Student Health Center

Home / Information for Students and Families

Information for Students and Families

Welcome to Brandeis! The Health Center is here to support your health needs while you are a student.

Requirements for New Students

All new incoming students are required to submit health records including immunizations and a recent annual physical before arriving to campus utilizing the Secure Patient Portal. In the portal, fill out the online forms and enter your immunization dates. Then upload a copy of your physical, immunization records and a copy of the results of any tuberculosis screening tests for validation by Health Center staff.

If a student is unable to get a required vaccine or is unable to provide proper documentation prior to coming to campus should contact the Health Center to schedule an appointment for our vaccination compliance clinic.

For information on Medical or Religious Exemptions, please click here.

Steps for Students to Complete their Health Reports:

Gather your immunization records and if needed tuberculosis screening records. Sample Health Report Forms for Incoming Students. You may also use those provided by your own medical providers.
Register for the Secure Patient Portal by using your private,unique UNET ID.
Under the Forms tab: Complete the three required online forms: Health History Form, Tuberculosis Screening Questionnaire, and the General Agreement which includes information of privacy practices. Students are required to sign the General Agreement annually. A notification for signature will be sent via the patient portal.
Under the Immunizations tab: Enter the dates of your vaccines from your record.
Under the Upload tab: upload your required immunization records and any related lab tests done for verification. You may upload a copy of your latest physical exam here as well. Please use a .txt or .pdf format when uploading documents.

The Health Center will communicate any discrepancies or further documentation needs through the secure patient portal by sending a message link to your Brandeis (UNET) email account.Failure to comply will result in a registration hold.

Expand All

What if I can't find my records?

If you believe you were immunized in the past but have no records, you can have a blood test drawn to detect the presence of antibodies (a titer).

Many insurances do not pay for these blood tests, so we have arranged a self-pay option that must be paid directly to the laboratory processing these tests at the time of service.

We recommend, however, that this testing be done before arriving to campus and the results submitted as part of the required documentation. This ensures that any further vaccination needs can be completed in a timely manner.

Health Insurance Plans

Each year, all full and 3/4-time students, must enroll in the qualifying Student Health Insurance Plan or waive the plan and report their own comparable health insurance coverage. This is required by Massachusetts Regulations to ensure that students have adequate coverage.

For more information, please visit our Health Insurance page.

Optimizing Health Outcomes While Away From Home

The following are some things you can do to prepare for your health needs while away from home.

Carry a copy of your insurance and prescription cards. You should bring these with you when you access health services. Make sure you understand how your insurance works; when you may need a referral from your Primary Care Provider or if a specific laboratory must be used for example. It is required that you have reasonable coverage for emergency AND non-emergent care in the area of the school. Go to the University Health Plans website for information on the school brokered health insurance plan which meets these requirements.
Review important components of your health history including current medications, conditions that may recur, and allergies. Review the available support resources on campus and how to access them. Please call us at 781-736-3677 with any questions or concerns.
Make a personal first aid kit complete with a thermometer, band-aids, sunscreen, insect repellant, and any self-care, non-prescription medications you use.
Properly store your medications and supplements. We recommend you use a lock box to keep your prescriptions safe and review potential interactions with alcohol and other medications. A pharmacy delivers directly to the Health Center for your convenience.
Make sure your immunizations are up to date and get your flu shot annually. Watch for our flu clinic notifications in the fall.

We encourage students to share their health care concerns and issues with their families. We need a student's consent in order to share any details about their medical care when the student is 18 years of age or older.