COVID-19 Testing Information

An Important Note About Privacy

Testing facilities CANNOT contact professors, deans, or your parents with your results. Rutgers Student Health is obligated to notify you and the Middlesex Department of Health. The same is true of any medical office, including urgent care offices.

Student FAQS: Testing

Testing If You Have COVID-19 Symptoms

How can I test if I’m vaccinated but I DON’T have symptoms?

The campus surveillance testing program is only testing unvaccinated students and employees, and university-affiliated close contacts of infected students and employees.

Students who are vaccinated are being tested if they are a close contact of an infected student or employee, or if they have possible COVID-19 symptoms and are directed by Student Health to test.

I have symptoms that might be COVID-19. How can I test if I’m vaccinated?

You can test on your own or through Student Health. If you have symptoms, either a PCR or antigen test is appropriate.

If you choose to test through Student Health, you will be evaluated by staff and if approved for testing, you will be directed to a nearby COVID-19 test vending machine or center to obtain a test. You will be instructed to fill out an online questionnaire at https://rtr.ipo.rutgers.edu/questionnaire and submit the test in a designated drop box. Please remain in your residence hall/residence and minimize exposure to others until your test results return (typically in 24-48 hours).

COVID-19 symptoms may include:

· Fever over 100.4 F or chills

· Cough

· Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

· New loss of taste or smell

· Sore throat

· Worsening or new onset of fatigue, muscle or body aches, headaches, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, or diarrhea

Where to call for testing:

Testing is available through Student Health, your personal healthcare provider, pharmacies, local testing facilities or a local urgent care facility. If you have symptoms and cannot access a test, please follow CDC guidelines and isolate from others until you can be evaluated.

New Brunswick Rutgers Student Health: 848-932-7402
After-Hours Nurse Line: 800-890-5882
All campuses COVID-19 information hotline: Monday – Friday, 9 am – 5 pm, 848-445-3033

Students with symptoms should stay in their residence hall or off-campus housing and wear a mask when going out beyond their residence and around others. They should refrain from going to classes and accessing public spaces on- and off-campus such as student centers, dining halls, computer labs, recreation centers, gyms, restaurants, and other public places.

On-Campus Testing Locations:
Please visit https://coronavirus.rutgers.edu/on-campus-testing/ for information about on-campus testing.

Testing If You Received An Exemption

I received a medical or religious waiver from the COVID-19 mandate. What testing am I required to do?

You must submit a weekly COVID-19 PCR test. You may utilize the Rutgers saliva testing program and claim a kit at one of our testing centers or vending machines. Alternatively, you may test with a PCR test from a non-Rutgers site and upload the results to https://rtr.ipo.rutgers.edu/questionnaire.

If you are a clinical student, you must submit two COVID-19 PCR tests a week.

I received a medical or religious exemption from the COVID-19 vaccine, but have chosen online courses. Do I still need to submit COVID-19 tests?

Yes. Those who received exemptions from testing must still submit COVID-19 PCR tests. Rutgers is an open campus and students may choose to take all online courses and still come to campus.

Student FAQS: COVID-19 Infection, Exposure, And Housing

On-Campus Students And Housing

I tested positive for COVID-19 and live in on-campus housing. What happens next?

If you were tested outside of Rutgers, please upload your results to https://rtr.ipo.rutgers.edu/questionnaire and call Rutgers Student Health at 848-932-7402. If you were tested through Rutgers testing program you will be contacted proactively by a Student Health administrator. Rutgers Student Health will evaluate your living situation and the type/length of appropriate isolation. If isolation is indicated, Rutgers Student Health will work with Residence Life to place you in isolation housing or you may return home for the isolation period.

I have been in close contact with or been exposed to someone with COVID-19 and live in on-campus housing. What happens next?

Contact tracers will contact you if you have been in close contact with a COVID positive case. If you have not been contacted by a contact tracer and but feel that you have been in close contact with a COVID positive case (see CDC exposure definition), please contact your Student Health at 848-932-7402.

Rutgers Student Health will advise you on how to perform your post-exposure COVID-19 PCR test via the university testing program and will evaluate your living situation to determine if temporary housing is appropriate. Typically, temporary housing is indicated if you share space with others where you may be unmasked. If temporary housing is indicated, Rutgers Student Health will work with Residence Life to place you in temporary housing.

