Learn more about UB’s program to test all campus community members with regular on-campus contact during the spring semester, and register for your test.
SUNY’s updated policy now requires the administration of weekly testing of all students, faculty and staff who live on campus or who will be on campus regularly during the spring semester.
For students, this includes:
For faculty and staff:
Invitations to register for weekly testing are generated by the Daily Health Check data employees submit. It is expected that all who come to campus complete a Daily Health Check before they come to campus. All employees who are coming to campus on a regular basis will be expected to be tested every week, and are selected according to the following criteria:
Employees with a positive case in the past 90 days have been removed from the list for surveillance testing.
Individuals who work remotely do not have to come to campus for surveillance testing.
If you have a health risk or cannot/will not report for testing:
STUDENTS: Use the Student EXEMPTION FORM to submit your explanation.
FACULTY/STAFF: Please reach out to Mark Coldren in the Office of Human Resources at mcoldren@buffalo.edu or 716-645-8155.
Student testing will be available in the Student Union, Greiner and Allen, and is by appointment only. The Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences is available for walk-up testing to everyone. Faculty and staff do not need to make an appointment and may walk up to any location during testing hours.
Students
The reservation schedule for weekly testing will open on Friday, Feb. 5. Students will be able to schedule their mandatory weekly testing appointments in the same way they scheduled return-to-campus testing. Students who have tested positive are excused from testing for three months from their positive test date. To be excused due to a previous positive, the student must make sure they have reported their status to the UB Student Reporting Line at 716-645-1400 or ubstudentreportingline@buffalo.edu. Locations have appointments Monday-Friday, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., with the exception of Allen Hall, which closes at 4 p.m.
Faculty/Staff
Faculty and staff do not require an appointment. They may walk up to any open location, and will have early access to testing on Tuesdays in the Student Union.
Monday-Friday | 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. | students | By appointment only. See How To Get Tested at UB. |
Monday-Friday | 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. | faculty/staff | No appointment needed. Walk-up only. |
Tuesday | 7-9 a.m. | faculty/staff only | No appointment needed. Walk-up only. |
Monday-Friday | 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. | students | By appointment only. See How To Get Tested at UB. |
Monday-Friday | 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. | faculty/staff | No appointment needed. Walk-up only. |
Monday-Friday | 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. | students | By appointment only. See How To Get Tested at UB. |
Monday-Friday | 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. | faculty/staff | No appointment needed. Walk-up only. |
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday | 11 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. | students/faculty/staff | No appointments. Walk-up only. |
If you missed a previously scheduled on-campus student appointment, please follow all detailed instructions, omitting Step 1, of “How To Get Tested at UB,” and report to the test site of your choice listed above.
The University at Buffalo is implementing a policy in the spring semester, required by the State University of New York, calling for all SUNY institutions to conduct weekly COVID-19 testing for the entire on-campus population.
SUNY’s updated policy on surveillance testing requires UB to test all students, faculty and staff who live on campus or plan to be on campus regularly during the spring semester.
The new SUNY mandate (Jan. 25), requiring all eligible students who live on campus or who will be on campus regularly to be tested every week, starting Feb. 8, was communicated via email to all UB students and all UB employees.
UB’s COVID-19 surveillance testing program is more targeted than mass testing programs used by other schools. It focuses on testing students and employees who are asymptomatic, meaning that they are not showing symptoms of disease. This helps UB monitor COVID-19 trends within the UB community, including identifying potential hot spots, and make timely decisions to prevent outbreaks from occurring.
One hundred percent participation is important to protect the health of the UB community and the university’s neighbors in Western New York.
In addition to surveillance testing, the university also performs regular testing of special populations, such as student-athletes. The health and safety of our students, faculty and staff is of utmost importance to the university and is at the forefront of our planning and response to the pandemic.
If you still need to submit documentation for mandatory return-to-campus testing, you have until Feb. 12 to do so by going here.
Mandatory weekly testing will be conducted beginning Feb. 8 and will continue throughout the spring semester.
Students must make an appointment with UB (Step 1) before registering for testing with SUNY (Step 2). There is no charge associated with this test.
Faculty and staff do not need to make an appointment and should proceed to Step 2.
Please note, the registration form was developed by Upstate Medical University for multiple uses across SUNY institutions, and not all fields - even some designated as required - will apply to you. The following tips will help you complete the registration form successfully:
If you have trouble completing the registration form prior to your test, please report for testing and someone onsite will assist you.
Students: Once you have made an appointment for your test, report to your testing site at your designated date and time. Faculty and staff do not need to make appointments and may walk up to any open testing location.
To proceed to your test, follow the signs that have been placed by the entrance. Continue to observe all applicable campus health and safety guidelines at all times and follow the instructions of testing site staff.
UB will be utilizing the pooled testing method that was first established for the surveillance testing program earlier in the fall semester. To provide your sample, you will be asked to briefly remove your face covering and swab the inside of your mouth with the provided test kit for 15 seconds.
There is no charge associated with this test.
Regular COVID-19 testing is an effective way to keep our campus safe, and disregarding this mandate will have consequences.
This test, developed by SUNY Upstate Medical University and approved by the New York State Department of Health for use by all SUNY institutions, evaluates saliva samples collected from individuals that have been pooled (combined) with others. This pooled sampling enables researchers to test greater swaths of the community more rapidly while preserving the scientific integrity of the data.
Updated February 5, 2021
This test only evaluates for SARS-CoV-2 virus, not those that cause the common cold or influenza, and is thus more accurate than other mass screening approaches.
The test is 95% accurate when as few as five copies of the virus are present in the sample and 100% accurate when more than five copies are present. According to SUNY, this test “exhibits markedly improved specificity in both individual and pooled saliva testing.”
