Immunizations & Vaccines

Help ensure a healthy College of Charleston campus with these required immunizations and vaccines: MMR, Meningitis & TDap

Welcome to the Cougar Family! The College of Charleston requires three vaccines for the safety of our campus community:

  • Measles, Mumps, Rubella
    - Dose 1 must be given at first birthday or after and Dose 2 must be at least 28 days later.
    - This requirement only applies to students born after 1956.

  • Quadrivalent Meningitis
    - Administered at 16 years of age or after.
    - Meningitis Serogroup B is not required.
    - Also known as MCV4, Menactra, Menveo or Prenbaya.
    - Students over the age of 24 are not required to get this vaccine if they do not already have one.

  • TDAP (Tetanus, Diphtheria and Pertussis)
    - Must be given within the last 10 years.

CHECKING IMMUNIZATION STATUS AND UPDATING YOUR RECORDS

If you are from South Carolina and have been immunized in this state, any immunizations you have received should be imported over through the state registry interface into your portal.

If you are not from South Carolina, you can request that your out-of-state immunizations be imported into your portal through Verivax. 

 

It is the student's responsibility to make sure that immunizations are uploaded correctly and that their status is listed as Compliant.

 

Please follow the steps below to ensure your immunization requirements are complete:

  1. Log into your student health patient portal.
  2. Once in your portal, click the menu bar and select "Immunizations".
  3. If your immunizations did not or cannot automatically be pulled through, you will need to manually enter your immunization dates AND upload records. Please follow the steps below, in order. 
    1. Enter Individual Immunization Dates for ALL listed required vaccines.
    2. Click submit button once ALL dates are entered. You will be then be brought to the document upload page to submit your documents so your dates can be verified. 
    3. Upload supporting documents. If you do not finish Step 3, you will lose your submitted information.
      • Locate and choose the file that contains your Immunization Record.
      • You can only upload one file at a time. If you have additional pages or files to upload to support your dates, go back to the Upload Document page and upload each file until all supporting documentation has been uploaded. 
      • Once your document is uploaded, you will see this reflected at the bottom of the upload page.

Once you have completed all of the above steps, a clinician at Student Health Services will review your dates and documents. Please allow at least 48 hours for processing. Once reviewed you will receive a Message in your portal confirming receipt and whether you are Complaint or Not Compliant. 

Can’t find your records? Try contacting the following resources:

  • Your childhood pediatrician
  • Your high School or last enrolled school
  • State Health Department: Contacts for Immunization Records (cdc.gov)
  • If you still cannot access your records by contacting the above resources, you may make an appointment with your primary care provider, an urgent care, or a pharmacy to get titer blood tests for the MMR, Meningitis ACWY, and/or Tdap vaccinations. You can submit your results in your Student Health Portal just as you would an immunization record. 

We are NOT able to accept faxed, mailed, emailed or hand delivered copies of immunization records due to the volume of records we receive. 

Policies & Waivers

The College of Charleston accepts two waivers to the above Immunization requirements, on the basis of medical or religious exemption. Both waivers will need to be signed by a notary public. Please note that the Religious Waiver will need to include a written statement that clearly explains why the immunization is contrary to the individual’s religious doctrine and belief. The Medical Waiver will need to be signed by a licensed medical professional.

Log into your student health portal

Recommended Immunizations

Vaccine preventable diseases are still occurring on college campuses throughout the country.  The staff at Student Health Services strongly urges students and families to give careful thought to the following recommendations.  These recommendations are taken from the American College Health Association (ACHA) Vaccine Preventable Diseases Committee, Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and Travax.
  • Hepatitis B

    Hepatitis B is a serious disease caused by a virus that attacks the liver.  The virus, which is called Hepatitis B virus, can cause lifelong infection, cirrhosis of the liver, liver cancer, liver failure, and death.  Hepatitis B is a vaccine-preventable illness. 

    The Hepatitis B vaccines consist of a series of three vaccines given at intervals of 0 – 1 – 6 months.

  • Hepatitis A

    Hepatitis A is a liver disease caused by the Hepatitis A virus. Hepatitis A can affect anyone. In the United States, Hepatitis A can occur in situations ranging from isolated cases of disease to widespread epidemics. 

    Good personal hygiene and proper sanitation can help prevent Hepatitis A.  Students planning international travel and those with other risk factors should consider getting this vaccine. This vaccine is given in a series of two vaccines at intervals of 0 – 6 months.

  • Human Papillomavirus (HPV)

    Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is a vaccine that helps to protect against diseases such as cervical cancer and genital warts and is recommended for all college students through the age of 26. The vaccine is given in a series of three vaccines at intervals of 0 - 2 - 6 months. 

    Student Health Services does not carry this vaccine, but can provide a prescription for the HPV vaccine to be administered at local pharmacies or Student Health Services.

  • Varicella

    Varicella, also called the chicken pox vaccine, is recommended to all college students who do not have evidence of immunity, such as a history of the disease or prior vaccination. 

    Two doses are recommended four weeks apart. Student Health does not offer the varicella vaccine but can draw titers to confirm immunity or direct students to local resources to obtain the vaccination if needed.

  • Influenza

    Influenza, also known as the flu, is a contagious disease that is caused by the influenza virus.  A flu shot can be given to anyone who wants to avoid the flu.  Because the flu shot is made from inactivated viruses, the shot cannot give you the flu. 

    Flu vaccines are available in late fall at the Student Health Services and on certain dates as part of campus wide flu shot campaigns. Outside of these events, students with health insurance are encouraged to get their flu shots at a local pharmacy or urgent care, while uninsured students are encouraged to make an appointment to get their flu shot at Student Health Services. Flu vaccines can be purchased on the Student Health Services marketplace. 

  • Polio

    Polio primary series in childhood of 4 doses is recommended for all students. Boosters for certain international travel itineraries may be recommended.

Notification of Risk

SC STATE LAW SECTION 59-101-290. 

Notification of risk of contracting certain diseases if living on-campus.

(A) A public institution of higher learning shall notify incoming students, or the parent or guardian of an incoming student under the age of eighteen, of the risk of contracting meningococcal disease and Hepatitis B if living in on-campus student housing.

(B) A public institution of higher learning shall include vaccination against meningococcal disease and Hepatitis B as recommended immunization in health and medical information provided to students or prospective students and parents or guardians.

(C) A private institution of higher learning may elect to be governed by this section and at any time may, in its sole discretion, remove itself from such governance.

HISTORY: 2002 Act No. 317, Section 1.