Documentation must be in English and include your full name and date of birth. Write your UT EID and the semester you are entering UT Austin (e.g. Summer or Fall 2012) on all pages of your documentation before submitting it.
Time frame for submitting your documentation
Acceptable documentation to prove inability to receive the meningococcal vaccine because of medical reasons.
You, or your parent or guardian if you are a minor, must submit an affidavit or a certificate signed by a physician who is licensed to practice medicine in the United States, which states that, in the physician's opinion, the meningococcal vaccine would be injurious to your health and well-being.
Documentation must be in English and include your full name and date of birth. Write your UT EID and the semester you are entering UT Austin (e.g. Summer or Fall 2012) on all pages of your documentation before submitting it.
Time frame for submitting your documentation
Declining the meningococcal vaccine for reasons of conscience, including a religious belief. Sole form of acceptable documentation .
Because of the severity and potential fatality of meningococcal disease (bacterial meningitis), please consult a physician about the need for the vaccine before seeking this exemption.
The only acceptable documentation is an original, completed and notarized Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) Vaccine Exemption Affidavit Form. Request this form directly from TDSHS by mail or via an online request process. TDSHS will mail a hard copy of the form to you. TDSHS does not make online copies of the form available to print out, and University Health Services (UHS) is not authorized to provide electronic or hard copies. IMPORTANT: You must send the original, notarized form to UHS. Emailed, faxed forms or photocopies are not acceptable.
Initiate your request to TDSHS well before your intended registration date. It may take several weeks to receive your form during rush times.
Request the Vaccine Exemption Affidavit Form from TDSHS
Write your UT EID and the semester you are entering UT Austin on this form (e.g. Summer or Fall 2012) before submitting it.
Time frame for submitting your documentation
Time frame for submitting required documentation to UHS
The following timelines apply for submitting documentation proving you've had the meningococcal vaccine, that you can't take the vaccine because of medical reasons OR that you decline the vaccine because of reasons of conscience, including a religious belief.
Submit your documentation only after you have been admitted to UT Austin. This requirement is not part of your admission process, but non-compliance will prevent you from registering for classes.
Submit your documentation to UHS at least two weeks before your intended registration date, even if it is during an orientation session, to prevent registration delays.
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS: You can bring your documentation to UHS as soon as you arrive in Austin.
This information is subject to change. Please do not reproduce online or in print.
How to submit your documentation to UHS
Keep a hard copy of any meningococcal vaccine-related documentation you submit to UHS and bring it with you to campus (and to any orientation classes).
NOTE: Submission methods may change depending upon the time of year. Don't be concerned if the information in this section changes after you submit your documentation.
By U.S. Mail:
ATTN: Immunization Compliance
The University of Texas at Austin
University Health Services
P.O. Box 7339
Austin, TX 78713-7339
- Write your full name, EID, the semester you're entering (e.g. summer 2012 or fall 2012) and your email address on your documents
- EXTREMELY IMPORTANT - Write the date of your orientation session (if applicable) on your envelope to ensure processing in time for you to register.
- READMITTED STUDENTS, also write "Readmit" on the outside of your envelope.
By email:
Scan your documentation and attach it to an email sent to:
imm@uhs.utexas.edu
- EXTREMELY IMPORTANT - Write your UTEID, the date of your orientation session (if applicable) and "Vaccine" in the subject line. (use this format: UTEID, 6/6, Vaccine )
- READMITTED STUDENTS, write "Readmit Vaccine" in the subject line.
- Include your full name, EID and the semester you're entering (e.g. summer 2012 or fall 2012) in the text of your email AND on your actual documentation before scanning it.
By FAX:
512-475-8288
During rush periods, you may receive busy signals before being able to complete your fax. Please plan accordingly.
- EXTREMELY IMPORTANT - Write your full name, EID, email address, the date of your orientation session (if applicable) and semester you're entering on your cover sheet and/or documents.
- READMITTED STUDENTS, also write "Readmit."
Hand Delivery
Student Services Building (SSB)
100 West Dean Keaton St.
Austin, Texas 78705
Second floor - Allergy Shot / Immunization clinic
See Hours
- See "By US Mail" above for instructions on what to write on your documentation.
This information is subject to change. Please do not reproduce online or in print.
How to check whether your documentation has been processed and your registration bar has been removed.
It may take a couple of weeks for your documentation to be processed once it's received.
To check if your medical bar has been removed, log in to your Registration Information Sheet (RIS) to see if you still have a "medical" registration bar. This bar will go away once your documentation has been processed.
IF YOUR BAR IS STILL THERE:
- Your documentation may not have been processed yet if it's been less than two weeks since you submitted it.
- There could be a problem with your documentation that would keep your "medical" registration bar from being removed.
- You will be sent an email from imm@uhs.utexas.edu informing you if this is the case.
- To see if you've possibly missed such an email, search all of your applicable email inboxes and junk mailboxes for imm@uhs.utexas.edu. If you sent your information via email, search that address. If you sent it by paper fax or regular mail, search the email address you have listed as your official UT email address.
- If you don't have a "problem" email from UHS and it's been longer than two weeks since you submitted your documentation, you can send an email if you wish to imm@uhs.utexas.edu to check the status of your documentation. Put "Vaccine Follow-up" in the subject line. Include your UT EID in the text.
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS: A "medical" bar on your RIS could mean that you're out of compliance with meningococcal vaccine; proof of immunity to measles, mumps, and rubella; and/or the tuberculosis screening test.
Where you can get the meningococcal vaccine (including those without insurance)
Getting meningococcal vaccine at UHS:
Admitted students can schedule an online appointment to get the meningococcal vaccine at UHS. Click here for instructions. They can also call (512)471-4955. Neither parents nor anyone else can schedule an appointment for a student. They must schedule it themselves. BE ADVISED: UHS has a finite number of immunization appointments, and you may not be able to get the vaccine at UHS if you wait until the last minute to do so. Being unable to schedule an appointment at UHS (or any other facility) in time to meet registration deadlines will not be considered a valid reason for a waiver of this requirement).
If you don't have health insurance, or if your insurance will not pay for a meningococcal vaccine administered at UHS, you will qualify for a self-pay discount and pay $133 plus a $12 administration fee for the vaccine. NOTE: Even if UHS takes your insurance, there is no guarantee that your insurance company will pay for a meningococcal vaccine. Contact your insurance company directly to see if they will pay for a meningococcal vaccine administered to someone your age at University Health Services.
Find out if UHS takes (is in network with) your insurance.
UHS Charges Policy (pdf)
Other resources for getting the vaccine
You can get the meningococcal vaccine at most doctors' offices and private clinics, many large pharmacy chains, and some minor emergency centers or walk-in retail clinics. Call in advance to see whether they offer the vaccine, require an appointment, and take your insurance.
If you have Medicaid or CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Plan), please contact your established healthcare provider as your first option.
If you are uninsured or your insurance will not cover the meningococcal vaccine:
- If you are 18 or younger, you might qualify for the Texas Vaccines for Children Program. Call the United Way's referral helpline, by dialing 211, to find healthcare providers in your area who participate in this program.
- Many full-service Texas city/county health departments offer free or low-cost meningococcal vaccine as part of children and adult immunization programs, such as the "Big Shots" program in Austin. Call to confirm that they offer the meningococcal vaccine for someone your age and in your circumstances.
"Full Service" City/County Health Departments in Texas
Austin/Travis County "Shots for Tots" and "Big (Adult) Shots" Program Locations
More Information about the Disease and the Vaccine
Vaccine Information
Information about Meningococcal Disease (Bacterial Meningitis)
