The University of Virginia has disenrolled students who didn’t comply with the school’s Covid-19 vaccine requirement as the institution gets ready to welcome back undergraduate students for in-person classes on Monday, the school said Saturday.
At least 238 students, including 49 students who were enrolled in fall courses, were disenrolled this week after “receiving multiple reminders via email, text, phone calls, calls to parents that they were out of compliance,” university spokesperson Brian Coy told The Virginian-Pilot on Friday.
That may mean that “a good number” of the remaining students “may not have been planning to return to the University this fall at all,” Coy said.
The majority of the students returning to campus are vaccinated. More than 96 percent of students have already received the Covid-19 vaccine, according to a news release from the university. However, the school made some exceptions based on certain religious or medical reasons.
The university granted 335 permanent vaccine waivers for students with religious or medical exemptions. The school also granted 184 temporary vaccine waivers for students who faced difficulties getting vaccinated at home but intend to get the vaccine once on campus.
Most university employees and faculty members are also vaccinated. Ninety-three percent of all university employees and 96 percent of classroom faculty are fully vaccinated, WVIR, NBC's affiliate in Charlottesville, reported.
Exempt students and staff members must be tested weekly and wear a mask in indoor and outdoor common spaces.
Students who intend on becoming vaccinated but have struggled to gain access to a vaccine can contact student affairs.
“That’s kind of a case by case thing within student affairs. As time passes, those opportunities grow fewer because classes are about to start,” Coy told WVIR on Thursday, adding that the school will not be providing virtual classes for students who do not want to be vaccinated since all students are expected to study in-person.
Students who comply with the vaccine requirement or file an exemption by Wednesday will be able to re-enroll.
School officials have said that high vaccination rates on campus have allowed them to bring back events such as football games and other welcome events to kickoff the fall semester.
The university and public health leaders will continue monitor Covid-19 cases within the community and reevaluate the temporary masking policy by Sept. 6.
Both vaccinated and unvaccinated people are currently required to wear a mask indoors within university properties with the exception of inside dorms and private housing or when people are alone in closed spaces, such as an office.
