UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State is continuing to encourage students and employees to share their coronavirus vaccination status to help inform the University's decision-making and its COVID-19 management plan. Information provided by individuals will allow Penn State officials to better understand vaccination rates across the University and modify approaches, if needed.
Students, faculty and staff are strongly encouraged to share their vaccination status with the University after they receive their final dose — either the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine or one dose of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine.
Students at University Park, Commonwealth Campuses and Dickinson Law can upload their vaccination records through myUHS.
Employees and World Campus students can share their vaccination status to the University using Salesforce Health Cloud, a secure online platform for collecting health data.
A step-by-step guide to help the University’s employees with submission is available as well via the COVID-19 Vaccination webpage on the Return to Work website.
Vaccine incentives
To encourage students and employees to get vaccinated for COVID-19, Penn State is offering a number of incentives to students, faculty and staff who receive a vaccine and share their vaccination status with the University.
Through Aug. 23, students and employees who have shared proof of their vaccination status with the University are eligible for a weekly drawing for prizes, including cash payments, gift cards and autographed footballs. Separate drawings will be held for students and employees. Each week, drawings will be held for the following prizes (subject to taxes for employees):
- $1,000 payment
- $100 gift card to Barnes & Noble (four winners per week)
- a football signed by Penn State football coach James Franklin
After providing proof of vaccination (see information in the next section about uploading vaccine records), students and employees who wish to participate in the incentive program must also complete an online form to become eligible for the weekly drawings. Students who have previously submitted their proof of vaccination and wish to opt into the incentive program also must complete this form.
It’s important to note that all students and employees at all campuses who are already vaccinated for COVID-19 — not just those who get a vaccine in the future — and share their vaccine status with the University are eligible.
Vaccine availability
Penn State is strongly encouraging all students, faculty and staff to get vaccinated for COVID-19 as soon as they are able to do so. Vaccines are widely available across the commonwealth at this time and many locations do not require an appointment, making it easy and convenient to get a shot.
Throughout the fall semester, Penn State will have vaccines available on or near all campuses. At University Park, University Health Services (UHS) will offer appointments for vaccines on Thursdays and Fridays beginning Sept. 2.
UHS also is hosting a vaccine clinic on Aug. 23 and 24 where students can get their first or second dose of the Moderna vaccine. Students can schedule appointments online through UHS.
Individuals seeking a vaccine can also use the CDC's map of vaccine providers includes hospitals, urgent care centers, doctor’s offices and pharmacies to find a vaccination site near them.
International students who are planning to receive a vaccine in their home country are encouraged to get the COVID-19 vaccine that is available based on their location. Students who receive a different vaccine than the ones listed above should also upload their record through myUHS. The number of doses required to be fully vaccinated may differ based on the vaccine type.
The latest vaccination information for University community members is available on Penn State’s virus information website.