Immunization Recommendations for College Students

These guidelines facilitate the implementation of a comprehensive institutional immunization policy and are updated annually.

ACHA strongly supports the use of vaccines to protect the health of our individual students and our campus communities— immunizations offer safe and effective protection from vaccine-preventable diseases and outbreaks. These guidelines are provided to facilitate the implementation of a comprehensive institutional immunization policy.

To create these guidelines, ACHA derives evidence-based information from a variety of sources including U.S. federal government agencies (e.g., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), medical professional societies, (e.g., American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Family Physicians), international public health organizations (e.g., World Health Organization), and peer reviewed literature.

Summary of Changes for 2026

The Immunization Recommendations Workgroup of the Vaccine Preventable Diseases Committee completed a major revision of the Immunization Recommendations for College Students Guidelines in 2026. A total of five comments were received from ACHA members.  While all of the comments were in support of the revised Immunization Recommendations for College Students Guidelines, one member commented on how state laws may be a barrier to implementing them.

The 2026 updates include:

• Updated the introduction to include important key messages about institutional immunization programs:
  • Implement programs and policies that promote high vaccine coverage among students.
  • Strengthen patient education to help students make informed decisions about vaccines, including those recommended through shared clinical decision making.
  • Prioritize prevention of outbreaks—and be prepared to respond effectively when they occur.

• Added new sections that support the key messages including a summary table of all recommended vaccines including catch up recommendations for college students, and a new section on Outbreak Prevention and Response.

• Added a new Appendix A— About Vaccine-Preventable Diseases and Associated Vaccines. These tables are designed to be user-friendly and easy to read and comprehend. Note that the Workgroup decided to include reference links in each section so that all information is in one place.

• Updated and made more concise Appendix B—Additional Immunization Considerations for Health Science Students

• Added a new Appendix C—Vaccines for International Travel

• Added a new Appendix D—Sample Campus Immunization Submission Form

• Added a new Appendix E—Talking With Students About Vaccine Costs and Available Support