SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Two state agencies overseeing higher education in Illinois are encouraging colleges and universities to require COVID-19 vaccinations of students heading to campuses this fall.

The Illinois Board of Higher Education and the Illinois Community College Board on Monday made the recommendation, which they say follows recently released guidance from the Centers for Disease Control.

The state agencies contend the guidance will help facilitate the safe transition back to campus, as more students in Illinois and across the country return to in-person learning.

Some schools have already decreed their students must be vaccinated to return to campus. Among them the three campuses of University of Illinois, and Northwestern, DePaul and Loyola universities.