Immunizations, titers and exemptions for UTA clinicals
UTA's graduate clearance policy bases its vaccine and TB rules on CDC guidelines but does not publish the list; the list lives in Exxat. Exemptions exist, a medical waiver or a notarized Texas affidavit, yet they only cover admission. The clinical agency decides whether an exempt student can train there.
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Where UTA's graduate list lives
Search UTA's website for a graduate vaccine list and you will not find one. The Graduate Nursing Clinical Clearance Requirements policy says UTA's vaccine and TB requirements follow CDC guidelines and are designed to meet most clinical agencies' requirements, then leaves the detail to the clinical management software. At UTA that is Exxat: the Resources tile holds compliance information and the Compliance tile is where you upload.
Other UTA pages point the same way without printing a list. The UTA Online FNP page describes the step as "Verification of immunization records," and the DNP handbook asks for CONHI-required immunizations before the project implementation course.
Treat any list you find elsewhere, including the ones below, as preparation. Your list is the one in Exxat for your program, and it is worth reading before you pay for a single titer.
What the published lists show
Three public lists give a fair picture of what Texas clinical sites expect. None is UTA's graduate list, so use them to gather records, not to decide what to skip.
| Item | Texas rule for health-related students (25 TAC §97.64) | UTA prelicensure BSN list (revised April 2024) | DFW Hospital Council orientation checklist (2018) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hepatitis B | Complete series | Series plus surface-antibody titer, or titer alone | Listed |
| MMR | 2 measles, 2 mumps, 1 rubella (born on or after 1/1/1957) | Titers, with repeat doses if non-immune | Listed |
| Varicella | 2 doses | Titer, with 2 doses if non-immune | Listed |
| Tdap | 1 Tdap, plus a tetanus-containing dose within 10 years | Within 10 years | Listed |
| Influenza | Not on the state list | Every year | Listed |
| TB | Not on the state list | QuantiFERON or T-Spot blood test, every year | TB test listed |
| COVID-19 | Not on the state list | Not required by UTA; most facilities require it | Not listed |
UTA's BSN immunization checklist says its requirements follow the Texas Administrative Code, UTA CONHI policy and the DFW Hospital Council Foundation Regional Standards. Where your graduate list in Exxat differs from this table, the Exxat list is the one UTA checks you against.
Titers, old records and unfinished series
Titer testing is on the graduate policy's list of costs you pay, next to vaccines and TB testing, so expect titers to be part of the graduate process. Texas accepts laboratory proof of immunity under 25 TAC §97.65, and UTA's BSN list is built around titers for hepatitis B, MMR and varicella, with extra doses if you are not immune.
An unfinished series can hold you up. The Texas rule for health-related students allows provisional enrollment after at least one dose of each vaccine, but no patient-contact coursework until every series is complete. A hepatitis B series started late can therefore delay a clinical start even when everything else is cleared.
Start by gathering what you already have: employer health records, old titer results, school records. Upload through the Compliance tile and watch each item's status, since an item can come back Not Approved and the 60-day clearance deadline keeps running.
TB, flu and COVID-19
TB testing is named in the graduate policy. The public BSN list requires a QuantiFERON or T-Spot blood test every year, and the DFW Hospital Council checklist lists a TB test. Your graduate list in Exxat says which test UTA accepts for you and how often; watch for the Expiring status.
No public UTA page addresses flu for graduate students, so in practice the site decides. University Health in San Antonio requires a current flu vaccine for rotations from August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027, and the Texas Medical Center verification form used by Houston Methodist lists a flu shot. More site rules are on the DFW hospital onboarding page.
COVID-19 is the least settled item. UTA's BSN page says it is "Not required by UTA but most clinical facilities require the vaccine." A 2023 Texas law bars employers from adverse action against employees, contractors or applicants who decline it, but its text does not mention students, and no source we found explains how it applies to clinical placements.
Medical and conscience exemptions
The policy allows two kinds of vaccine exemption. Each has its own document, and both go into Exxat.
- Medical contraindicationA provider signs a medical declination waiver, and you upload it to the clinical management software.
- Reasons of conscienceYou obtain a notarized affidavit from Texas Health and Human Services through the Texas DSHS exemptions page. The policy applies this to students living in Texas and outside it, so an out-of-state address does not change the form.
- The agency still decidesUTA accepts the exemption for admission. The clinical agency makes the final call on whether it will host you.
One more rule cuts the other way: you are not excused from a UTA requirement because the agency you are headed to does not require it.
Why an exemption can cost you a term
This is the part students miss. The policy says exemptions "are only good for admission to the university." Once you are placed, the clinical agency decides whether it will take a student with that exemption.
If the agency declines, the policy is blunt: "the self-placement request will be denied," and the clinical course moves to the next semester. A willing preceptor does not settle it; the agency's decision does.
If you hold an exemption, ask about the site's immunization rules before a preceptor commits and before your MyRequest goes in. The preceptor not approved page covers the other common reasons a request is turned down.
An exemption UTA accepted at admission does not bind the clinical agency. If the agency declines you, the request is denied and your course moves a semester.
Why students with an exemption search with us
Your immunization records go from you to UTA through Exxat, and UTA reviews them. Our part is the site side of the same question, which is where an exemption or an unfinished series most often costs students time.
Tell us about an exemption or a series still in progress and we build it into the search from day one. A placement advisor asks each prospective site about its immunization rules and its flu season policy before your name goes forward, so a site that will not accept you is ruled out early rather than after a denied request. That matters most when your course start is close and a lost semester would hurt. Tell us what you are working around.
Questions UTA students ask
Does UTA require the COVID-19 vaccine for graduate clinicals?
No public UTA page says so for graduate students. The only UTA statement is on the prelicensure BSN list, which says the vaccine is not required by UTA but most clinical facilities require it. Your graduate list is in Exxat, and each site sets its own rule. If you are not vaccinated, raise it before a preceptor commits.
Do I need a flu shot for UTA clinicals?
UTA does not publish a graduate flu rule, though its BSN list requires one every year and the DFW Hospital Council checklist includes influenza. Sites can set their own rules; University Health, for example, requires a current flu vaccine for rotations from August 2026 through July 2027. Check your Exxat list and ask your site.
I live outside Texas. Which exemption form do I use?
The same one. The policy requires a notarized affidavit from Texas Health and Human Services for conscience exemptions and says this applies to students living in or outside Texas. A medical contraindication uses a provider-signed medical declination waiver instead. Either way, the agency where you train still decides whether to accept you.
Can titers replace my vaccine records?
Texas's rule for health-related students accepts laboratory proof of immunity, and UTA's public BSN list is built around titers for hepatitis B, MMR and varicella, with more doses if you are not immune. Titer testing is also on the graduate policy's list of costs. Confirm which titers your Exxat list accepts before you order them.
Which TB test does UTA accept?
UTA's public BSN list requires a QuantiFERON or T-Spot blood test every year. The graduate policy names TB testing but UTA does not publish the accepted test types for graduate students on its website. Check the TB item in Exxat for your program, and note its expiry so a renewal does not fall in the middle of a clinical course.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-23
We check these pages against UTA's own sources. UTA's current handbook and your course faculty have the final word.
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