Pre-arrival COVID-19 testing

Updated Jan. 5, 2021

As part of Lafayette’s health and safety plan for the spring semester, students studying on campus are required to undergo COVID-19 testing prior to arrival. The College has partnered with Vault Health to provide students with an at-home, saliva-based COVID-19 test to complete before returning to campus. Students who have tested positive in the past 90 days should not order a vault test and need to email a copy of their positive test result to the health center ASAP.

Step 1
Order your pre-arrival test ASAP. Log into MyHousing to receive your unique link. The dashboard also will be where you register for your move-in time and sign your Pard Pledge. 

Step 2
Click on the link in the messages portion of your housing dashboard and register with Vault. You must use your Lafayette email account to register.

Important test details:

  • Order your test kit now. The kit doesn’t need to be refrigerated and is easily stored. Do not take your test until six days before your arrival date.
  • Do not open the test tube packaging until you’re ready to do saliva collection. This would invalidate your sample, and you would have to reorder a test kit at your expense.
  • When you’re ready to do saliva collection, log into the Zoom waiting room using the email and password from registration. You should not eat, drink, chew, or smoke anything for at least 30 minutes before giving the sample.
  • Ship the test back before 4 p.m. local time. You can locate a drop-off point here. Do not drop the package off at any CVS pharmacy locations or UPS access points (they do not accept clinical packs).

Step 3
After receiving your test kit, plan to take your COVID-19 pre-arrival test six days before your confirmed date of arrival at the College. Selecting your date and time for move in is done through the move-in scheduler in the MyHousing dashboard. For example, if you sign up to arrive at the College on Feb. 2, you would take your test and mail it in by 4 p.m. on Jan. 27. 

IMPORTANT: Do not take the Vault test through Zoom more than six days in advance of your confirmed date of arrival. Your results will not be accepted and you will not be able to move in. A Vault replacement test will be necessary and your student account will be billed directly when a replacement code is provided.

Questions can be directed as follows: