The number of colleges and universities requiring students to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 is suddenly increasing.
In the last few days, Duke University, Brown, Northeastern University, Notre Dame University, Syracuse University, and Ithaca College have all announced that students returning to campus in the fall should be fully vaccinated before the first day of class.
Cornell University, Rutgers University, Nova Southeastern University, Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island, Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado and St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, also said vaccinations would be mandatory for the fall of 2021.
More from Personal Finance:
Vaccination of children could delay reopening, parents fear
Study: Virtual school resulted in ‘significant’ learning loss
Many schools struggle to reopen to personal learning
According to Lynn Pasquerella, president of the Association of American Colleges and Universities, more institutions are likely to follow.
“Medical and religious exemptions will be applied, but the expectation will be that our campuses and classrooms will consist overwhelmingly of vaccines, which will significantly reduce the risk of infection for all,” said Cornell President Martha Pollack and prov. Michael Kotlikoff said in a statement.
Across the country, campuses have struggled to stay open over the past year as fraternities, sororities and parties outside the campus suddenly increase in cases of coronavirus among students. Meanwhile, students overwhelmingly declared the remote school to be a mediocre substitute for the classroom.
As Covid vaccines are eligible for people 16 years and older, schools need to consider how a vaccine mandate can help higher education get back on track, Pasquerella said.
For those enrolled in the school, there are many vaccination requirements to prevent the spread of diseases such as polio, diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough.
All 50 countries have at least one vaccine mandate for children attending public schools and even those attending private schools and day care centers. In every case there are medical exemptions, and in some cases there are also religious or philosophical exemptions.
“Adding Covid-19 vaccination to our student vaccination requirements will help provide a safer and more robust university experience for our students,” Rutgers President Jonathan Holloway said in a statement.
At Rutgers, students can also request exemption from vaccination for medical or religious reasons, and students who are enrolled in programs that have been taken at a remote level will not have to be vaccinated.
And yet, the hesitation of vaccines is especially a powerful force among parents.
Only 58% of parents or caregivers said they would vaccinate their children against Covid, although 70% of parents said they would vaccinate themselves, according to a March poll by ParentsTogether, a national advocacy group.
ParentsTogether found that low-income households and minorities are even less likely to vaccinate their children.
Other studies have shown that black and Latino people are more skeptical about the vaccines than the general U.S. population due to historical drug abuse. Differences in the distribution of vaccines in the USA have also been observed
“Colleges need to anticipate this and think about how it’s going to play out,” said Bethany Robertson, co-founder and co-director of ParentsTogether.
“We need to start the conversation with parents now, to create trust and understanding about how children who are vaccinated against Covid-19 protect their health, their family’s health and the health of our communities,” Robertson said.
In addition to students, parents and community members, schools must also weigh the interests of faculty, staff, legislators and board of trustees, Pasquerella said.
“It’s complicated,” she said. “No matter what decision you make, one group will end up dissatisfied.”
Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube.