Student information

On Aug. 20, the Nevada State Board of Public Health voted to require the COVID-19 vaccine for all students attending NSHE institutions. Students must provide proof of vaccination by Nov. 1, 2021 to enroll in the Spring 2022 semester. We will provide additional information on this mandate as details become available.

Students must stay home or leave work immediately if COVID-19-like symptoms develop. You are encouraged to call your health care provider for an assessment and possible COVID-19 testing. Fully vaccinated individuals should still get tested if experiencing COVID-19 like symptoms.

If you have a positive test, you are encouraged to fill out a COVID-19 reporting form to assist with contact tracing. Quarantine or self-isolate for;

• At least 10 days since symptoms first appeared; and 
• At least 24 hours with no fever without fever-reducing medication; and
• Other symptoms of COVID-19 are improving

View CDC guidance on isolation, quarantine, and testing for people who are fully vaccinated or for people who are not fully vaccinated.

Fully vaccinated students must quarantine whether or not they are symptomatic. View CDC guidance for people who are fully vaccinated.

Individuals who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 who are asymptomatic should stay home and self-isolate for 10 days after their positive test. View CDC guidance for people who are not fully vaccinated.

Vaccinated individuals who have been exposed as a close contact to someone with COVID-19 do not have to quarantine unless they develop symptoms but should still test 3-5 days after the exposure.

You are not required to quarantine if:

• You have remained asymptomatic since the current COVID-19 exposure; and 
• You are either:
  • Fully vaccinated (i.e., > two weeks following receipt of the second dose in a two-dose series, or >= two weeks following receipt of one dose of a single-dose vaccine); or
  • You have had COVID-19 within the last 3 months.

View CDC guidance on when to quarantine.

• Individuals who have come in close contact with someone infected with COVID-19 may be released from quarantine and resume normal activities after ten (10) days as long as they remain asymptomatic and continue to self-monitor for symptoms for fourteen (14) days after their most recent exposure. This includes, but is not limited to, at home quarantine, in a hotel or dormitory room or in a group quarantine facility.
• When diagnostic testing resources are sufficient and available for asymptomatic individuals, quarantine can end after seven (7) days if a test is done on day five (5) of the quarantine period and the test result is received by day seven (7).

View CDC guidance for people who are not fully vaccinated.

For any absences, students should contact their instructor or faculty member directly. For more information regarding absences, review the Class Absence Policy in the University Administrative Manual.

Students will likely get notifications about positive cases in their classes. Classes will continue in the mode they were scheduled, unless the number of students testing positive for COVID during a period of time that surpasses a threshold in a class section, as determined by the Chief Medical Officer and Provost’s Office, that warrants a class section being temporarily taught remotely.

Yes, quarantining for a close contact exposure (less than 6 feet for more than fifteen minutes) should be accommodated for unvaccinated students. However, if the only exposure is from notification about a positive case in a classroom, it is difficult to consider that a close contact unless there is a seating chart.

Since it is difficult to determine whether someone has had close contact (less than 6 feet for more than 15 minutes) in a classroom setting, unvaccinated students are advised to get a COVID-19 test. They can continue to come to class if they are asymptomatic.

The University’s Residential Life team will look after students who quarantined. Each quarantine room will include furniture, a refrigerator, microwave, toilet paper, trash bags and bottled water. Nevada Dining will provide breakfast, lunch and dinner that will be delivered to their rooms. The University will also offer these students resources including counseling and emotional support, as well as outlets to connect with other students in similar circumstances. The Residential Life team will provide building safety and security, and make the stay as comfortable of an experience as possible.

Yes. Self-reporting a positive test can help the University mitigate the spread of COVID-19 by ensuring that the surveillance/contact tracing process begins as soon as possible. If you test positive at a testing site other than the Student Health Center, please complete the voluntary online Reporting Form For Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 or provide consent to someone to submit it for you.