The University of Minnesota announced Monday it will require students to be vaccinated against COVID-19 once the shots receive full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which is expected in the coming weeks.
The university's vaccination mandate, which must be approved by the Board of Regents, would apply to the roughly 60,000 students attending the U's five campuses. University faculty and staff must either get vaccinated or agree to be regularly tested for COVID-19.
"This will allow us the best chance to have normal campus activity this fall and uninterrupted in-person, on-campus instruction," U President Joan Gabel wrote in a message to students and employees Monday. "We understand that this is a challenging decision for our community, but our interests are first and foremost the health of our students, staff, and faculty."
The proposed mandate is a reversal from the university's previous stance to encourage, not require, COVID vaccinations.
And it comes after many U professors and staff criticized the university for requiring only masks but not vaccinations or regular COVID-19 testing.
Pending likely regent approval, the U will join hundreds of colleges nationwide, including about a dozen private colleges in Minnesota, that have implemented vaccination mandates.
Minnesota's other public college system, Minnesota State, is not requiring students at its 30 community colleges and seven universities to be vaccinated.
With the delta variant causing a surge in new COVID-19 infections, colleges across the country are hoping vaccination and mask mandates will help them maintain a sense of normalcy on campus.