Emerson College announced Wednesday that students would be required to be vaccinated against coronavirus in order to return to campus this fall.
"We will require that all students studying on our campuses be vaccinated in order to attend the 2021 Fall Term," President Lee Pelton said in a letter to students posted to Emerson Today. "It is our expectation that all staff and faculty will be vaccinated before they return to campus."
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Pelton noted that medical and religious exemptions would be made "on an individual basis."
The school says it plans to return to full in-person learning and "a more familiar pre-pandemic, on-campus environment."
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More on the COVID-19 vaccine
Students who spoke with NBC10 Boston Wednesday liked the idea.
"I think it's really smart," said Morgan Gaffney, a freshman at Emerson. "I think in order to have a normal year, everyone needs to be vaccinated to be the most safe that we can be."
"I think it's a really really good idea. It will make me feel safer coming back to school next year," another student said.
The announcement comes two weeks after the school canceled all in-person activities after a spike in COVID-19 cases.
Northeastern University and Boston University will also require students to be vaccinated.
