The University of Virginia, George Mason University and Virginia Tech will no longer mandate COVID-19 vaccinations following a legal opinion last week from the state's attorney general. 

UVA announced on Monday that "the issue is moot for us" as the "deadline for the vaccine/booster mandate has passed, and we are grateful to report that over 99% of students have complied with our vaccine and booster requirements."

"Because we have such a small number of students who have not yet received the booster, we decided early last week — based on the advice of our student affairs team — that we will not disenroll students who have not yet received their booster, but will continue to encourage them to do so," UVA's release added.

Gregory Washington, the president of George Mason, also cited his university's high vaccination rate in a letter on Monday.

"Given our high vaccination rate, the continued decline of the omicron variant, the Governor’s recent executive orders and directives, and the recent Attorney General’s opinion, we will now strongly encourage vaccination protocols for all Mason students, faculty, and staff, though we no longer require them," he wrote. 

Tim Sands, Virginia Tech's president, issued similar guidance in a letter to his campus saying "Virginia Tech will no longer require students to be vaccinated as a condition of enrollment or in-person instruction, effective immediately."

At George Mason, 92.5 percent of students are vaccinated, as are 94.9 percent of employees, according to data from the school. Similarly, 95 percent of students and 94 percent of employees are vaccinated at Virginia Tech, the university has reported.

The announcements from the universities followed a legal opinion from Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares (R) saying public colleges and universities in the state cannot require the vaccine. 

“I conclude that, absent specific authority conferred by the General Assembly, public institutions of higher education in Virginia may not require vaccination against COVID-19 as a general condition of students’ enrollment or in-person attendance,” Miyares said in a letter to Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), who requested an advisory opinion on the matter. 

As of Tuesday, the Virginia Department of Health reported 6,055 new daily cases and a seven-day positivity rate from PCR tests of 24.5 percent. 

Updated: 3:41 p.m.