The CDC grant that supported this project ended February 29, 2024. ACHA is no longer working on this project and is not creating new materials. We encourage you to continue to use any materials posted on this site, but they will no longer be updated.

An initiative of the American College Health Association

Publications

Nothing Was Normal: What the Campus Response to COVID-19 Can Teach Us for the Future

Published January 31, 2024

This final publication from the CoVAC Initiative summarizes some of the most critical activities undertaken by ACHA, the COVID-19 Task Force, and college health professionals in order to inform future campus health efforts, including emergency preparedness and emergency response.

Analysis and National Surveys of College and Older High School Students

Published November 14, 2023

We worked with Morning Consult to conduct two surveys -- one of college students and one of older high school students -- to understand how college health professionals can enhance student vaccine uptake now and in the coming years.

Messaging to Share with Students Receiving Medicaid or CHIP

Published September 19, 2023

College students and their families are among the many millions of people who are at risk of being disenrolled from Medicaid or Child Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage for procedural reasons (as opposed to ineligibility) with the recent expiration of the COVID-19 public health emergency in April 2023. Colleges and universities can use this publication, which includes sample messaging, to inform students and their family members about the steps required to renew or apply for health care coverage.

Pulse Survey Highlights: Campus Plans for Covid-19 Management in Fall 2023

Published August 9, 2023

CoVAC conducted a pulse survey between June 26, 2023, and July 12, 2023, to gather information about campus plans for COVID-19 management for the fall 2023 semester. Information was collected to provide benchmarking and help guide ACHA and other national and state leadership groups as they continue to manage COVID-19 on campus.

Considerations for Campus Decisionmakers Announcing Continuation of or Changes to Vaccine Requirements

Published November 12, 2022

As institutions of higher education (IHEs) continue examining their COVID-19 vaccination policies for the next semester and academic year, many will maintain the requirements that have been effective in achieving high rates of vaccine uptake on campus. For those reviewing vaccine requirements, the ACHA COVID-19 Task Force and the ACHA CoVAC Initiative encourage campus decisionmakers to consider several factors.

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National Survey of College Student COVID-19 Vaccination Uptake, Attitudes, Experiences, and Intentions

Published September 12, 2022

Vaccination continues to be an important part of reducing the impact of COVID-19 on college campuses, their communities, our country, and the globe. To support campus vaccination efforts, we are pleased to present the findings of the National Survey of College Student COVID-19 Vaccination Uptake, Attitudes, Experiences, and Intentions, conducted by Langer Research Associates. The results of this nationally representative survey highlight the challenges and opportunities related to building and maintaining vaccine confidence on campus.

FAQs on How Students Can Access Free or Low-Cost COVID-19 Tests

Updated September 8, 2022

Although the federal program providing free at-home COVID-19 test kits has been discontinued as of September 2, 2022, students still have options to secure free or low-cost at-home COVID-19 tests.

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Protecting Vaccination Efforts on Campus When Facing Aggressive Opposition

Published August 12, 2022

Many people have questions or concerns about vaccination, and college health professionals should respond to these questions and concerns in ways that build trust and meet the community’s specific needs. In some instances, however, engagement on the topic of vaccines can escalate to aggressive opposition. When there are attempts to disrupt, overwhelm, or intimidate participants and organizers of vaccine confidence efforts, college health professionals have tools to preempt or remedy these disruptions. This document focuses on mitigating the impact of aggressive opposition to vaccination confidence efforts on campus.

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FAQs About the New Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine

Published July 22, 2022

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine as an additional option for adults ages 18 years and older receiving a primary series of COVID-19 vaccination. This vaccine is a protein subunit vaccine, a type of vaccine that has been used for more than 30 years in the United States. See these FAQs on this new vaccine option.

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College Student COVID-19 Vaccination Rate Estimates

Published March 29, 2022

This analysis, produced for the American College Health Association’s CoVAC Initiative by Langer Research Associates, evaluates vaccination rates among college students using data from the ongoing Axios-Ipsos Coronavirus Index.

Federal Support to Institutions of Higher Education for COVID-19 Testing and other Mitigation Strategies

Published February 3, 2022

A joint statement from ACHA, ACUHO-I, and NASPA

Campuses continue to advance the health and well-being of their students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Successful, layered prevention strategies depend on close collaboration between campus health resources, housing and student affairs, among others. While not an exhaustive list of federal support, we would like to remind campuses about some of the federal resources available to institutions of higher education (IHE) to mitigate COVID-19 and provide direct aid to students.

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Campus Pandemic Attitudes Amidst the Omicron Surge

Published January 28, 2022

Survey data collected during the Omicron surge include some concerning indications of pandemic fatigue among college students, albeit with gains in one key metric—booster uptake. This report analyzes this and other trends chiefly using four waves of data from the probability-based Axios-Ipsos pandemic tracking poll—two waves conducted before identification of the Omicron variant (Nov. 5-8 and 19-22, 2021) and two during the Omicron surge (Jan. 7-10 and 21-24, 2022). This analysis was produced for the Campus COVID-19 Vaccine Initiative by Langer Research Associates. It is made possible by Axios-Ipsos’ generous agreement to include ACHA’s question identifying college community members in its ongoing pandemic surveys.

See this discussion about the survey results.

Are Campuses Ready for Omicron or the Next Variant?

Published January 20, 2022

In this Q&A, two researchers discuss how they used modeling to show how important boosters and masking are to controlling the spread of COVID-19 on campus.

Using TikTok to Combat COVID-19: A Call to Action for Higher Education

Published December 2, 2021

What to know about TikTok and how to use the platform to combat the spread of both COVID-19 and mis/disinformation on campus.

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How Faculty Can Support the Health of Our Campus Community

Published August 27, 2021, as part of the ACHA and CDC HECCOP project.

This COVID-19 guide written for faculty, by faculty, helps campus professionals promote safe and healthy campus environments.

Please share it with your faculty allies!

Vaccine Confidence: Building the Case on Campuses With and Without COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements

Published July 23, 2021

This CoVAC document discusses the need to pair vaccine policies with education and outreach to build vaccine confidence for the long term.

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Key Insights in Health and Safety for Higher Education

Published July 2021

Institutions of higher education have reacted to the COVID-19 pandemic with a variety of responses representative of the diversity in the sector. The American College Health Association and the COVID Collaborative, in cooperation with other higher education associations, have probed the experiences of higher ed professionals—from front-line staff to executive leadership—through interviews and surveys.

Download this white paper to find a summary of insights organized into eight areas of focus: collaboration; leadership, management, and planning; communication; technology; community-building; health services; and mental health and well-being.

The paper also provides recommendations for each of these areas, many of which will prove essential as institutions prepare and finalize their plans for Fall 2021.

Creating COVID-19 Vaccination Plans: Key Considerations for Institutions of Higher Education

Published May 18, 2021

This CoVAC document highlights important components of any campus COVID-19 vaccination plan.