Immunizations & Allergies

You must have immunizations to begin at various points along your college journey:

• Students in University Housing: You will not receive your room assignment or key on move-in day until you receive Menactra, the meningococcal vaccine that protects against strains ACY and W.
• Students Involved in Clinical Activities (for example, Nursing): Several immunizations are required, including Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) vaccine, Tuberculosis (TB) testing, varicella, and several others.

Full Chart of Immunization Requirements

Health insurance is mandatory at Rutgers University–Newark. As a full-time student, you will either enroll in the student insurance plan or waive our plan. 

Here’s how insurance covers your immunization based on your coverage:

Students Enrolled in the Student Insurance Plan

• Since you are covered by student insurance, you won’t pay out-of-pocket expenses for routine immunizations, including vaccine costs or visit/procedural fees. These costs are covered through direct billing to the insurance company.

Students Who Waived the Student Insurance Plan

• Since you are not covered by student insurance, your insurance provider must pay for the cost of your vaccines, blood tests for immunity status (titers), and TB skin testing. You can request a paid receipt and claim form, which can be applied for reimbursement by your insurance company. Call your private health insurance regarding reimbursements of these costs.

Receiving a yearly flu shot remains the most effective method to prevent influenza. It's especially crucial for individuals at higher risk of infection, including students (residing and studying in densely populated areas), healthcare professionals, smokers, individuals over 50, children under 2 years old, and those with compromised immune systems (e.g., due to recent illness). 

The CDC advocates flu vaccination for all individuals. Given that the flu virus strain evolves annually, yearly vaccinations are necessary. It typically takes around two weeks post-vaccination for antibodies to develop and provide flu protection. Thus, it's advisable to schedule vaccination early in the autumn, prior to the onset of flu season

To ensure the safe administration of allergy shots, you will need to complete our allergy packet with information from your allergist including:

• Concentration
• Vial contents
• Frequency of injections
• Expiration date of serum
• Late or missed injection directions

*Rutgers Student Health Services will not administer injections without a completed allergy packet or administer injections if vials are inadequately labeled or if instructions are missing or incomplete.