Enrollment Requirement for UTPA Students: Proof of Bacterial Meningitis Vaccination

BACTERIAL MENINGITIS VACCINATION DEADLINE: In order to enroll in the Spring 2013 semester, new students who are required to obtain the bacterial meningitis vaccination must have taken it by Friday, January 4, 2013. The State of Texas requires that the vaccination be taken at least ten (10) days before the first day of class.

As of January 1, 2012 all Texas public and private institutions of higher education including all UT System institutions cannot allow new* students to enroll unless the student shows proof that the student:

• Has had a vaccination or a booster for bacterial meningitis during the last five years but no later than the 10th day before the first day of the semester (or other period of enrollment) in which the student seeks to enroll.
• This pertains to first time students as well as students who have stopped out for one long semester.

Students who meet one of the following four specific exceptions permitted by the law do not have to provide proof of the vaccination:

• New students who are thirty years of age or older on first day of the semester
• New students who are enrolled only in on-line or distance classes
• New students who provide a medical excuse that states that the vaccination would be harmful to the student’s health
• New students who provide documentation of a moral or conscientious objection to the vaccine by using a form promulgated by the Texas Department of State Services. Please click here to learn more about the vaccine exemption for reasons of conscience.

*A student is considered a “new” student if they are enrolling for the first time at UTPA or, if they have previously been enrolled at UTPA and are now enrolling in a new undergraduate or graduate program at UTPA.

Graduate students who do not meet the exceptions listed above will need to provide proof of vaccination to the Office of Graduate Studies. In order to enroll, the vaccination must have been taken 10 days before the start of the semester. A registration hold has been placed on all graduate students that do not meet the exceptions. This hold will be removed once the Office of Graduate Studies has received the required proof of the immunization.

Deadlines for Bacterial Meningitis Vaccination:

Graduate students that are required to provide proof of the vaccination should submit copies of their immunization records, either in person or by postal mail, to:

Office of Graduate Studies
Marialice Shary Shivers Bldg. 116
The University of Texas – Pan American
1201 W University Dr.
Edinburg, Texas 78539

Students may also email copies of their vaccination to the admissions staff. Refer to the staff contact page to determine the admissions staff responsible for your graduate program.

To find the vaccine, check with your:

• UTPA Student Health Services
• Family doctor
• Local public health department

Residents of Hidalgo County may visit any of the following locations:

Frequently asked questions can be found here.
Information about the vaccine exemption for Reasons of Conscience can be found here.