Cornell in Washington Students

New student health requirements: Fall 2025

*Available beginning March 28*

Welcome, new Cornell students in the Brooks School of Public Policy's Cornell in Washington program! 

Cornell Health in Ithaca, NY manages the new student health requirements process for new Cornell students. All students must meet Cornell’s requirements to comply with state and federal laws and meet public health guidelines.

The information you provide to Cornell Health is confidential. Health care records provided through our patient portal are accessible only to Cornell Health.

Submitting your new student health information

Submission deadlines: 

  • June 11, 2025 for first-year students (undergraduate, graduate, & professional)
  • July 24, 2025 for transfer students

Please plan ahead. This process involves a number of steps and may take several weeks. 

You will be asked to ...

  • complete online forms
  • provide documentation of required immunizations / vaccinations (and TB testing, if applicable)

Some students may need to schedule an appointment with their health care provider to complete their requirements.  

See details below:

Requirements

Required immunizations

You must provide official documentation demonstrating that you have received the following immunizations required by New York State and Cornell University. Medical, school, and military records in English are accepted. You may also have your health care provider complete an Immunization Documentation form (pdf) that you can submit as official documentation.

Measles/Mumps/Rubella

You must have either:

1. Combination vaccine: two doses of live vaccine administered on or after the first birthday
      - OR -
2. Individual immunizations:

  • MEASLES: two doses of live vaccine administered on or after the first birthday; or protective-antibody titer positive result; or physician-diagnosed history of disease
  • MUMPS: two doses of live vaccine administered on or after the first birthday; or protective-antibody titer positive result; or physician-diagnosed history of disease
  • RUBELLA: one dose of live vaccine; or protective-antibody titer positive result (NOTE: previous clinical diagnosis of Rubella is not acceptable proof)

Meningococcal vaccination / waiver

You must have one of the following:

  1. Meningococcal conjugate (ACWY) vaccination (within 5 years)
  2. Meningococcal B vaccine, and complete the series
  3. Meningococcal Vaccination Waiver form (pdf) submitted through myCornellHealth

Tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis

You must have had one Tdap vaccine (age 10 or later). If Tdap was more than 10 years ago, tetanus booster within past 10 years is also required.

Varicella (Chicken Pox)

You must have one of the following:

  1. Vaccine (2 doses of live vaccine administered on or after the 1st birthday, at least 28 days apart)
  2. Physician-diagnosed illness
  3. Positive protective antibody titer
  4. If you were born in the U.S. before 1980, the Varicella requirement does not apply

Tuberculosis (TB) screening 

Cornell requires all new students to complete the American College Health Association’s online screening to determine tuberculosis risk. Students complete this risk screening in their Clearances & Requirements list in their myCornellHealth (see Step 1 below).  

Students who are identified as meeting criteria for being at an increased risk of TB must provide documentation of results from a recent TB screening blood test: 

  • ONLY a Quantiferon-TB Gold or T-SPOT blood test will be accepted. Skin tests do not meet this requirement.
  • If your TB test result is positive, you also must submit a chest x-ray report (no films, please).
  • Date of test(s):
    - Students entering in the summer or fall of 2025: your test must be dated September 1, 2024 or later
    - Students entering in spring 2026: your test must be dated February 1, 2025 or later  

Recommended immunizations & additional health records

Recommended immunizations:

While not required, we encourage you to receive these vaccinations recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College Health Association: 

  • COVID-19
  • Hepatitis A
  • Hepatitis B
  • Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) (under age 27)

If you have received any of these (or other) immunizations, please upload documentation to “Upload Immun. Records.”

Submitting additional documentation / health records:

Students are encouraged to send us additional health records regarding chronic and/or ongoing health conditions, if applicable. Examples might include test results, consultation reports, summary reports, or recent visit notes.  

If you have additional documentation or health records you would like to submit, please send by attachment by logging in to myCornellHealth and selecting Messages > New Message > Send a Message or Attachment to Health Records.

*INSTRUCTIONS*

STEP 1: Identify your requirements.

> Log in to myCornellHealth to review your Clearances & Requirements list, and complete preliminary forms. 

  • Requires an activated Cornell NetID and Two-Step Login. (Please allow two working days after you activate your NetID for Cornell Health to receive your information from the Registrar.)
  • Once you log in, you will be asked to provide your emergency contact information.
  • Then go to “Clearances & Requirements.”
  • Complete and submit the "TB Risk Screen" form to find out whether you must provide documentation of TB test results (if you meet the criteria for being at an increased risk of TB). 

STEP 2: Obtain your immunizations records. 

Gather or request your official immunization records for submission to Cornell Health.

  • Medical, school, and military records in English are accepted. You may also have your health care provider complete an Immunization Documentation form (pdf) that you can submit as official documentation.
  • Students who meet the TB testing requirement criteria listed above must also obtain TB test records.
  • If you have not received or can't provide documentation for required immunizations / TB testing, you must schedule an appointment with your health care provider to receive them before the deadline (see next step). 

