Nebraska University Requiring Student Vaccinations for the Fall

Doane University in Nebraska will require students to get COVID-19 vaccinations before the fall semester starts or soon after.

Doane is a private institution with campus locations in Crete, Lincoln and Omaha. Liz McCue with Doane said vaccinations are required for students taking in-person classes.

“As far as COVID-19 vaccinations, we are going to require those for students,” she said. “The decision was made to help keep the community safe and provide students with the experience we promise at Doane.”

McCue said Doane will consider specific cases where students don’t want to be vaccinated.

“We do also offer students either an exemption option or an extension,” she said. "They can fill out a form available also through our website and they can just download it and send it to student health.”

An extension can be given for someone testing positive for the virus inside of 90 days. Once that time expires, these people will be required to get vaccinated.

McCue said exemptions would likely include those with religious or medical reasons for not receiving the vaccine.

The university said faculty will not be required to get vaccinated because 82 percent have already been vaccinated.

Additionally, Creighton University announced it will require all in-person students to be vaccinated before the fall semester begins.

Other higher institutions in the state will have vaccination clinics, such as the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Nebraska-Kearney and Peru State. So far, most colleges and universities in Nebraska are not requiring vaccinations for students and faculty, but are recommending them. For more information on COVID-19 requirements at some Nebraska colleges, visit doane.edu; unl.edu; unk.edu; creighton.edu; or peru.edu.