COVID-19 Vaccine for Students in Edinburgh: Do You Need One?

Most students starting university in Edinburgh this year had several COVID-19 vaccines as teenagers, or had COVID-19 itself, or both. So when flu jab season comes round, a common question at the counter is whether they need a COVID-19 vaccine as well. For most healthy students the honest answer is no, not this winter. For a smaller group of students it is an important yes, and those are the students most likely to be missed.

This page is for students at any university or college in Edinburgh. It explains which students get a free COVID-19 vaccine in brief, why students with a weakened immune system need to act, when a private dose might make sense, why a flu jab is usually the better bet, and what to do if you catch COVID-19 in halls. For the wider picture, see our guide to the COVID-19 vaccine in Edinburgh.

Do students get a free COVID-19 vaccine?

Not for being a student. This winter the free COVID-19 vaccine in Scotland is for adults aged 75 and over, care home residents, and anyone with a weakened immune system. Unlike flu, there is no place on the list for asthma, diabetes, pregnancy or working in health and social care. For students, the only route to a free COVID-19 vaccine is the weakened immune system group.

Students with a weakened immune system: the group most often missed

Plenty of students live with conditions or treatments that dampen the immune system, and many of them do not think of themselves as high risk. You are likely to be in the eligible group if, for example, you:

• take immune-suppressing medicine for Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, arthritis, psoriasis, lupus or multiple sclerosis, including injected biologic medicines
• are having, or have recently had, treatment for cancer
• have had an organ or stem cell transplant
• take high-dose or long-term steroid tablets
• have an inherited condition affecting the immune system, or HIV with a low CD4 count

This is a summary, not the full list. Your specialist team or GP can tell you whether you are included. Invitations go through your GP practice, so register with a GP in Edinburgh and make sure your new practice knows about your treatment, including anything prescribed by a hospital team. If you are eligible, you should also be offered a free flu jab, and you can usually have both at one appointment.

Healthy students: is a COVID-19 vaccine worth it?

For a healthy student under 25, the risk of serious illness from COVID-19 is low, especially after earlier vaccines and infections. The current vaccines mainly lower the risk of serious illness. They give limited protection against catching a mild infection and little protection against passing the virus on. That is why a dose is not recommended for healthy young adults this winter.

Some students still ask about a private dose. The situations where it is worth a conversation include:

• you live with someone who has a weakened immune system, and want to lower your own risk of being ill for long
• you have a long-term condition that is not on the free list, and want to talk through your own risk
• you are about to travel to a country that asks for COVID-19 vaccination
• you are a mature student in your sixties or older

If you would like to discuss it, ask a pharmacist. We will tell you honestly whether a dose makes sense for you.

For most students, a flu jab does more

If you want one vaccine to help you through the winter, for most healthy students it is the flu jab, not COVID-19. Flu can put a healthy young adult in bed for a full week, often right in the middle of December exams, and unlike the COVID-19 vaccine, the flu jab does lower your chance of catching it in the first place.

A private flu jab takes a few minutes and needs no GP referral. Some students get one free too, for example with asthma needing a preventer inhaler, diabetes or pregnancy. Our page on flu jabs for students in Edinburgh explains who qualifies and how to book.

If you share a flat with someone at higher risk

Plenty of students share halls or a flat with someone on immune-suppressing treatment, sometimes without knowing it. If a flatmate tells you they are at higher risk, the most useful things you can do have little to do with your own vaccine:

• Stay out of shared rooms while you have a temperature, and give them warning if you are unwell.
• Do not share cups, cutlery or towels, and wipe down shared kitchen surfaces.
• Open a window in the kitchen and living room for a few minutes each day.
• Have your flu jab, which does lower your chance of catching flu and bringing it home.

If you are the student at higher risk, tell your flatmates what helps, keep tests at home, and find out how to get treatment before you need it.

If you catch COVID-19 in halls

Most students with COVID-19 have a few days of cold or flu-like symptoms and recover at home. Most people no longer need to take a test. Stay at home until you no longer have a fever and no longer need medicine to bring it down.

• Tell your flatmates and avoid shared spaces where you can while you have a temperature.
• Keep away from anyone at higher risk, including flatmates on immune-suppressing treatment.
• Let your department know if you will miss lectures, using your university's absence process.
• Rest, drink plenty, and use simple painkillers if you need them. A pharmacist can advise on remedies.

If you have a weakened immune system, you may be eligible for antiviral treatment, which must start within five days of symptoms. Our page on COVID-19 symptoms and what to do explains how to get treatment and when to call 111 or 999.

Book a vaccination at Forrest Pharmacy

Choose a time below for a COVID-19 vaccination, and tell us if you would like a flu jab at the same visit. Forrest Pharmacy is at 45 Forrest Road, Edinburgh EH1 2QP, a short walk from the University of Edinburgh's central campus and close to bus routes from across the city. We are open Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm and Saturday 9am to 5pm. It helps to know which medicines you take and roughly when you last had a COVID-19 dose.

COVID-19 vaccine questions from students

I had three COVID-19 vaccines at school. Do I need another?

If you are healthy, a dose is not recommended this winter, and the benefit for you would be small. If you have a weakened immune system, you should be offered one free.

I take a biologic injection for Crohn's. Am I eligible?

Very likely. Many immune-suppressing medicines put you in the eligible group. Check with your specialist team or GP, and make sure your Edinburgh practice has your treatment on record.

I have asthma. Do I get a free COVID-19 vaccine?

Not because of asthma alone this year. You may well be eligible for a free flu jab, though. See our page on flu jabs for students.

Can I have COVID-19 and flu vaccines together?

Yes. They can be given at the same visit, one in each arm.

Do I need a COVID-19 test if I feel ill?

Most students do not. Tests are mainly for people at higher risk who may need treatment.

I am an international student. Do my vaccines from home count?

Bring a record of what you had and when. Our page for international students explains more.

I am not sure whether my medicine counts as immune-suppressing. What should I do?

Bring the medicine or its name to the pharmacy, or ask your specialist team. Many students on tablets or injections for bowel, skin or joint conditions are in the eligible group without realising it.

Can I have one just for peace of mind?

You can ask. The pharmacist will talk through your own risk and tell you honestly whether a dose is likely to help. For most healthy students, a flu jab is the better use of a vaccination appointment this winter.

Will a COVID-19 vaccine make me feel ill before exams?

Some people feel tired or achy for a day or two. If you do decide to have one, avoid the day before an exam or a deadline.

Related reading

• COVID-19 Vaccine in Edinburgh for Students, Working Adults and Families
• COVID-19 Vaccines for International Students in Edinburgh
• COVID-19 Symptoms in 2026: What to Do, and When to Get Help
• Visiting Older Relatives This Winter: COVID-19 Vaccines and Protecting Family
• MenB Vaccine for Students in Edinburgh

Reviewed by Ather Diab, Superintendent Pharmacist and Independent Prescriber (GPhC 2233707). Forrest Pharmacy, 45 Forrest Road, Edinburgh EH1 2QP. Last reviewed: 29 October 2026.

This page is general information and does not replace an individual assessment. COVID-19 vaccines are prescription-only medicines and are only given after a check that vaccination is suitable for you. In an emergency, call 999.

Sources: Scottish Government, Winter Programme 2026, SGHD/CMO(2026)18; JCVI advice on COVID-19 vaccination for autumn 2026 and spring 2027; UKHSA Green Book, chapter 14a (COVID-19).