How to get college students to get vaccine: Offer chance to win housing, meals, books

A COVID vaccine could mean free housing, meal plans and textbooks for some North Carolina college students.

Universities across the state are setting up vaccine clinics on campus and motivating students to get vaccinated with perks.

UNC Greensboro recently announced its incentive program that gives students a chance to win a free meal plan, textbook money and a grant to cover the cost of residential housing for the 2021-22 academic year. The winners will be chosen by April 28.

Associate Vice Chancellor for Strategy and Policy Julia Jackson-Newsom said UNCG wants as many students as possible to get vaccinated for their own health and to help things return to normal on campus next fall. The school also wants to help students who lost their off-campus jobs or had additional financial pressures during COVID within their family, she said.

“Textbooks and meal plans and a place to live are some of those foundational expenses that our students have to juggle,” Jackson-Newsom said. “We thought maybe if we can offer to put them in the hat for some help, that would be particularly likely to motivate them to get vaccinated.”

Students who have already been vaccinated are eligible and will need to submit proof of vaccination at go.uncg.edu/igottheshot by noon on April 28.

Jackson-Newsom said since the UNC System won’t be requiring vaccines next fall, university leaders and health directors across the state wanted to think of other ways to encourage students to get vaccinated. And if some students are hesitant, maybe this will motivate them to get a shot.

UNCG will continue to run vaccine clinics on campus throughout the spring semester for students and employees at UNCG and other colleges and universities in Guilford County.

Two HBCUs are also giving vaccinated students a chance to offset some college expenses.

North Carolina A&T students can win a free semester of housing, free semester of dining or free year of parking once they’ve been vaccinated.

North Carolina Central University has weekly drawings where students can win laptops, TVs, parking passes, $500 housing credits and textbook vouchers.

Most campuses also are handing out freebies at vaccination clinics like stickers, hand sanitizer and face masks. Others, including UNC Charlotte, Western Carolina and UNC-Asheville, give out food, gift cards and T-shirts to students who get vaccines.

East Carolina University students who posted selfies after getting vaccinated were entered into contests to win Ray-Ban sunglasses.

UNC-Chapel Hill, N.C. State University and Duke University are not offering incentives, but are running vaccination clinics on campus and encouraging all students and employees to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

Reporter Simone Jasper contributed to this story.