UNM has provided more than $1M in vaccine incentives to students

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Students at the University of New Mexico are getting vaccinated and getting paid.

The university has distributed more than $1 million into student accounts as part of their COVID-19 vaccine incentive program.

The incentive program has been so successful, UNM is extending its vaccine incentive deadline through the end of September, which is also the deadline for students to submit their vaccination card.

Classes got started this week at the university. At this time, about 85% of the staff is vaccinated, and 60% of students have verified their vaccination status.

"I think we’re in really good shape," UNM spokesperson Cinnamon Blair said, noting that students are wearing masks and seem happy to be back.

The university is working on creating a framework for what happens when the deadline arrives and a student is not vaccinated.

Blair said they want to work with people to get them to comply – hoping there are other options besides expulsion. She said that might include starting with barring those students or staff from going inside buildings.

UNM is reportedly seeing a very slight drop in enrollment, but a slight increase in the number of freshmen.