Vaccine Incentives: How Colleges & Universities Are Trying to Stop the Spread of Covid-19

August 05, 2021

In an effort to encourage students to get vaccinated before returning to campus in the fall, colleges and universities are offering a plethora of prizes and benefits. Does your school need some ideas? We compiled a list of higher ed institutions—and their incentives—that are eager to get their students fully vaxxed. 

Albion College

  • A year of tuition

Allan Hancock College

  • $250 Visa gift cards for all vaccinated students

Auburn University

  • Weekend camping trip for two
  • 25 meal swipes
  • Unlimited meal plan
  • Graduation regalia
  • Priority class registration

Ball State University

  • Two tickets to The Price is Right
  • A named plaque on a campus tree

Barton College

  • Cash prize of $2,500
  • Dinner and a movie with ten friends

Bates Technical College

  • Ten $1,000 scholarships drawing

Bellevue College

  • $250-$400 scholarships

Bloomsburg University

  • Two $5,000 scholarships
  • Ten $2,500 scholarships

California State University, Fullerton

  • Fall 2021 parking pass
  • Apple AirPods

Centralia College

  • Ten $1,000 scholarships drawing

Central Michigan University

  • 20% off discount at the campus bookstore
  • 100 $75 gift cards

Colorado Community College System

  • Five $1,000 scholarships
  • Two $5,000 scholarships

Community College of Baltimore County

  • $100 toward campus bookstores, cafes and printing purchases for all vaccinated students

Danville Area Community College

  • One-credit summer class $600 waiver

Drury University

  • “Park anywhere” parking permits
  • Apple pencil
  • One night in the president’s suite at a home basketball game

East Carolina University

  • Fall semester parking passes
  • $10-$50 Target, Walmart and Best Buy gift cards
  • Two sideline pregame football passes

East Stroudsburg University

  • Recreational center memberships
  • Textbook scholarships
  • Tuition and housing waivers

Eastern Washington University

  • Adidas athletics gear package
  • Four front-row seats to a theater production
  • Winter term parking pass

Florida A&M University

  • $100 for each vaccine dose
  • Apple iPad
  • $50 gift cards

Harper College

  • Ten full-year tuition scholarships that cover up to 30 credit hours, textbooks and fees

Illinois State University

  • $1,000 scholarship awarded to 100 students
  • $100 in Flex Dollars added to the student ID card for 75 students

Indiana State University

  • $500 textbook vouchers
  • 2021-2022 parking permits

Indiana University

  • Season tickets for two for either the Indianapolis Colts or Indiana Repertory Theatre

Ivy Tech Community College

  • MacBook Air

Jacksonville State University

  • Two $1,000 gift cards
  • $100 Walmart gift cards for all vaccinated students

Jones College

  • $50-$1,875 tuition credit
  • Semester tuition

Kansas State University

  • 30-minute massage at KSU’s student health center
  • Apple AirPods
  • Garmin watches
  • JBL portable speaker

Kent State University

  • Tuition for a semester
  • Homecoming concert tickets
  • Kayaking trip for you and your friends
  • Semester room and board
  • Beats headphones
  • Apple watches

Los Angeles Mission College

  • Six Flags Magic Mountain pass
  • Vaccinated students can apply for a $300 Emergency Grant

Los Angeles Valley College

  • $150-$300 in bookstore giftcards

Louisiana State University

  • Apple products including an Apple Watch, MacBook Air and an iPad
  • $100-$250 Barnes & Nobles gift cards

Louisiana Tech University

  • Tuition and fees covered for one quarter
  • Declining balance credit for dining on campus
  • Apple iPad Pro
  • Apple Watch Series 6

Luther College

  • One semester of textbooks provided by the Luther Book Shop

Metropolitan Community College

  • Three-credit hour fall 2021 class for up to 1,000 students

Metropolitan State University of Denver

  • One year of tuition for five students

Miami University

  • Miami hockey game VIP box tickets
  • $5,000 cash
  • Bursar credit for full-year meal plan
  • MacBook Air laptop
  • iPad Pro
  • $500 and $250 bookstore gift cards

Michigan State University

  • 20 $1,000 cash prizes

Minnesota State University Moorhead

  • Parking passes
  • $100 bookstore stipends

Missouri State University

  • Two years of meal plans
  • $500 bookstore shopping spree
  • Two semesters of housing
  • Chance to win four separate $4,500 “Bookstore Bonanzas” that include MacBook and iPad Pros, Nintendo Switches, Microsoft Surface and Dell Inspiron devices, Xboxes, AirPods, an MSI gaming laptop, AppleCare+ and Xbox Live memberships and accessories

Northern Arizona University

  • $100 bookstore gift cards
  • $200 worth of gift cards
  • Apple Watch

Northern Illinois University

  • $100 cash to all vaccinated students

Northwest Missouri State University

  • $50 in dining dollars to 48 students
  • $100 bookstore gift cards to 11 students

Ohio University

  • Private one-hour fall photoshoot
  • Full in-state tuition scholarship
  • Dinner with men’s basketball coach
  • VIP ride in the 2021 Homecoming parade

