UVA: Students who didn’t meet vaccine mandate disenrolled

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP/WAVY) — More than 200 University of Virginia students who didn’t comply with the school’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement have been disenrolled ahead of the fall semester.

The student vaccine mandate was first announced in a University-wide email on May 20. The mandate requires that all students who live, learn or work in person at the University must be fully vaccinated before returning, effective July 1.

“This approach will enable our students to return to a residential academic setting where they can live, study, and gather together safely,” according to the email.  

Students were able to seek a medical or religious exemption to the vaccination requirement. However, those students who receive an exemption will be required to undergo pre-arrival and weekly prevalence testing, among other things.

On August 19, The Virginian-Pilot reports that the school disenrolled 238 students, including 49 who were enrolled in fall courses.

University spokesperson Brian Coy says that may mean that “a good number” of the remaining students “may not have been planning to return to the University this fall at all.”

The announcement came after the Virginia Attorney General said in a letter that “Virginia’s state institutions of higher education…may condition in-person attendance on receipt of an approved COVID-19 vaccine during this time of pandemic.”

Several other Virginia universities and colleges are requiring vaccines – including Virginia Tech, William & Mary, VCU and Old Dominion.

Coy says the students were disenrolled after “receiving multiple reminders via email, text, phone calls, calls to parents that they were out of compliance.”

The students can re-enroll if they comply with the vaccine requirement or file an exemption by Wednesday.

University data shows that 96.6% of UVA students have confirmed that they are vaccinated, including 97.1% of students living on campus. As of August 18, 335 permanent waivers and 184 temporary waivers were granted by the University.

Classes are set to start Monday, August 24.