If you remain without symptoms, you will be permitted to attend classes in person with a mask and you may pick up food from the dining halls but may not eat there in-person. You will need to wear a mask in all public areas and monitor your symptoms. You will be asked to perform a COVID-19 PCR test about 5 days after your last exposure and may return to your residence once that test is negative.

Off-Campus Students

I tested positive for COVID-19 and live off-campus. What happens next?
You should isolate.

If you were tested outside of Rutgers, please upload your test results to https://rtr.ipo.rutgers.edu/questionnaire. If you were tested through the Rutgers testing program you will be contacted proactively by a Student Health administrator and provided guidance.

If you need further guidance or medical care, please contact Rutgers Student Health at 848-932-7402.

I am vaccinated and live off-campus, but was exposed to someone with COVID-19. What should I do?

If you were exposed to someone with COVID-19 (please see CDC exposure definition), you should wear a mask and monitor your symptoms for 14 days. You should perform a COVID-19 PCR test about 5 days after your last exposure. You must be vigilant about proper mask wearing, hand hygiene, and social distancing. If you remain asymptomatic, you may participate in campus activities where you can remain masked, and may pick up food from the dining halls but may not eat there in person.

If you develop symptoms, you should isolate, stay off-campus, and refrain from going to classes and accessing public spaces on- and off-campus such as student centers, dining halls, computer labs, recreation centers, gyms, restaurants, and other public places. Contact Rutgers Student Health at 848-932-7402 for guidance for further guidance or medical care.

I tested positive for COVID-19. Who should I tell?

First, you should isolate. If you were tested outside of Rutgers, please upload your test results to https://rtr.ipo.rutgers.edu/questionnaire. If you were tested through the Rutgers testing program you will be contacted proactively by a Student Health administrator and provided guidance. If you need further guidance or medical care, please contact Rutgers Student Health at 848-932-7402.

It’s normal to want to warn people around you, but please be mindful that COVID-19 exposure may cause significant anxiety in others, so please make sure you use appropriate definitions for exposure. Rutgers Contact Tracers and Student Health will help work out who you may have exposed (please see CDC exposure definition).

Please Note: Student Health CANNOT contact professors, deans, or your parents with your results. We are obligated to notify you and the Middlesex Department of Health. The same is true of any medical office, including urgent care offices.

Insurance and Cost

Testing done through Rutgers Student Health is at zero cost to students and employees. Testing is billed through insurance. If the test is not covered a student’s policy, Student Health will cover the cost. For employees, uncovered or denied charges for COVID-19 testing will be paid by the university.

Any student or employee who receives a billing statement from Accurate Diagnostics (ADL) for a COVID-19 test should call ADL (732-839-0843) to provide information about your insurance. Please call even if you do not have health insurance. Do not pay the bill. Also, please update or correct your insurance information on your COVID testing questionnaire (go.rutgers.edu/COVID-19-Testing).

Rutgers Test Results

You will be notified via email when your test results are available for viewing. You can access your results by logging into Return to Rutgers COVID-19 Testing page, go.rutgers.edu/COVID-19-Testing.

Testing in Middlesex County (including New Brunswick)

All COVID-19 testing performed at the Middlesex County Health Services sites are free for Middlesex County residents, but require an appointment. Residents wishing to make an appointment should visit Middlesexcountynj.gov/COVID19testing to register and receive a time to report to the testing site.

To receive testing, you must:

Be a Middlesex County resident (proof of residency is required)*
Make an appointment online or via phone

*Rutgers students living off-campus in the New Brunswick/Piscataway area as well as students living in on-campus residence halls are eligible to receive testing through Middlesex county. Examples of proof of residency include housing agreements, leases, or 2 pieces of mail with name and local address.

Middlesex County Test Results

For the Middlesex County Saliva-based COVID-19 diagnostic tests, results are usually provided within 3-5 business days. The Office of Health Services will then contact you by phone with a positive or negative result. The phone call will likely come from a 732-745-XXXX number. Test results can not be left on voicemail, so you must answer the phone when called and/or promptly return calls to the Office of Health Services after being tested. To learn more about what to do once you get your results, visit our “Understanding your COVID-19 Test Results” page.

Documentation of results for tests obtained outside of Rutgers should be uploaded to go.rutgers.edu/COVID-19-Testing. Should you choose to go elsewhere for your testing, please note that PCR testing is the only test that will be accepted. Antibody testing will not be accepted and will be rejected if uploaded.