY)Verified	MenACWY vaccination for residence-hall students, or a signed informed waiver.	Required / declination
Hepatitis BVerified	Hepatitis B vaccination for residence-hall students, or a signed informed waiver.	Required / declination

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 rotations

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 →
Pennsylvania Department of Health35 P.S. §633.1

Institutions in Pennsylvania

40 institutions — open one for its full vaccine list, deadlines and clinical-rotation rules.