(Last updated in January 2022)
As you get ready for the Spring 2022 semester, we would like to share with you some materials that will help you adjust to campus life and meet some health and safety requirements.
COVID-19 Vaccination Requirements
Effective November 8th, 2021, all international students seeking to enter the United States by air are required to show proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before boarding a flight to the United States from a foreign country.
USC policy also requires all students to be vaccinated for COVID-19 before December 17th, 2021 or submit a request for a medical or religious exemption. Meeting this COVID-19 safety requirement is mandatory in order to start attending classes on campus this Spring Semester 2022.
Vaccines are crucial tools in the fight against deadly infectious diseases; we strongly encourage students, faculty, and staff to receive COVID-19 vaccination. All current USC students, all USC faculty, and university staff are eligible for vaccinations.
Please note: Unvaccinated international travelers from certain countries with limited COVID-19 vaccine availability are exempt from the vaccination requirement at the Port of Entry but have to comply with other requirements, such as e.g. post arrival COVID testing, 7 day quarantine, and other. If you are an international student unable to obtain vaccination by this date due to shortages in your location, you may arrange to receive vaccination through USC Student Health upon arrival to the United States. Go to usc.edu/myshr to check availability of appointments.
Unvaccinated individuals with approved exemptions for COVID-19 vaccination are required to test for COVID-19 every 72 hours, per L.A. City ordinance. This may be completed through the campus Pop Testing program.
If you are vaccinated against COVID-19
- Prepare to travel to the USA:
- Pack proof of your COVID-19 vaccination and bring it with you to the airport;
- Take a COVID-19 viral as directed by the airline you are flying with before flight’s departure and bring a negative test result with you to the airport; alternatively, if you had COVID-19, bring documentation of recovery from COVID-19. For more information about testing requirements, visit Requirement for Proof of Negative COVID-19 Test or Documentation of Recovery from COVID-19.
- Prepare to enter USC campuses: complete daily symptom self-checks on TrojanCheck before coming to campus
You are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the final dose of a two-dose vaccine, such as Pfizer or Moderna, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson. USC now also requires a booster dose. More information on this topic including a list of accepted vaccines is available under this link. If you receive your vaccination at USC Student Health or Keck Medicine of USC, that will happen automatically. If you receive a vaccination elsewhere, you must upload a photo of your vaccine card to the “Upload Documents” section of MySHR at least 3 days before coming to campus for the first time.
If you are NOT vaccinated against COVID-19
- If you are not fully vaccinated and are arriving from outside the United States, you will not be allowed to enter the USA.
Exceptions:
- Vaccine scarcity: Students and their dependents travelling on F & J visas from certain countries with limited COVID-19 vaccine availability are exempt from the vaccination requirement but have to comply with other requirements as listed here.
- Students seeking exemption from the vaccination requirement due to medical conditions must show a letter from a licensed physician documenting the medical contraindication to the airline or aircraft operator before boarding a flight to the United States. USC requires students seeking medical exemptions to submit a formal request by completing a Student Medical Exemption Request from COVID-19 Vaccination form; the completed form needs to be uploaded onto USC Student Health Portal MySHR (https://usc.edu/myshr) before December 17th, 2021.
- More information can be found on CDC website here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/proof-of-vaccination.html
- If you are already in the USA and plan to seek an exemption from USC’s COVID-19 Vaccine Policy, please fill out the appropriate religious or medical exemption form and submit it to MySHR by December 3rd, 2021. Please allow 14 days for your request to be reviewed.
Still unsure whether you can board a flight to the United States? Complete a quick anonymous travel assessment by answering a few questions; you will receive a customized response.
Trojan Check: Wellness Assessment and Campus Access
To enter campus, all students, staff, and faculty are required to complete a wellness assessment via TrojanCheck and get a day pass. Please note that TrojanCheck will allow campus access only if you have completed the following:
- Upload proof of COVID-19 vaccination (translated in English) into MySHR at least 3 days before your first visit to campus
- USC requires students seeking medical or religious exemptions must submit a formal request by completing a Student Medical Exemption Request from COVID-19 Vaccination form or Religious Exemption Request for COVID-19 Vaccination form; the completed form needs to be uploaded onto USC Student Health Portal MySHR (https://usc.edu/myshr). Please allow 14 days for your request to be reviewed.
- All students in on-campus programs, all faculty and staff are required to receive a COVID-19 booster (if in the eligible timeframe). Completion of a booster when eligible brings you to the “up to date on vaccinations” status on Trojan Check.
- Eligibility for boosters is 5 months after completing a Pfizer, Moderna, or EUL-approved primary series; 2 months after Johnson & Johnson primary dose.
- You have a one-month grace period to receive a booster.
- COVID-19 Testing
All students are required to test for COVID-19 through the USC Student Health Pop Testing program. Schedule your COVID-19 test through MySHR. USC International Academy students do not have to pay for COVID-19 testing at USC Health Center.
Please note:
- fully vaccinated students who also received their booster dose (if eligible) must test once every week; these students are considered “up to date on vaccinations”
- students with approved vaccine exemption as well as students who are not up to date on their vaccinations, must test every 4 days to have access to campus facilities
- “Health, Hygiene and Safety” online module through TrojanLearn
As part of the USC COVID-19 Safety Requirements, all USC students must complete: “Health, Hygiene and Safety for Students” in trojanlearn.usc.edu. The module takes approximately 10-15 minutes to complete and provides an overview of COVID-19 safety.
Starting November 1, 2021, USC requires all students, faculty, and staff to receive a flu vaccine. Students can receive a free flu vaccine at any of USC Pharmacies for free. Spring 2022 students should get vaccinated against flue before the first day of the program. Students seeking a medical or religious exemptions for flu vaccination requirement, need to submit the relevant exemption request forms (medical or religious) in MySHR.
Your TrojanCheck sign-in screen will indicate if your compliance is current, or the reason(s) it may be deactivated.
Face Coverings
All USC students, faculty and staff regardless of vaccination status are now required to wear medical grade masks while indoors. These include surgical masks and may also include higher grade respirator masks (N95, KN95 or KF94). If you do not have one, feel free to pick one up at campus entry or at our lobby front desk.
Please note that the following face-coverings are not permitted: bandanas, neck gaiters, scarves, cloth masks (unless worn in combination with a medical mask underneath, for improved fit and additional layering) or masks with a one-way valve.
Remember: We have free surgical masks available at the DCC Front Desk
In addition, masks are mandatory indoors off-campus in Los Angeles County, and need to be worn on public transit, in healthcare settings, and other environments outlined by the California Department of Public Health. This includes all USC shuttle buses and Keck Medicine of USC facilities.
USC COVID-19 Resource Center (https://coronavirus.usc.edu/)
If you have any questions about COVID-19 or notify the university of a case, please call 213-740-6291 or email covid19@usc.edu.