Questions about the Immunization Requirements

To upload your immunization documentation, you must have your Harvard University Identification number, HUID, and you will need to claim your Harvard Key. If you have your HUID and you have claimed your Key and you encounter problems accessing the Patient Portal there may be a delay in your information transferring to the Portal. Please try a day or two later.  Further problems with HUID/ Harvard Key, contact HUIT (Harvard University Information Technology) (617) 495-7777  

Instructions for uploading immunization documentation:   

• Go to: https://huhs.harvard.edu/patient-portal
• Click the black button “Log into the HUHS Patient Portal.”  
• Click Log in with your Harvard Key.  
• On the left-hand side of the window, click on Medical Clearances.   
• Items Required for Clearance will appear on the right.  
• Click on the green Update button for each required immunization.   
  • For each required immunization, enter the date of the vaccination. Enter dates using MMDDYYYY format.  
  • For each required immunization, upload the supporting immunization documentation.  
• Click Done.  
• If the upload does not work, your file may be too large. It is suggested that you try to upload in multiple, separate batches.  

We strongly encourage you to receive any required immunizations before you arrive at Harvard, as many health insurance plans will cover the costs of immunizations. If you are unable to obtain these prior to your arrival on campus, you may arrange to get immunizations at various locations in the area. 

Unless you can demonstrate that you are eligible for a medical or religious exemption from these requirements, failure to provide the HUHS-required documentation of COVID-19 vaccination may result in consequences including, but not limited to, your exclusion from participation in certain School or University activities, an instruction for you to not to enter upon University property, the loss of your access to University housing, or denial of your registration, or withdrawal from your Summer School courses.

For immunizations requiring more than one inoculation (such as measles, rubella, mumps, hepatitis B, and varicella), you must submit proof that you have begun the series and had as many of the inoculations (shots) as possible within the time frame/schedule specified on the Summer School Immunization Form. By providing documentation of in-progress vaccinations for these specific immunizations, you are considered to be in compliance with the requirements for the current summer term.

All immunization documentation and information must be certified by a health care provider or a medical records official. We cannot accept self reported immunization information.

You may submit alternate documentation such as a copy of your immunization records from another school you attended or a copy of your personal immunization card. This documentation MUST satisfy the following requirements:

• It must be in English.
• It must include the full dates of each immunization (i.e. month, day, and year).
• It must be certified by a health care provider or medical records official.
• It must demonstrate compliance with the Massachusetts and Harvard University immunizations regulations.

Should you submit alternate documentation for COVID-19 vaccinations, please be aware that QR codes cannot be opened by HUHS staff. Therefore, please make sure to provide documentation that lists all dates and shots received. 

Alternate documentation that does not fulfill these requirements will not be accepted.

Without the full dates of your vaccinations (including month, day, and year), your immunization history does not comply with Massachusetts and Harvard University regulations and your documentation cannot be accepted. If you cannot provide documentation of each required immunization, there are several diseases for which you can have a blood test that will show whether you are immune to them (including measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B, and varicella). You will need to provide the Summer School with the proof of such tests if you are otherwise unable to provide documentation to verify your vaccination dates. For diseases that do not allow blood tests, you must take the necessary immunization again, and provide the necessary documentation as proof of vaccination. 

If you are missing multiple vaccines, a complete new form should be submitted to report your updated shot information when available and you should select check the box marked, “I have new information to add to the form I submitted earlier this summer.”  

If you are missing a single vaccine, you can provide documentation from a health care provider or medical records official verifying just that single vaccine. This documentation MUST satisfy the following requirements: 

• It must be in English. 
• It must include the full dates of each immunization (i.e. month, day, and year). 
• It must be certified by a health care provider or medical records official. 
• It must demonstrate compliance with the Massachusetts and Harvard University immunizations regulations. 

Lastly, the signature of your health care provider or medical records official cannot be earlier than the date of your most recent vaccination in order for your form to be accepted. 

You may check the status of your immunization certification by visiting the Patient Portal.

Once your documents have been reviewed, you will see the list of required immunizations updated with either a green mark (indicating “compliant”) or a red mark (indicating “not compliant”). All immunizations marked in red require your immediate attention to resolve to ensure your compliance prior to the start of Summer Term.  

Please note that should you have any questions about your specific medical records, staff will only be able to communicate with you through secure messaging inside the HUHS PatientPortal system. This includes any specifics regarding what steps you must take in order to achieve compliance for your vaccine situation. 

Should you have questions about your immunization compliance status or this process more generally, please email immunizations@summer.harvard.edu.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), prohibits us from sharing this type of information with anyone except you, the student. You may check the status of your immunization certification by visiting the Patient Portal. There, you can access up-to-date information regarding the status of your submission.

Please note any confidential issues related to your medical record will be communicated with you from staff directly through the Patient Portal to ensure security of your health records. This includes any specifics regarding what steps you must take in order to achieve compliance for your vaccine situation.