Updated February 5, 2021
SUNY’s updated policy on surveillance testing requires UB to administer weekly testing of all students, faculty and staff who live on campus or plan to be on campus regularly during the spring semester.
Per the new SUNY mandate (Jan. 25), students are to be tested every week, starting Feb. 8, as was communicated via email to all UB students and all UB employees.
Updated February 5, 2021
All students, faculty and staff who live on campus or who will be on campus regularly during the spring semester need to be tested weekly.
Invitations to register for the weekly testing will be generated by the Daily Health Check data submitted. It is expected that all who come to campus complete a Daily Health Check before they come to campus. Individuals who work remotely do not have to come in for surveillance testing.
The following employees should expect to receive an invitation to register with SUNY for weekly testing:
Employees with a positive case in the past 90 days have been removed from the list for surveillance testing.
If your schedule has changed and you are working remotely, you are not expected to come in for testing.
Updated February 5, 2021
After you have completed the test, your sample will be combined with 11 other samples. That pool will be tested for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
Updated February 5, 2021
There will be testing sites located on all three of UB’s campuses—North, South and Downtown. More information about surveillance testing is available here.
Updated February 5, 2021
Regular COVID-19 testing is an effective way to keep our campus safe, and students disregarding this mandate will face consequences.
Updated February 5, 2021
Students will be allowed to book their appointments in advance through March 31.
Updated February 5, 2021
Students must be tested at one of the UB weekly surveillance testing locations. Students who have tested positive are excused from testing for three months. Any student needing to submit a request for exemption can do so using this form:
Faculty and staff, please see the Human Resources memo.
Updated February 5, 2021
If you missed a scheduled appointment or are having issues making an appointment, please utilize the option for walk-up testing after following all outlined instructions. Please note: You will omit only Step 1 as a walk-up. You will still need to preregister, prepare for the test (i.e., no teeth brushing, etc.), and have your SUNY test registration information readily available on your phone or other device before entering the testing location.
Updated February 5, 2021
Do not report to the test site if you are ill. Students, please submit an excuse form.
Symptoms of COVID-19 may include cough, shortness of breath, fever, and loss of taste or smell. If you experience any of these symptoms or feel unwell, quarantine as a precaution and contact your health care provider.
Updated February 5, 2021
Weekly surveillance testing uses the same pooled collection/testing protocol that was used for the fall surveillance testing program. Your pool results will typically take 24-48 hours to process. If your pool tests positive, the constituent samples will be tested individually, and it may take an additional 24 hours to receive your individual results. All result times may be subject to weather delays.
Updated February 8, 2021
Individuals in a pool that tests negative are presumed to be coronavirus-free; however, a negative test result only demonstrates that you and the others in your pool had undetectable levels of virus at the time that samples were taken.
Research shows that the virus may take two to five days after initial exposure to reach detectable levels. You may have been tested inside this window, which means you (or anyone else in your pool) could have been infected but with undetectable levels of virus, or you may have been exposed to the virus after getting tested but before getting the results.
Even if your results come back negative, you must continue to follow UB’s Health and Safety Guidelines. Wear a face covering, practice physical distancing, wash hands frequently and stay home if you feel sick.
Updated February 5, 2021
Participants in the pooled surveillance testing are not required to quarantine after specimen collection. However, if your pool’s test results are positive, your original sample will then be tested separately. This can be done using a portion of your saliva from the original sample. Results from the testing of the individual samples from a positive pool may take one to two days to be processed. During that time, you will be instructed to quarantine. If you are confirmed to be positive by the testing of your individual sample, you will be required to isolate. Individuals who test negative in the individual test will be released from quarantine.
Students living on campus who are directed to isolate will be housed in designated housing. See Quarantine Information for Students.
Updated February 5, 2021
If your individual sample tests positive, you will be required to isolate. Residential students have the option of doing so in designated on-campus housing. See Quarantine Information for Residence Hall Students for more information.
Updated February 5, 2021
As part of the amended SUNY mandate, those who have had a positive PCR test should not participate in surveillance testing for 90 days from the date of their positive test. After that 90-day period, they will again be required to participate in regular surveillance testing.
Students who have tested positive are excused from testing for three months. To be excused due to a previous positive, the student must make sure they have reported their status to the UB Student Reporting Line at 716-645-1400 or ubstudentreportingline@buffalo.edu.
Faculty and staff, please see the Human Resources memo.
Updated February 5, 2021
Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 must immediately isolate. UB is able to house and support residential students who require on-campus isolation.
Anyone can complete their isolation at home provided that they:
Additionally, anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 and is isolating at home should use a separate bedroom and bathroom, if possible, to reduce the risk of exposing any other individuals in the home.
Updated February 5, 2021
Yes, even if your test result is negative, you must continue to observe all relevant health and safety guidelines. Wear a face covering, practice physical distancing, wash your hands, monitor yourself for COVID-19 symptoms and stay home if you feel sick.
Updated February 5, 2021
Yes, it is required under SUNY’s updated policy.
Updated February 5, 2021
No, the tests that you participate in are already included in the campus testing process.
Updated February 5, 2021
Yes. SUNY’s updated policy now requires the administration of weekly testing of all students, faculty and staff who live on campus or who will be on campus regularly during the spring semester. This includes:
Updated February 5, 2021
Yes, if you plan to be on campus at any point during the spring semester, you must participate in weekly testing regardless of your travel history.
Updated February 5, 2021
Yes, students who tested off campus prior to their return to campus for the spring semester as well as those who participate in periodic off-campus testing must participate in weekly surveillance testing.
Updated February 5, 2021
If you are a student and you have a health risk or cannot/will not report for testing, please use this form to submit your reason:
Faculty and staff, please see the Human Resources memo.
Updated February 5, 2021