Bacterial Meningitis Vaccination Requirement
All new students, including transfer students, under the age of 22, must show evidence of receipt of initial bacterial meningitis vaccination (meningococcal meningitis vaccine) dose or booster in the last five years and at least ten days prior to the first day of the semester in which the student initially enrolls. This law also applies to any student returning to school after a break in enrollment for a fall or spring semester.
Immunizations are available from the UNT Student Health and Wellness Center, a personal physician, or a local Health Department.
The meningitis vaccination should be for the meningococcal ACWY strain. The following is acceptable evidence of vaccination or receiving a booster dose:
- The signature or stamp of a physician or their designee, or public health person on a form that shows the month, day, and year the vaccination dose or booster was administered.
- An official immunization record generated from a state or local health authority
- An official record received from school officials, including a record from another state
Bacterial Meningitis Vaccination Exemptions
Students are not required to submit evidence of vaccination if they are twenty-two years of age or older or enrolled for online courses only. If a student attends any class or portion of a class on campus or lives in on-campus housing, they must submit evidence of vaccination. More information about bacterial meningitis is available at the CDC meningitis page.
Students, parents, and guardians have the right to seek an exemption to this requirement by completing the UNT Meningitis Medical Exemption Form. The exemption will only be permitted based on evidence that the bacterial meningitis vaccine would be injurious to a student's health and well-being according to the professional opinion of a physician who is duly registered and licensed to practice medicine in the United States.
Exemptions from Immunizations for Reasons of Conscience, such as religious or philosophical belief, can only be requested through the Texas Department of State Health Services. The exception form from DSHS must be signed and notarized no more than 90 days prior to the first day of classes and submitted in-person to the Registrar in order to be valid.
Bacterial Meningitis Requirement Deadlines
New students, returning students, and continuing students not enrolled for Spring 2023 and who are under 22 years of age as of the first class day for the Spring 2023 session or term they wish to enroll, should provide proof of a bacterial meningitis vaccination or exemption no later than 5:00 PM on the deadline date. Students will be allowed to enroll prior to submitting the documents. However, classes will be canceled after 5:00 PM on the last day of regular registration for any student who has not submitted the proper documentation. A student will be allowed to enroll late only if the proper immunization form is filed with the appropriate UNT Department.
Spring 2023
The last day to receive to submit a meningitis immunization record and enroll in the Spring 2023 semester is January 12, 2023
Spring 8 Week-2: The last day to receive the immunization and enroll in classes is March 16, 2023.
Submitting Bacterial Meningitis Documentation
Students should upload a copy of their meningitis immunization or UNT Meningitis Medical Exemption Form to their MyUNT portal.
How to Upload Your File
- Log into my.unt.edu
- Click on the Tasks tile
- Click on "Meningitis Documents Needed" in your To Do List to upload your files
Only one upload is allowed. After upload, your submission will be processed in the order it was received.
If you are experiencing technical issues logging into the MyUNT Portal please contact AITS Support.
If you need to resubmit your documents, have questions about the requirement, or are experiencing issues submitting your documents, please submit a ticket through Scrappy Says:
- Submit your question under "Need Further assistance" on the right-hand side of Scrappy Says.
- Choose "other" in the dropdown for "I would like assistance with:" when filling out the form.
Meningitis Requirement for IELI Students
All new IELI students, including transfer students, must show evidence of receipt of initial bacterial meningitis vaccination (meningococcal meningitis vaccine) dose or booster in the last five years and at least ten days prior to the first day of the term in which the student initially enrolls. This also applies to any IELI student returning to UNT after a break in enrollment for a fall or spring semester. This requirement does not apply to any student who will be twenty-two years of age or older on or prior to the first day of classes for the term in which they initially enroll.
Follow the instructions on the Submitting Bacterial Meningitis Documentation tab to submit your proof of vaccination.
Requirement Deadlines for IELI Students
If you were attending IELI classes at UNT during Spring 2023 sessions, proof of immunization against bacterial meningitis is required.
Spring 2023 Full Term & Fall 8 Week-1: The last day to receive the immunization and enroll in classes is January 12, 2023
Spring 8 Week-2: The last day to receive the immunization and enroll in classes is March 16, 2023.
Other Recommended Vaccinations
Even though the bacterial meningitis vaccination is the only required immunization, the SHWC recommends that all students have current immunizations for COVID-19, tetanus, measles, mumps, diphtheria, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, pertussis, polio, rubella, and varicella.
