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Updated UC and CSU Student Vaccine Requirements
Allow for Religious Exemptions!
Everything you need to know!

Since 2015, A Voice for Choice Advocacy has been at the forefront of advocating to ensure students and employees at California’s public colleges and universities are not mandated to receive vaccines - giving testimony at Board meetings, writing legal position letters, sending petitions that resulted in a Cease and Desist letter and change in policy from the University of California, as well as helping thousands of students and employees successfully navigate the changing vaccine policies and file exemptions.  The only other organization that has worked steadfast alongside AVFCA on this issue since 2015 is California Health Coalition Advocacy (CHCA) and AVFCA thanks their leaders for their work.

Some of our wins over the years include, both pre- and during COVID, arguing that if employees have a religious exemption for the flu and COVID vaccines that students cannot be discriminated against and must be allowed the same.  And they were – UC and CSU students were granted Religious Exemptions to both these vaccines! 

In the years following the passing of SB277, the University of California and California State Universities implemented vaccine policies for students that only allowed medical exemptions, with no personal belief nor religious exemptions.  Once a religious exemption was allowed for the COVID and flu vaccines, it became difficult for students who had sincere religious beliefs against all vaccines, because while they could exercise their religious beliefs for the flu and COVID vaccines, they could not do the same with the other required vaccines.  However, in the past few months, both the University of California and California State Universities have updated their vaccine policies to recognize students’ religious rights.  This is a huge win and A Voice for Choice Advocacy is thrilled that our continued efforts over the past 9 years have paid off! 

This change in policy will also add to the strength of our SB 277 Lawsuit in which AVFCA is trying to get religious exemptions instated for K-12 public and private school vaccination requirements.

The full history of vaccine requirements for University of California, California State Universities and California Community Colleges, including links to all policy documents, is available and always up-to-date on our Empower Yourself: College Vaccination Requirements page: https://avoiceforchoiceadvocacy.org/college-vaccine-requirements-options/.  Below is a summary of each, as well as current requirements:

California State University (CSU)

From Fall 2002 until April 2019, California State University required students to be vaccinated for measles, rubella and hepatitis B, with the option of a medical, personal belief and religious exemption, in order to enroll.  In April 2019, mumps, varicella, tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis and meningococcal vaccines were added to the requirements and the personal belief and religious belief exemptions were removed, leaving only a medical exemption. In February 2023, CSU removed their overarching non-COVID and COVID vaccination policies, allowing individual CSU campuses to implement their own vaccine policy, but allowing for medical and religious belief exemptions.  

Therefore if you attend or are considering attending a California State University, you will need to go to each individual campus’ website and search for their vaccination and exemption policy, as each have unique requirements/exemptions.

University of California (UC)

Prior to 2016, the University of California did not have any vaccine requirements for students to attend.  In 2018, UC implemented a new UC Student Immunization Policy that required vaccines for measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis and meningococcal in order for students to enroll, with only a medical exemption or titer antibody serum testing allowed in lieu of vaccination.  In 2020 UC added a flu vaccine requirement and in 2021 a COVID vaccine requirement, for both students and employees.  Initially these only allowed for a medical exemption for students, but after AVFCA created a UC Discrimination Campaign, the policy was updated to include religious exemptions, giving employees and students equal rights.  In 2022, UC updated their Policy on Vaccination Programs to incorporate an overarching vaccine policy which included medical and religious exemptions for “Mandated Programs” for both employees and students.  However, the UC Student Immunization Policy was still in effect, resulting in inconsistent exemption options for students with religious beliefs.  Students could submit religious belief exemptions for the flu and COVID vaccines, but not the other required vaccines. This updated policy also added the ability to decline vaccinations for “Opt-Out Programs”.  In May 2023, UC changed the flu and COVID vaccine requirements to Opt-Out Programs, allowing students and employees to sign a form declining them.  In June 2024, UC again updated their Policy on Vaccination Programs by integrating the UC Student Immunization Policy into it, and expanding exemptions to include medical, religious and disability exemptions for all mandated vaccines, starting January 1, 2025.

Therefore if you attend or are considering attending the University of California, you will not be required to be vaccinated if you have medical reasons, sincere religious beliefs, or a disability that prevents you from being vaccinated.

California Community Colleges (CCC)

Prior to 2021, California Community Colleges did not have any vaccine requirements for students to attend.  In fact according to California Code, Health and Safety Code - HSC § 120360 the K-12 vaccine requirements “shall not apply to any person 18 years of age or older, or to any person seeking admission to a community college.”  In 2021, some of the CCCs required the COVID vaccine, but all allowed for a medical and religious exemption.  This requirement has been removed since.  

Therefore if you attend or are considering attending a California Community College you will not be required to be vaccinated.

A Voice for Choice Advocacy will continue to track and advocate for the full removal of vaccine requirements in CA Universities, but is excited to share that students with sincere religious beliefs in California now have public university and community college options that do not require vaccinations for enrollment.  Note: The US First Amendment is a dynamic guarantee for freedom of religion, that was written in a manner to ensure flexibility and responsiveness to the passage of time and the development of the United States.  Thus, religion is not limited to traditional denominations, and can include sincere beliefs that are rooted in spirituality. 

A Voice for Choice Advocacy has helped thousands of employees and students successfully write and submit religious exemptions.  If you want help with writing a religious exemption watch our workshop on this topic:  https://avoiceforchoiceadvocacy.org/avfca-religious-exemption-writing-workshop-online/

If you found this information helpful and appreciate the work A Voice for Choice Advocacy is doing, please support us by making a donation today.

Together we can make change happen!

C

Christina Hildebrand
President/Founder
A Voice for Choice Advocacy, Inc.
[email protected]
www.AVoiceForChoiceAdvocacy.org