How to Complete and Submit the TAMU Bacterial Meningitis Form

To satisfy the TAMU bacterial meningitis form requirement, upload a qualifying MCV4 vaccination record — or a completed exemption affidavit — to Med+Proctor, pay the $7.50 processing fee, and allow five to seven days for Texas A&M to lift the registration hold on your account.¹ Until that hold is cleared, you cannot register for classes, so start early.

Do You Actually Need to Submit It?

The requirement applies to every entering student under 22. That includes first-time freshmen, transfer students, and anyone returning after sitting out at least one fall or spring semester. If you turn 22 on or before the first day of the semester, you are automatically exempt and do not need to submit anything.²

Two other groups are also exempt from submission: students enrolled exclusively in online or distance courses with no on-campus presence,³ and students on active duty with the U.S. armed forces.² Everyone else under 22 needs to complete the process before registration opens, regardless of credits already earned.

What Counts as a Valid Vaccination Record

Texas requires the meningococcal conjugate vaccine covering serogroups A, C, W, and Y. On an immunization record it appears as MCV4 or MenACWY. The meningococcal B (MenB) vaccine does not satisfy this requirement; the two protect against different strains and are not interchangeable.²

Timing matters in two ways. The vaccine or booster must have been administered within the five years before the first day of the semester, and it must be given at least ten days before the first day of classes.² If your teenage dose is older than five years, you need a booster, and that booster also has to clear the ten-day minimum.

Your documentation can be either a certificate signed by a licensed health practitioner or an official immunization record from a clinic, pharmacy, or health department. It must show your name, date of birth, the vaccine administered, and the date given.³ Incomplete or illegible records are the most common reason a submission gets rejected, so verify every field before uploading.

Documents must be in English. If your record is in another language, you need a certified translation with a seal or stamp before TAMU will accept it. International students are encouraged to get the MCV4 vaccine before arriving in the United States, since finding a provider and sorting out insurance after you land can add weeks of delay.¹

How to Submit Through Med+Proctor

TAMU uses Med+Proctor for vaccination record submissions. The steps:

Create a Med+Proctor account using the registration link on the TAMU admissions page.
Upload a clear, legible image or scan of your vaccination record.
Pay the $7.50 processing fee. TAMU negotiated this rate for Aggies, and it cannot be deferred or waived.¹

Allow five to seven days after uploading for the hold to come off.⁴ Submitting the day before your New Student Conference almost guarantees the hold will still be active when you try to register.

If You Need an Exemption Instead

Texas recognizes two paths to exemption. Both still require paperwork submitted through the same channels.

Medical Exemption

If a U.S.-licensed physician determines the vaccine would be harmful to your health, the doctor can sign an affidavit or certificate stating that opinion. Only an MD or DO can provide this documentation. The exemption is valid for one year unless the physician states you have a lifelong condition.⁵

Conscience or Religious Exemption

If you are declining based on personal or religious belief, you must use the official DSHS Exemption Affidavit. You can download the blank form from the DSHS website or request a mailed copy through the DSHS online portal; mailed copies can take up to three weeks, so downloading is faster.⁵

The completed affidavit has to be notarized. DSHS will not accept unnotarized or modified affidavits, and TAMU must receive the notarized document within 90 days of the notarization date.¹ Exemption documents can be uploaded through Med+Proctor or through the Applicant Information System (AIS).⁶

If Your Deadline Is Days Away

When your New Student Conference or registration date is less than a week out and the hold is still on your account, submit in person at the Aggie One Stop lobby on the first floor of the General Services Complex on Agronomy Road. The office is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.⁴ This is the fastest way to clear the hold when time is tight.

After You Submit

Watch both your email and your Howdy portal for confirmation that the meningitis hold has been lifted. The five-to-seven-day window is typical, but submissions right before fall orientation can run longer because of volume. If nothing changes after a full week, contact Aggie One Stop or Med+Proctor support rather than re-uploading the same document.

Once the hold is cleared, you have full access to course registration. No additional meningitis paperwork is required for later semesters as long as your vaccination stays within the five-year window and you do not have a break in enrollment that puts you back under the entering-student rules.

1
Texas A&M University. Bacterial Meningitis Vaccination Requirement
2
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Bacterial Meningitis
3
Texas Constitution and Statutes. Texas Education Code 51.9192 – Bacterial Meningitis Vaccination Required for Certain Students; Exceptions
4
University Health Services. Immunizations
5
Texas Department of State Health Services. Texas Immunization Exemptions
6
State of Texas. Texas Code Health and Safety Code 161.0041 – Immunization Exemption Affidavit Form