UC COVID-19 Vaccination and Booster Policy Requirement
The UC system's current UC COVID-19 vaccination policy requires faculty, staff and students to obtain a booster shot as soon as they are eligible after the orginal vaccine series.
- If are booster eligible but you’re not boosted, your campus access badge will reflect non-compliance with the booster policy and weekly testing will be required until you are boosted or have an approved exemption.
- If you are not yet eligible for a booster, there is no restricted campus access or weekly testing required until you become booster eligible. Once you become booster eligible you have 30 day grace period to get your booster vaccine before an enrollment hold will be placed.
Students are reminded that compliance with the vaccination policy is a condition of being physically on campus.
- Current students who are booster eligible but not yet boosted will have an enrollment hold placed on March 1 (impacts Fall 22 enrollment).
- Incoming students for Summer 2022 or Fall 2022 have an enrollmen hold placed and will not be able to register for classed until the requirement is met.
Faculty and staff are reminded that compliance is a condition of employment.
Please review the instructions for how to update your vaccination record in eTang with your booster information. Once you enter your booster information, your campus access badge will update overnight.
If you tested positive for COVID in the last 90 days:
- For those who have recently tested positive for COVID-19, clinically it is recommended you may receive the booster sooner if you wish, any time after you are released from isolation and are fully recovered, as long as you did not receive monoclonal antibodies to treat your COVID-19.
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We would recommend you consider doing so sooner than 90 days if you are immunocompromised, are about to start immunosuppressive medications, or are about to travel to an area with a different circulating strain or limited healthcare access.
- However, if you tested positive and want to defer your booster for 90 days from the date you were positive, make sure that you have sent a message to the COVID Response Team via eTang and uploaded your positive test results. Once the submission is reviewed, you will automatically be given a 90 day deferral from getting your booster from the date of the positive test.
Booster Guidelines
As of 3/14/2022 (subject to change)
UC Berkeley has just updated the compliance policy for students with an initial series of a WHO-approved (but not FDA approved) vaccine who have had a booster of a WHO-approved (but not FDA approved) vaccine and will ACCEPT the dose of a WHO-approved non-FDA COVID vaccine to meet the booster requirements, as long as the booster was given at least 2 months after the last dose of the initial series.
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If you received an initial series of… |
You are eligible for a PFIZER or MODERNA booster if it has been at least… |
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Pfizer (Comirnaty) Moderna |
5+ months after your 2nd dose |
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J&J (Janssen) |
2+ months after your J&J dose |
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Sinopharm BIBP or Sinovac AstraZeneca/Covishield COVAXIN |
5+ months after your 2nd dose |
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Novavax |
5+ months after your 2nd dose |
Exemption Forms and Process
The policy allows for exceptions to COVID-19 vaccination based on a Medical Exemption, Disability Accommodation, or Religious Objection; pregnant individuals may also request a deferral if they wish for the duration of the pregnancy. Those that receive a vaccine mandate exception (for medical or religious reasons) will need to wear a face-covering inside campus buildings and will need to be tested at least once per week.
Medical Exemption/Disability/Deferral Request Forms
- To request a Medical Exemption/Disability/Deferral use those forms (also found in eTang Downloadable Forms):
- For Students: Medical Exemption/Disability/Deferral Request Form - Students
- For Faculty and Staff: Medical Exemption/Disability/Deferral Request Form - Faculty and Staff
- Once your medical provider has completed and signed the document, you need to upload it to eTang in the Downloadable Forms section.
- Medical exemption requests will be evaluated individually by the UHS Medical Director and approved exemptions will be processed to update compliance with the COVID-19 vaccine policy.
- A list of established medical contraindications to vaccination can be found on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website for Guide to Contraindications.
Religious Belief Objection
- To request a Religious Belief Objection, use this UC Berkeley Religious Belief Objection Form.
- To complete the form, you must be logged in using your berkeley.edu email address.
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Requests will be reviewed and it may take a few days for your compliance status to be updated. You will be contacted if additional information is needed.
Remote Study Students - COVID-19 Exception Request Form
Summer 2022 sessions: For students who are studying remotely for the Summer 2022 sessions and will not be coming to campus for any reason, at any time through August 12, 2022, you can complete an attestation form in eTang, under Downloadable Forms. You may also be asked to provide documentation from your academic department confirming that you are studying remotely and will not be on campus.
Temporary enrollment hold lift for COVID-19 vaccine requirement
Students may request a temporary enrollment hold lift if you meet either of the following;
1. You are an international student living in a country with limited or no access to WHO-approved COVID-19 vaccines, and will not have time to complete a WHO-approved vaccine series before the start of the semester once I arrive in the United States.
2. You received the first dose of a multi-dose COVID-19 vaccine series, and need to wait the requisite amount of time in between doses.
Please complete and submit this form by uploading on eTang under messages.