International students coming to the US for the fall semester are facing confusion around vaccine requirements, with stakeholders saying that adequate communication must be put in place – rules vary according to institution and region.
A database from The Chronicle of Higher Education has shown that more than 500 US colleges and universities will require students to get a coronavirus vaccine before the start of the fall term.
However the picture is complex and institutions have a variety of requirements that can be dependent on specific state legislation. “I think the issue here is twofold. One is the lack of centralised places that students can get access to information,” Kaushik said. “There are over 500 universities and theoretically every university, depending on the politics of the local region, can have a different policy, plus different standards on the vaccinations right through it.”
Founder of North American Association of Indian Students Sudhanshu Kaushik told that the differing requirements are causing confusion amongst students. Kaushik explained that the Indian students who NAAIS represent are spread out across the US at top institutions, Ivy League institutions and community colleges.
“What’s happening is that there’s so much different information that they’re hearing… It adds to a whole other level of confusion.
Kaushik called for a centralised method of communication or the adoption of centralised policy to better help students understand and prepare for the requirements.