Filed at 10:00 p.m. ET

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- More than 2,500 students at the University of North Florida have been vaccinated because of a meningitis outbreak.

Officials at the university and the Duval County Health Department had asked about 4,000 students to receive the free vaccinations. Three students contracted the disease recently. All have recovered.

Doreen Perez, director of UNF's health clinic, declared the drive a success, especially because the vaccination efforts fell during a final exam week.

Ebonique Fields was one of the students vaccinated Wednesday.

``I live on campus. I work on campus. I didn't want to be the next victim,'' the junior said.

The potentially life-threatening disease is spread through prolonged personal contact, such as kissing or sharing drinking glasses or cigarettes. That makes college students more vulnerable to catching the disease, officials said.