COVID-19 vaccinations

In line with advice from the National Health Service and the World Health Organisation, we strongly recommend that students and colleagues should be vaccinated when they can.

Watch our video from our University of Reading experts.

All students, including international students, can access COVID-19 vaccines for free. Find out more on the NHS website.

You do not need an NHS number or to be registered with a GP to receive your vaccine.

You must not break your self-isolation to visit a vaccination centre, if you are self-isolating due to having symptoms, testing positive, or being identified as a close contact. Likewise, if you are in quarantine having travelled overseas, you must complete your full period of self-isolation before visiting a vaccination centre.

Getting your vaccine

Students registered with a GP can book their appointment at a vaccination centre, a community pharmacy site, or at some GP sites through the National Booking Service website or by phoning 119. You can find your NHS number using this tool.

You can book appointments online through the NHS at a location convenient to you.

While registration with a GP is encouraged to access the vaccine, you can request to book COVID-19 vaccination appointments at an unregistered patient through a local GP practice.

Visit nhs.uk/covid-vaccination for more information about the COVID-19 vaccination.

Can I get a vaccine if I am an international student?

Anybody aged 18 or over in England is eligible for the COVID-19 vaccination for free, regardless of their nationality or immigration status. While registration with a GP is encouraged to access the vaccine, you can request to book COVID-19 vaccination appointments as an unregistered patient through a local GP practice.

I'm an international student, are my vaccines approved in the UK?

I’m an international student, what should I do if I’ve had my first dose of a COVID-19 vaccination abroad, and it is not a vaccine that is being offered in England?

If you have received a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine overseas that is also available in the UK, you should receive the same vaccine for their second dose.

If the vaccine you received for their first dose is not available in the UK, the most similar alternative should be offered as per the advice on vaccine interchangeability guidance.

You should contact a GP to ensure you receive an appropriate vaccine for your second dose.

How can I get a COVID vaccine certificate?

Am I required to have a COVID-19 vaccine to study on campus?

I have had both my COVID-19 vaccinations – do I need to quarantine when travelling to the UK?

If you are travelling from a country that is not on the ‘red list’, you do not need to quarantine when you arrive in England if you qualify as ‘fully vaccinated’ by the UK government. Please read the government guidance carefully to know what guidance applies to you. There is new guidance from 11 February 2022.