Penn State University

  • $100 gift cards to Barnes & Noble
  • Football signed by Penn State football coach James Franklin

Peninsula College

  • Ten $2,000 scholarships

Pierpont Community & Technical College

  • Four $500 scholarships

Purdue University

  • One year’s worth of in-state tuition

Regina Salve University

  • Four $500 loaded onto student bursar accounts, with the option of Visa or Amazon gift cards

Renton Technical College

  • 25 $400 scholarships

Rock Valley College

  • $150-$300 toward tuition

Rowan University

  • $500 fall 2021 course registration bill credit
  • Additional $500 housing bill credit

Saint Louis University

  • iPhone 13
  • Netflix and Disney+ subscriptions
  • Private suite for one men’s basketball game

San Joaquin Delta College

  • $200 campus resources voucher

Siena College

  • If 70% of the in-person student body is fully vaccinated, masks will be optional when outdoors, students can override daily health screenings, and club activities and outdoor gatherings of up to 50 people may resume

Southern Illinois University

  • $250 book store vouchers
  • $1,000 bursar bill vouchers
  • $5 Starbucks gift card for all vaccinated students

Stetson University

  • One year of tuition for two students

Tacoma Community College

  • Ten $1,000 scholarships

Texas A&M International University

  • Starbucks gift cards
  • Fall 2021 tuition

The Ohio State University

  • $100-$1,000 gift cards
  • Season football tickets
  • Main campus parking pass

Towson University

  • 100 dining points
  • Full-year parking
  • $5,000 student scholarship

University of Alabama

  • $20 cash to all vaccinated students

University of Arizona

  • $5 value Star Reward to be redeemed at the Arizona student unions or bookstores
  • Arizona Arts Live tickets
  • $100 textbook scholarships
  • $500 tuition scholarships
  • Private viewing of an Arizona Athletics practice
  • Meet & greet with Arizona Athletics head coach

University of Cincinnati

  • $2,500-$5,000 debit cards

University of Dayton

  • Private basketball game at UD Arena
  • Student section basketball tickets

University of Iowa

  • $10 Iowa City Downtown District gift card for all vaccinated students

University of Louisiana at Lafayette

  • Apple Watch Series 6
  • 128 GB Oculus Quest
  • iPhone 12

University of Michigan

  • Cash prizes of up to $5,000
  • Football tickets

University of Montevallo

  • Full meal plans
  • $200 textbook credit

University of Nebraska-Lincoln

  • Semester of monthly 60-minute massages
  • One-year Nebraska Innovation Studio Makerspace membership

University of New Mexico

  • $100 into all student bursar accounts

University of North Carolina Greensboro

  • $50 in Flex—which can be used at dining halls, campus restaurants, convenience stores and vending—added to all vaccinated student card accounts

University of North Texas

  • 20 $4,000 student financial awards
  • 100 parking permits
  • 100 $100 Barnes & Noble gift cards

University of Notre Dame

  • Ten $1,000 cash prizes
  • Five pairs of 2021 season football tickets
  • Three reserved parking spots

University of Pittsburgh

  • Research funding support
  • On-campus dining credit

University of South Alabama

  • Ten parking passes

University of Southern Mississippi

  • Fall 2021 semester tuition
  • $1,000 in dining dollars
  • $300 Barnes & Noble gift cards
  • $2,000 in housing and residence room credit

University of St. Francis

  • $500 COVID vaccination grant for all fully-vaccinated on-campus students

University of St. Thomas

  • Study abroad trip discounts
  • Tuition discounts

University of Tulsa

  • Campus housing for the year
  • Universal parking pass
  • $2,000 worth of textbooks
  • MacBook Air

University of Wisconsin System

  • 70 $7,000 scholarships

University of Wyoming

  • Campus parking pass
  • Pregame football sideline passes
  • Dinner with the University President
  • $300 in cash
  • Tuition for one semester

Wallace State

  • $150 cash for all vaccinated students
  • Five $1,000 cash rewards

Walsh University

  • Akron Aero basketball game tickets
  • Akron Zoo tickets
  • 21 tuition scholarships

Wayne State University

  • Semester of on-campus housing
  • Semester of Fall 2021 tuition
  • $100 bookstore voucher
  • Semester of parking

West Virginia University

  • Textbooks for the whole semester
  • Adventure trips
  • Guaranteed football or basketball season tickets

Western Illinois University

  • $25-$150 in Rocky Dollars added to student ID cards

Western Michigan University 

  • Five scholarships of $10,000, 10 scholarships of $2,500, 20 scholarships of $500 and 25 scholarships of $1,000

Western Washington University

  • Ten $1,000 scholarships

Wheaton College

  • Fully vaccinated students are not required to wear a mask around campus

Wittenberg University

  • Three financial aid grants: one in the amount of $2,500, a second of $1,000 and a third of $500

Xavier University

  • Men’s basketball game suite
  • Apple AirPods Pro
  • One $2,500 tuition grant

Want to chat?

Hit our line

Close

Subscribe to our Newsletter: A Simple Truth