Bacterial Meningitis Vaccination Requirement
Texas law requires students under the age of 22 who meet the entering-student requirements to provide proof of a bacterial meningitis vaccination or booster before attending classes.
The vaccination or booster must have been received within the five years before enrollment and at least 10 days before the student attends classes.
Bacterial meningitis is a serious and potentially life-threatening disease. Students are encouraged to talk with their healthcare provider about vaccination and ways to protect themselves from the disease.
Students under age 22 must provide proof of vaccination if they are:
- New students: Students enrolling at an institution of higher education for the first time, including students transferring from another college or university.
- Returning students: Students who previously attended an institution of higher education before January 1, 2012, and are enrolling again after being away for at least one fall or spring semester.
Students who are 22 years of age or older on the first day of the semester are exempt from the bacterial meningitis vaccination requirement.
You can provide any of the following:
- A Bacterial Meningitis Form signed or stamped by a physician, the physician’s designee, or public health personnel. The form must include the month, day, and year the vaccination or booster was given.
- An official immunization record from a state or local health authority.
- An official immunization record from a school, including a record from another state.
Submit your vaccination or booster documentation to the Office of Admissions and Records through Self Service.
You may be able to obtain your immunization records from:
- Your private healthcare provider
- Your local health department
- The Texas Immunization Registry, if your vaccination records are stored there
If your records are in the Texas Immunization Registry, you can request a copy by calling the Texas Immunization Information Line at 1-800-252-9152.
Important: Individuals ages 18–26 must provide adult consent again to remain in the Texas Immunization Registry.
Students may also qualify for an exemption for reasons of conscience by completing the appropriate Exemption from Meningococcal Vaccination Requirements for Reasons of Conscience form.
A student may request a medical exemption by submitting a waiver signed by a physician who is licensed and registered to practice medicine in the United States. The physician must state that, in their professional opinion, the required bacterial meningitis vaccination would be harmful to the student’s health and well-being.
Submit exemption documentation to the Office of Admissions and Records through Self Service.
You do not need to submit proof of bacterial meningitis vaccination if you:
- Are 22 years of age or older on the first day of the semester.
- Are enrolled only in online courses or continuing education corporate training courses.
- Are enrolled in a continuing education course or program with fewer than 360 contact hours.
- Are enrolled in a dual credit course taught at a public or private K–12 facility that is not located on a college or university campus.
- Are incarcerated and enrolled in continuing education or college courses at a prison facility.
If you have questions about the vaccination requirement, exemptions, or where to submit your documentation, contact the Office of Admissions and Records at 956.295.3600.