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Student COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement

Spring 2022 COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement for In-Person Classes

By 11:59 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022, NIU students taking in-person Spring 2022 classes or living in NIU Housing must:

  1. Be fully vaccinated and have their proof of vaccination uploaded and approved through MyNIU
    OR
  2. Have a medical or religious exemption uploaded and approved through MyNIU AND agree to participate in weekly COVID-19 testing every week of the spring semester.

If you do not have an approved vaccine card or exemption in MyNIU by the deadline, you will be dropped from your in-person classes on Friday, Jan. 7, 2022. You will be able to re-enroll in spring classes if you meet the vaccination or exemption requirement before the last day to add a course. Re-enrollment in the same class sections is not guaranteed.

If you already have an approved vaccine card or medical or religious exemption in MyNIU from the Fall 2021 semester, no additional action is required.

Courses reflecting a modality of dissertation, thesis or independent study will be treated as meeting online for the purpose of determining which students are subject to the on-campus vaccination protocols.

Do you know that 87% of NIU students are fully vaccinated against COVID-19? COVID-19 vaccines are safe, effective and free. If you choose to receive the vaccine, make sure you are aware of these important dates:

Vaccine First Dose By Second Dose By
Moderna (two-dose vaccine)
Requires four week (28 days) between doses		 Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021 Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022

Pfizer-BioNTech (two-dose vaccine)
Requires three weeks (21 days) between doses

 Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021 Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022
Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen (one-dose) Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022  

Submit proof of vaccination through MyNIU by Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022.

The vaccine is available at the DeKalb County Health Department (DCHD) or find a COVID-19 vaccine near you.

How to submit proof of vaccination

If you have a religious or medical reason for not receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, you need to submit that information through MyNIU and watch the status of your request to ensure that additional information isn’t needed, or your exemption request may be denied.

Medical exemptions require a signed statement of medical exemption from your primary care provider.

Religious exemptions require a statement in your own words regarding the grounds for religious exemption. Use this form for a religious exemption and then upload it through MyNIU.

Those students with approved medical or religious exemptions will be required to participate in weekly COVID-19 testing beginning January 17, 2021. Testing on campus is offered at the Holmes Student Center five days a week. Failure to participate in testing will result in fines being assessed to your account and removal from in-person classes.

How to submit medical or religious exemption


Please carefully consider your options and familiarize yourself with the steps we are taking as a community to Protect the Pack. If you have any questions about this requirement, please email CampusClear@niu.edu.

Fall 2021 COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement Protocols

Please find the category below that applies to you and take the appropriate action. 

  • Upload your vaccine card through MyNIU, OR
  • Request a medical or religious exemption AND upload the results of your weekly COVID-19 PCR test that you take at the facility of your choice every Friday by 3 p.m. or by the time specified by your particular academic program.
    Please note: Prior to the governor’s executive order, we were able to grant exemptions for some off-campus students participating in the above-mentioned experiences. Effective immediately, even students who have previously been granted a testing exemption need to take the actions outlined above. 

Please note: Prior to the governor’s executive order, we were able to grant exemptions for some off-campus students participating in the above-mentioned experiences. Effective immediately, even students who have previously been granted a testing exemption need to take the actions outlined above.

  • Upload your vaccine card through MyNIU, OR
  • Request a medical or religious exemption with a note from your instructor that you have permission to attend the class fully online. Please note, you will need to have proof of vaccination or an approved medical or religious exemption to the vaccine requirement to register for in-person classes or experiential opportunities like internships and clinicals for Spring 2022.
No action required. You will need to have proof of vaccination or an approved medical or religious exemption to the vaccine requirement to register for in-person classes or experiential opportunities like internships and clinicals for Spring 2022 classes.  
Submit a fully remote exemption request form with a note from your instructor that you have permission to attend the class fully online. Please note, you will need to have proof of vaccination or an approved medical or religious exemption to the vaccine requirement to register for in-person classes or experiential opportunities like internships and clinicals for Spring 2022.

Additional Vaccine Requirements

NIU complies with the Illinois Department of Health which requires students to provide proof of immunization for Tetanus/Diphtheria/Pertussis, Measles, Mumps, Rubella and Meningococcal Conjugate. Details on required vaccines and how to submit your verified documents are available on the Immunization Compliance and Records site.

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