Staying up to date on your immunizations is an important part of protecting your health and the health of our campus community. Some vaccines are especially recommended for students due to the shared nature of campus life—including classrooms, residences, and social spaces.
Be sure to also check with your academic program to see if there are specific immunization requirements for placements, labs, or fieldwork.
Not sure what you might need? We’ve put together a quick guide below to help you get started.
Vaccines You Might Already Have (but should double-check)
- Tetanus-Diphtheria-Pertussis (Tdap)
- Meningitis ACWY
- MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella)
- Polio
- Varicella (Chicken Pox)
- Hepatitis B
Vaccines You Might Not Have Had (but should consider)
- HPV
- Meningitis B (MenB) – Students living in residence are at higher risk
- Hepatitis A
- Pneumococcal
Frequently Asked Questions
Routine vaccinations are publicly funded (free). Some vaccines are only available by paying a fee, such as those recommended for post-secondary education, work or travel.
Compare Ontario’s routine immunization schedule with your personal immunization record (e.g. yellow card, documents from a health care provider. See the Immunization records section for more information).
If you are unsure, talk to your health care provider (for example, doctor, nurse practitioner).
You can get most publicly funded (free) vaccines from your health care provider.
Some vaccines are only available by paying a fee, such as those needed or recommended for post-secondary education, work or travel. You can get these vaccines from health care providers, walk-in clinics, or participating pharmacies (with a prescription as needed) or at a yellow fever vaccination centre.
If you have questions and would like to talk to someone, you can:
- Talk to your health care provider
- Talk to campus health services
If you do not have a personal immunization record (yellow card), you may be able to access your immunization record using Immunization Connect – an online record of vaccines in Ontario. Immunization Connect is tied to your home public health unit, so you will need to search online using your home area such as Niagara or Hamilton. If you do not have an immunization record in Immunization Connect, talk to your health care provider.
If you don’t have a copy of your immunization record, you can ask family members or previous health care providers if they have a copy.
