Is Covid-19 vaccination mandatory for international students to study abroad?

Due to the global spread of COVID-19, Universities around the globe have taken extra precautions to keep students safe this year. Universities in the US and Europe that have opened their campuses have ensured they have free testing centres for students. Also, all precautionary measures like sanitizing the campus, maintaining social distancing, and quarantine for students showing any symptoms are being followed strictly. A few universities have also got grants to issue vaccines to students who are yet to be vaccinated.

But the question which arises is which Vaccine is approved and are they mandatory?

According to the Canadian government website, Covishield is approved in Canada while there is no given information on Covaxin which is creating a lot of confusion for Indian students who are looking to apply to Canadian universities.

In the US, Covaxin is not on the list of vaccines approved by foreign countries. In the US they also don’t offer Covishield as an option so if the student has received one dose he/she will have to get the second dose in India itself or opt for a vaccine from another company which may lead to further health complications. Many universities in the US have asked students to opt for vaccines that are authorized and approved by international agencies. Students will be allowed to enter classes only once they have completed the 14-day quarantine post-vaccination.

Recently, at ReachIvy.com we had an online webinar with the admissions officer from Yale School of Management and she stated that Yale will provide vaccines to students on campus.

Many students are very keen to reach their universities despite the pandemic and the current uncertainty. To quote a few, our student Akash who got an admit into a top UK college for his MBA degree says, ‘There is no better time than now to study in these universities and up-skill one’s self to be ready for a post-pandemic economy. However, the acute shortage of vaccines is making it difficult to achieve this dream as the universities need the students to be fully vaccinated before they reach their respective campus.’

Anusha, who has an MS finance admit to a US school, decided to defer her admit to January due to uncertainties in the vaccine availability, travel and safety norms. She feels it was safer to defer and start her program later. Given the circumstances, the university has granted her this deferral.

The majority of the students applying this year have similar opinions and want to apply even if they are considering deferral options later depending on the situation, college requirements and college’ program availability.

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