51³Ô¹Ï

During the current legislative session, many states introduced proposals and initiatives addressing vaccination policies in various forms. Lawmakers have advanced a range of proposals addressing divergent general population health priorities, including diverging state policy from federal policies and recommendations on one hand, while on the other, taking steps to roll back K-12 student immunization requirements to make it easier to get exemptions.

For colleges and universities, these proposals carry direct implications for campus health protocols, enrollment compliance, and student life. As a result, higher education leaders may need to navigate an increasingly complex patchwork of state policies while balancing legal obligations, student autonomy, and the imperative to protect campus communities.

Here are some examples of state legislation under consideration this year as of early April 2026. A more expansive, updated, and detailed list can be found on the 51³Ô¹Ïwebsite through the updated 51³Ô¹ÏState Policy Tracker.

Weakening or Eliminating Education Immunization Requirements

Several state bills would weaken or eliminate current vaccination requirements for attendance in school and college. Examples of these proposals include:

• Getting rid of all vaccine mandates: Arizona and Rhode Island
• Updates to current K-12 immunization requirements: Iowa and Idaho (along with daycare)
• Prohibiting college and school requirements: Oklahoma /
• Prohibiting daycare, school, and college measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine requirements: South Carolina
• Targeted removal of certain requirements: Kentucky (hepatitis B for 6^th grade attendance, along with requiring any new requirements to be approved by the General Assembly) and Oklahoma (hepatitis B birth dose)
• Requiring state legislature approval for all new requirements: Kentucky
• Requiring full FDA approval before requiring: Alaska
• Prohibiting gene-based vaccines: Michigan
• Delaying approval of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines until the state’s Department of Health analyzes data and concludes that vaccine benefits outweigh associated risks: New York /
• Prohibiting all COVID-19 vaccines: New Jersey , , and ; Missouri ; New York ; and Oklahoma

Exemptions

Some states have introduced legislation granting vaccination exemptions based on religious or other beliefs. Examples of these proposals include:

• Exemptions for religious tenets or practices of parents: Hawaii /; Illinois (COVID-19); New Hampshire ; West Virginia ; and West Virginia and
• Exemptions for personal or conscientiously held beliefs: Minnesota /
• Parentally approved exemptions through a written statement: Alabama
• Exemptions based on medical issues: California ; Michigan (authorizing an exemption if a vaccine is certified to be harmful to the child’s health); Michigan ; and West Virginia (if a medical professional says a vaccine could be harmful for a child, could skip that vaccine temporarily) and
• Requiring notification of ability to get exemptions: Iowa ; New Hampshire ; and South Carolina
• Not allowing the state to make exemptions more difficult: Michigan /
• There is at least one example of making it harder to get an exemption by removing the personal or conscientiously held beliefs exemption: Minnesota

Diverging from Federal Standards/Recommendations

As the Trump Administration’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) upends recommendations around vaccinations, states have started to decouple their requirements and recommendations from those of the federal government. Examples of these bill proposals include:

• Setting standards based on national professional organizations, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations: Alaska  and New York /, /, /
• Having a state body set the recommendations/policies, often taking into account recommendations from a variety of sources: California ; Colorado (now law); Connecticut ; Maryland /; Michigan , , and ; Minnesota / and /; New Jersey / (now law); New York / and /; and Vermont / (now law)

51³Ô¹Ïhas reaffirmed its longstanding Position Statement on Vaccine Use to Promote Health and Prevent Disease, asserting that immunizations are safe and offer effective protection from vaccine-preventable diseases. 51³Ô¹Ïrecognizes the vital role vaccinations play in health and discourages non-medical exemptions to required vaccines. As state legislatures continue to debate immunization requirements, higher education leaders should remain attentive to these policy changes and their potential long-term implications. Safeguarding student health requires a coordinated effort across all education levels, and 51³Ô¹Ïwill remain informed on ongoing examples of other forms of vaccination-related legislation impacting students and higher education communities.

51³Ô¹Ïcontinues to foster healthier and more supportive college communities through our Advocacy work.  Should you have any questions, feedback, or impacts (both positive and negative of vaccination policies on your campus), along with things you think should be considered for either of the documents, you can email advocacy@acha.org or supply anonymously through the 51³Ô¹Ïwebsite here.