Addressing Compliance Problems

Meeting your New Student Health Requirements

New students are expected to meet their requirements before coming to Cornell or starting your program.

See requirements and instructions for:

Consequences of noncompliance with your health requirements

Students who fail to meet their health requirements, or otherwise contact Cornell Health’s Requirements Office or apply for a medical or religious exemption, by their Requirements submission deadline are subject to progressive penalties, culminating in disenrollment from the university. Please refer to the links above for specific deadlines and associated penalties. 

How to come in to compliance 

If our review of your materials determines that you have not demonstrated compliance with Cornell's immunization and/or TB screening requirements, we will send an email to your Cornell email address directing you to log in to myCornellHealth to view a secure message about what is missing from your forms and/or documentation.

You will be instructed to ...

  1. View your missing requirements by logging in to myCornellHealth.
  2. Go to "Clearances & Requirements" in the menu.
  3. Review your requirements list, and look for items listed with a "No Data" or "Not Satisfied" status. 
  4. Next, consider the questions below to see what you need to do to complete your immunization requirements.
  5. If you need to provide written documentation related to any of these, please be aware that only official records from your school, your health care provider, or the military will be accepted.

See non-compliance information for ...

Measles/Mumps/Rubella vaccination

Requirement: Two doses of live vaccine OR protective-antibody titer OR physician diagnosed illness.

  • Vaccine:
    • Have you had 2 doses of vaccine: MMR OR separate Measles, Mumps, and Rubella vaccines?
    • Were your vaccine doses on or after one year of age?
    • Were your vaccine doses at least 28 days apart?
    • Did you provide an official record?
  • Titer:
    • Did you have a positive protective-antibody titer (blood test)? 
    • Did you provide an official record?
  • Previous illness:
    • Did you have a physician diagnosed illness (accepted for measles and mumps only)?
    • Did you provide us with the date you had it?

Documentation must be submitted through myCornellHealth.

Meningococcal vaccination

Requirement: Meningococcal vaccination OR signed Meningococcal vaccine waiver form. 

If you received the Meningococcal vaccine:

  • Did you receive the Meningococcal ACWY vaccine within the past 5 years?
  • *Or* did you receive the Meningococcal B vaccine, and complete the series?
  • Did you provide an official record?

If you have chosen NOT to get the Meningococcal vaccine:

  • Did you sign and submit the Meningococcal vaccine waiver form?
  • If you are under 18 years of age, did your parent/guardian provide a signature?
  • To submit the waiver form, go to the myCornellHealth menu; choose Downloadable Forms; then choose Meningococcal Vaccine Waiver. 

Documentation must be submitted through myCornellHealth.

Tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis vaccination (Tdap)

Requirement: One Tdap vaccine (age 10 or later). If Tdap was more than 10 years ago, tetanus booster within past 10 years is also required.

  • Pertussis (Tdap)
    • Have you had the Tdap vaccine at age 10 or later?
    • Did you provide an official record?
  • Tetanus 
    • If your Tdap vaccine was more than 10 years ago, have you had either a Td, Tdap, or tetanus toxoid vaccine in the past 10 years?
    • Did you provide an official record?

Documentation must be submitted through myCornellHealth.

Varicella (Chicken Pox)

Requirement: Two doses of live vaccine OR protective antibody titer OR physician diagnosed illness. (If you were born in the U.S. before 1980, this requirement does not apply.)  

  • Vaccine:
    • Have you had 2 doses of Varicella vaccine?
    • Were your doses at least 28 days apart?
    • Did you provide an official record?
  • Titer:
    • Did you have a positive protective antibody titer (blood test)?
    • Did you provide an official record? 
  • Previous illness:
    • Did you have a physician diagnosed illness?
    • Did you provide an official record?

Documentation must be submitted through myCornellHealth.

Tuberculin (TB) screening

Requirement: Students from countries with a high incidence of TB (pdf) must document a Quantiferon-TB Gold or T-SPOT blood test. Skin tests do not meet this requirement. If your TB test result was positive, you also must submit a chest x-ray report (no films, please).

  • Did you provide official records of your TB screening blood test?
  • If your blood test was positive, did you submit a chest x-ray report?
  • Was your screening test done during the proper time period?
    • Students entering in the summer or fall of 2024: your test must be dated September 1, 2023 or later.
    • Students entering in the spring semester of 2025: your test must be dated February 1, 2024 or later. 

Documentation must be submitted through myCornellHealth.

What to do if you can't meet Cornell's health requirements

Students who are unable to meet their requirements because they lack access to required immunizations, TB screening, health care provider, or official documentation must contact Cornell Health’s Requirements Office by the published 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 at Cornell Health or in New York City (see below). 

How to meet your requirements at Cornell Health

Students who are unable to receive required immunizations (and TB testing, if applicable) may do so at Cornell Health when they arrive on campus. Be sure to contact Cornell Health’s Requirements Office before the published requirements submission deadline to make a plan or otherwise risk being disenrolled from the university.

Costs for immunizations / TB testing at Cornell Health:

Charges to receive all required immunizations and TB testing can cost up to $1,000.

  • Charges for required immunizations and TB screening tests are covered by Cornell’s Student Health Plan (nearly all international students are on SHP) with no out-of-pocket costs for plan members.  
  • If you have other insurance, Cornell Health will bill your insurance plan, and your out-of-pocket costs will depend on your insurance coverage. (Learn how to get an estimate of your costs in advance.)

Information for Cornell Tech students

Please see information for Cornell Tech Students to learn how to meet your requirements in New York City, and provide proof to Cornell Health.

Questions?

Please refer to our Health Requirements FAQ.

Contact Cornell Health's Requirements Office

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).
  • 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).