Vaccines for Students

As your college or university term begins, remember to check your vaccines are up-to-date. Read about keeping yourself protected from serious diseases.

Infectious diseases can spread easily in college and university communities. More face-to-face contact means you’re at higher risk of catching and passing on infectious diseases.

It’s really important for all students to ensure they’re up-to-date with their vaccines before starting college or university. You should have been offered:

• Meningitis ACWY (MenACWY)
• Measles, mumps and rubella (MMR)
• Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
• Diphtheria, tetanus and polio (TD/IPV)

If you’ve missed any of your vaccines, make sure you try and get them as soon as possible. To check your eligibility and make a request for a missed vaccination, see MenACWY, MMR, HPV & DTP information below.

Find out more information

Meningitis ACWY (MenACWY) Vaccine

Find out more about MenACWY

The meningitis ACWY (MenACWY) vaccine helps protect against meningitis and septicaemia. These infections are caused by meningococcal bacteria groups A, C, W and Y.

Young people have a higher risk of getting meningococcal disease. You’ll be offered immunisation to protect yourself and others around you.

Eligibility

Meningitis and septicaemia are very serious diseases. They can cause permanent disability and death. The symptoms can come on quickly. You may be eligible for the MenACWY vaccination if you:

• are attending further education in Scotland
• are aged up to 25 years old
• have not had the MenACWY vaccination

If eligible, you should contact the NHS Grampian Vaccination contact centre

Further information regarding Meningitis can be found here.

Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) Vaccine

Find out more about MMR

The MMR vaccine helps to protect people against measles, mumps and rubella. It’s also offered to adults who missed their childhood immunisations or who have no record of having had 2 MMR vaccines.

Measles, mumps and rubella are highly infectious viral diseases. They can cause serious medical complications.

Learn more about measles

Learn more about mumps

Learn more about rubella

A high number of people in Scotland have had the MMR vaccine. This means there has been a big reduction in the number of people catching these diseases; however, vaccination remains vital to maintaining this reduction.

Eligibility

Young people and adults who missed out on their MMR vaccine may be eligible, including those who are planning a pregnancy. If you didn’t have 2 doses of the MMR vaccine as a child, you can contact your local NHS immunisation team to discuss eligibility and vaccination.

Contact the NHS Grampian Vaccination contact centre

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine

The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine protects from cancers and genital warts caused by HPV infection.

What is HPV?

Find out more about HPV

HPV is a common virus, often with no noticeable symptoms. Most people clear the virus naturally. However, HPV can increase your risk of certain cancers and can be transmitted to others. HPV spreads primarily through intimate sexual contact, including skin-to-skin contact in the genital area.

HPV-Related Cancers

• Head and neck cancers
• Cervical cancer
• Anogenital cancers (e.g. anal, penile, vaginal, vulvar)

HPV Vaccine Benefits

• The HPV vaccine protects against most HPV-related cancers and over 90% of genital wart infections.

Eligibility

If you were eligible for the HPV vaccine but didn’t receive it, you may still be able to get it until the age of 25. This applies to:

• Boys eligible from the 2019/2020 academic year
• Girls under 25 eligible under previous programmes introduced in 2008

If eligible, you should contact the NHS Grampian Vaccination contact centre

HPV Vaccination Schedule Change

• Individuals under 25 who started a two- or three-dose schedule before January 2023 are considered fully vaccinated.

HPV Vaccination for Men Who Have Sex with Men

• The HPV vaccine is available in Scotland for men who have sex with men and are aged 45 years and under.
• For further information, please visit  Grampian Sexual Health.

If eligible, you should contact the NHS Grampian Vaccination contact centre

Diphtheria, Tetanus and Polio ( DTP)

Find out more about DTP

The DTP vaccine protects  against diphtheria, tetanus and polio.

Eligibility

All young people in S3 (around 14 years old) are eligible for the vaccination

The vaccine protects against diphtheria, tetanus and polio.

For more information, visit the DTP vaccine page on NHS Inform.

If eligible, you should contact the NHS Grampian Vaccination contact centre