Unvaccinated college students face COVID-19 test fees — and sometimes stiff fines

Like many employers around the U.S., colleges and universities are taking a carrot-and-stick approach to convincing unvaccinated students to roll up their sleeves. That ranges from some schools offering prizes such as scholarships and unlimited meal plans in return for getting inoculated, while other institutions take the hard line and impose fees of $2,000 or more to help cover the costs of coronavirus testing.  

More than 500 colleges and universities across the country are requiring students to get vaccinated. Birmingham-Southern College is not among them, the Alabama school states on its website. Instead, all of BSC's nearly 1,300 students will be charged $500 for the fall term to offset the cost of weekly COVID-19 testing and quarantining, although fully vaccinated students will get the money back. Another Alabama institution, Auburn University, is taking a starkly different approach — an incentive program in the form of a contest for fully vaccinated students and student organizations. Individual prizes include an upgraded parking pass for the semester, an unlimited meal plan and a $1,000 scholarship. Other prizes include customized Yeti coolers and a catered meal, according to the school, where nearly 31,000 undergraduate and graduate students are enrolled.