COLUMBUS, Ohio — Columbus College of Art and Design announced late Wednesday that it's mandating students and staff to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

What You Need To Know

  • If students fail to show proof of vaccination by Oct. 15, they will be dropped from spring semester classes and asked to leave CCAD housing

  • Faculty and staff who don't show proof by mid-December will be terminated

  • Medical or religious exemptions are allowed if approved by the college

In a press release, the college said students must receive either the Johnson & Johnson or both doses of the Pfizer or Moderna shot by Oct. 15. If they fail to show proof, they will be dropped from spring semester classes. They will also be required to move out of the school's housing at the end of the fall semester.

Faculty and staff who fail to submit proof by the end of December could be fired. 

"Any person—student, faculty, or staff member—may make a request for a medical or religious exemption after Oct. 15, but if such a request is not made or approved by the following deadlines, they will be dropped from spring semester classes and required to move out of housing (in the case of students), or have their employment terminated (faculty and staff)," the college wrote. 

If students are asked not to return to campus in the spring if they fail to get the vaccine, financial aid will be canceled and any payments will be refunded. As for moving out of housing, they must do so in mid-December and any housing payments will not be refunded. 

"If a residential student is required to move out after fall but later submits proof of vaccination, housing is not guaranteed for spring semester," officials wrote.

If faculty and staff do not submit proof of vaccination or receive a medical or religious exemption by the end of the day Friday, Dec. 17, they will be terminated. 

CCAD is among the latest colleges to mandate the vaccine for students, including Miami University, Ohio University, University of Cincinnati and more. 

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