New Students

Students at orientation

Welcome to UC Davis!

In addition to the medical requirements outlined after this section, we wanted to highlight some important tips and resources for helping you get off to a healthy start as an Aggie!

All New UC Davis Students Must Fulfill the Following Health Requirements

UC Immunization and Tuberculosis (TB) Risk Screening

All incoming new, transfer and graduate students, including students in the Veterinary Medicine and School of Nursing programs, are required to meet the UC Immunization and TB Risk Screening requirement.

These include:

  • 2 MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) vaccines, or positive titer for each disease
  • 2 Varicella vaccines
  • 1 Adult TDAP
  • 1 meningococcal vaccine (Menactra, Menomune, or Menveo)

Students become compliant with this requirement by entering their vaccination dates, uploading a copy of their immunization records, and completing the TB Risk Screening Questionnaire via Health-e-Messaging.

If you are found to be at higher risk for TB, your medical provider must complete the TB Health Assessment form. Once completed, it must be uploaded via Health-e-Messaging.  

Have a question for our Immunization Nurse? Contact us via Health-e-Messaging using these step-by-step instructions. 

View the official University of California Immunization policy.

Any additional program specific requirements can be found in the program's student handbook/syllabus.

Students who have not provided evidence of the required vaccinations will not be able to complete their final registration without a Medical Exemption Request

  • Medical Exemptions for Vaccinations
  • It is very important that the doctor/nurse practitioner/physician assistant who cared for you at that time, document what happened to you when you had the problem with vaccination. If you had a true “allergic reaction,” then we will need to know which vaccination caused the problem, and whether you were able to become immune to that illness. You will need to complete a Medical Exemption Request, and submit to your campus health center. If they deny your request for an exemption, you have a right to appeal their decision by a UC wide panel. Read more about the Medical Exemption Policy.
  • Personal/Religious Belief Exceptions
  • No exceptions for entrance immunizations are provided on the basis of personal or religious beliefs. Only medical exemptions are allowed.

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Health Insurance

All UC Davis students are required to have health insurance. In order to satisfy this requirement, all students are automatically enrolled in the University of California Student Health Insurance Plan (UC SHIP).

If you already have comparable insurance coverage, and do not wish to be enrolled in UC SHIP, you must apply for a UC SHIP waiver by the posted waiver deadline date. 

Approved waiver applications are only valid for the academic year in which they are submitted. A new waiver application is required to be submitted prior to the start of the new academic year.

The services at SHCS are available to all students, even if you waive enrollment in UC SHIP. 

Why the University of California Requires Immunizations

There has been an increase in outbreaks of vaccine-preventable illnesses over the past five to ten years, and now many illnesses which we thought were disappearing are returning. Although many of these diseases are considered “mild," they can cause serious illness and death. Pertussis was responsible for hospital stays for hundreds of people in California during the past two years, including intensive care admissions and in a few cases, death. Recent outbreaks of measles also resulted in hospitalizations, and new cases of mumps across the country threaten the health and fertility of non-immune students.

The University of California is following the recommendations of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Immunization Branch for Colleges and Universities. The current requirements reflect those in place on February 24, 2016. However, UC reserves the right to modify these requirements pending revisions to the recommendations by CDPH. Changes in CDPH's recommendations will be incorporated into the requirements affecting the incoming fall class each year. In general, these requirements pertain to those vaccine-preventable illnesses that can be spread by respiratory secretions (saliva, coughing, sneezing), and pose a risk to others who might become ill due to classroom or residential contact. These include: measles, mumps, rubella (German measles), pertussis (whooping cough), varicella (Chickenpox), and meningitis, as well as screening for tuberculosis.