STEP 3: If needed, schedule an appointment with your health care provider

Schedule an appointment with your health care provider if you need to receive any required immunizations / TB testing. 

  • Be sure to get official documentation of any immunizations / TB testing you receive to submit to Cornell Health. Medical, school, and military records in English are accepted.
  • You may also have your health care provider complete an Immunization Documentation form (pdf) that you can submit as official documentation.
  • If you are unable to receive your required immunizations / TB testing from your health care provider, you must contact Cornell Health before the submission deadline to make a plan to meet your requirements when you get to campus (charges may apply). See what to do if you can't meet your requirements.

STEP 4: Submit your information by the deadline.

Log back in to myCornellHealth to submit your remaining information / forms: 

  • Go to “Clearances & Requirements.”
  • Complete and submit any remaining forms / items listed, and enter immunization / test information.    
  • Upload official documentation (in English, from a health care provider, school, or military) for each immunization / test you enter.
  • If you are unable to upload records, you may fax them to 607-255-0269, or mail them to: Cornell Health / ATTN: Requirements Office / 110 Ho Plaza / Ithaca, NY 14853-3101.

STEP 5: Watch for follow-up messages from Cornell Health.

Cornell Health may take *UP TO 3-4 WEEKS* to review your information, due to high volume.  

  • If you are missing anything, or your materials do not meet Cornell's requirements, we will send an email to your Cornell address directing you to log in to myCornellHealth to retrieve a secure message about what is missing from your information and/or documentation, and how to come into compliance.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

What to do if you can't meet your requirements 

Students who are unable to meet their requirements because they lack access to required immunizations, TB screening, and/or a health care provider must contact Cornell Health’s Requirements Office before the Requirements submission deadline to consult with staff and make a plan for meeting their health requirements as soon as they get to campus. (Requirements may be met in Washington, D.C.; see details below.)

If you contact Cornell Health and make a plan for meeting your requirements, you will not be considered "out of compliance" with Cornell's health requirements. You will be required to upload proof of your immunization appointment and keep your appointment to remain in compliance.

Medical and religious exemptions

Students seeking a medication or religious exemption to Cornell’s immunization requirements must apply for any such exemption before their Requirements deadline. See information about how to apply for a medical or religious exemption.

Consequences of noncompliance with Cornell's health requirements

  • July 9, 2025: Noncompliant students will have a hold placed on their status, making them ineligible to make changes to their class enrollment until they meet their requirements.
  • August 7, 2025: Noncompliant students will have an additional add/drop hold placed on their status until they meet their requirements.
  • September 11, 2025: Noncompliant students will be withdrawn from the university with no opportunity to re-enroll for the fall 2025 term. 

How to come into compliance / have holds removed 

You can have holds removed in one of the following two ways:

  • Meet Cornell’s New Student Health Requirements (submit all required health information and have the information reviewed and approved by Requirements staff).
  • OR you can schedule an appointment with a medical provider (see below) to receive your required immunizations / TB testing.
    • Once you have an appointment scheduled, you must send proof of your appointment to Cornell Health in order to have the hold removed: log in to myCornellHealth and go to Messages > New Message > Send a message or attachment to Immunization Requirements.
    • Please note that failure to attend this appointment and provide proof that you received your required immunizations / TB testing will result in the hold being placed back on your registration. 

How to meet your requirements in Washington, D.C.:

Students who are unable to receive required immunizations (and TB testing, if applicable) must do so as soon as they arrive on campus. Be sure to contact Cornell Health’s Requirements Office as soon as possible to let staff know of your plan.

You will be responsible for finding a provider to receive your required immunizations and / or TB screening. You can have your provider complete an Immunization Documentation form (pdf) so you can submit it as official documentation.

We recommend starting by contacting one of the providers below.

Nearby medical providers & pharmacies:

Finding other providers in Washington, D.C.:

Students enrolled in Cornell’s Student Health Plan (SHP) can locate other in-network participating providers anywhere in the United States using Aetna’s Provider Search Tool. Students with private insurance should find a provider that participates (is in network) with their insurance. 

Cost:

Charges for required immunizations and TB screening tests are covered by Cornell’s Student Health Plan (SHP). If you have private health insurance, check with your plan about coverage and potential associated costs. When you schedule your appointment with a provider, double check to make sure they accept your insurance.

Contact Cornell Health's Requirements Office

If you have questions, please refer to our Health Requirements FAQ.

If you wish to contact our Requirements Office, you may do so in one of the following ways:

  • Send a secure message through our patient portal: Log in to myCornellHealth using your Cornell NetID and password, and go to Messages > New Message > Send a message or attachment to Immunization Requirements.
  • Call us during business hours: 607-255-4364 (Monday–Friday, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm, Eastern Standard Time).
  • Beginning July 1, you may also schedule an online (Zoom) consultation appointment: Log into myCornellHealth and select Appointments > Schedule an appointment > New Student Health Requirements consultation.

Please do NOT email us. Note that per HIPAA privacy law, we are unable to communicate about private health information by email (read about our confidentiality practices).