Loyola announced Tuesday that the university will be adding the COVID-19 vaccine to the list of already required vaccinations needed to attend.

University president Tania Tetlow said this comes after 93% of student respondents to a university survey said they are already or plan to be vaccinated, as well as a formal request for the vaccine requirement from the Student Government Association.

Tetlow said students must submit a record of their vaccination to Loyola’s COVID-19 vaccination portal or apply for an exemption by July 16, 2021. A hold will be placed on the account of any student yet to submit their vaccination record or exemption, preventing them from moving onto campus or attending class, according to Tetlow’s email.

Tetlow said that students will be able to opt out of the requirement for “health reasons, religious reasons or deeply held philosophical reasons.” Regardless, unvaccinated individuals will have to follow public health guidelines like masking and social distancing. They will also be required to quarantine if exposed. Vaccinated students will be exempt from these restrictions, the email said.

The university will make accommodations for international students unable to receive the vaccine in their home country, the email said. In making this decision, the university is working to keep students as safe as possible, according to Tetlow.

“As a Jesuit institution, we believe in the talent God has given human beings to solve complicated problems with science and rejoice in the determined work of doctors and scientists around the world to save lives,” Tetlow said.