College immunization requirements in Texas
The short answer
Texas law requires entering students under the age of 22 to show proof of a bacterial meningitis (MenACWY) vaccination received within the last five years, with limited medical and conscientious exemptions. Beyond the meningitis statute, individual campuses set their own MMR, Tdap and varicella expectations.
Texas Education Code §51.9192 (bacterial meningitis)
Entering students under 22 must show a bacterial meningitis (MenACWY) vaccination within the last five years, with limited exemptions.
Texas Department of State Health Services · Tex. Educ. Code §51.9192
Baseline requirements in Texas
What most institutions in Texas 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 |
| Meningococcal conjugate (MenACWY)Verified | MenACWY dose within the last 5 years for entering students under age 22; medical and conscientious exemptions allowed. | Required / declination |
| Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis)Derived | Tdap within the last 10 years (common campus requirement). | Required |
| Varicella (chickenpox)Derived | Documented immunity to varicella (common campus requirement). | Required |
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 →
- Texas Department of State Health ServicesTex. Educ. Code §51.9192
Institutions in Texas
40 institutions — open one for its full vaccine list, deadlines and clinical-rotation rules.
Recent updates · Texas
- 2026-05-12statuteTexas bacterial-meningitis window confirmed at five years
Tex. Educ. Code §51.9192 continues to require a MenACWY dose within five years for entering students under 22.
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 Texas Department of State Health Services.
Enterprise Health runs student immunization compliance in Texas
One ONC-certified record per student, automated holds, and reporting that rolls up across every campus in the system.