Hampshire College Will Require All Students to Be Vaccinated for Fall 2021 Semester

Hampshire College today announced that all students returning for the fall 2021 semester will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19. This supports the College’s plan to return to an in-person, fully residential, personalized, and safe college experience for the fall semester.

Requests for exceptions for medical or religious reasons will be evaluated following Hampshire’s standard policies. The expectation is that, by the fall, the College community will consist predominantly of vaccinated individuals, which will significantly reduce the risk of infection for all. Students who cannot obtain a vaccination before arriving next semester will need to do so when they get to Hampshire; the College will work on ways to facilitate access.

“As vaccination rates and availability increase across the country, I am even more confident that the Hampshire College community can create a campus environment very much like the one we enjoyed before the pandemic,” says President Ed Wingenbach. “We demonstrated a remarkable dedication to the health of everyone in our community this year by maintaining safe practices, even as it has grown tiring to do so, and I know we will continue to be guided by shared commitments to scientific evidence and care for one another.”

Questions about the policy may be directed to deanofstudents@hampshire.edu.

On-Campus Vaccine Clinic Sunday, April 25 for Hampshire Community

Additionally, Hampshire College will be offering a free on-campus clinic this Sunday, April 25, for all students and employees. The College's objective will be to create a community with near universal vaccination, both to protect those few people who cannot take the vaccine for medical or religious reasons, and to contribute to the safety of our neighbors. Hampshire is following the evolution of federal and state guidance regarding requiring vaccination of employees, and will continue to evaluate the possibility of mandating it.