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Health Insurance FAQs

Health insurance and health care are important for maintaining physical and mental well-being while in graduate school.  All of our Big Ten peers require international students to have health insurance; five of them require it of all international and domestic students.  

Every year, we learn about uninsured students who are seriously ill. Healthcare services in the United States are expensive, and the cost of getting sick without insurance can total in the thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars. Unexpected healthcare costs of this magnitude will undoubtedly disrupt a student’s overall well-being and academic progress. 

Enrollment in an insurance plan ensures that you have access to health care.  

All full-time enrolled graduate students at College Park are required to have health insurance.  All new and returning students must either enroll in the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) or waive out of SHIP each year during the Fall Open Enrollment.  Students who start their program in Spring will be required to enroll or waive upon matriculation and then again at the start of a new academic year. 

For example, if you start your program in Spring 2024, you will need to either enroll in a spring/summer plan or submit a waiver in the Winter Open Enrollment.  Then as a returning student in the Fall 2024, you will need to enroll or waive again during the Fall Open Enrollment. 

Part-time students, exclusively online students, Shady Grove students, non-degree seeking students, and certificate students are encouraged but not required have health insurance.  These student groups are eligible to enroll in SHIP using the Voluntary Enrollment Process.  They are not part of the Mandatory Enrollment Process and do not need to submit a waiver.

If you already have insurance, you must submit a waiver to avoid getting charged for SHIP.  To submit a waiver, go to the Academic HealthPlans Waiver Portal during open enrollment.

Submit a waiver to avoid the charge on your student financial account or to get the charge removed from your student financial account.

  • New and returning students in Fall 2024 are required to enroll in SHIP or submit a waiver to opt out of SHIP each year.  A waiver submitted during the fall open enrollment is good for one year.  The Fall Open Enrollment is June 17, 2024 - September 19, 2024.
  • New students who start their program in Spring 2025 are required to enroll in SHIP or submit a waiver to opt out of SHIP during the Winter Open Enrollment (Dec 1 - Feb 15, 2025).  A new waiver will be required in Fall 2025 (as a returning student). 

YES

Graduate students enrolled in at least 48 units for the semester, or 36 units for a 12-week term are considered full-time students.  Calculate your units here.

All graduate students are eligible to purchase the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP).  Full-time students are required to either enroll in SHIP or waive out of SHIP during open enrollment.  These students will use the Mandatory Enrollment/Waiver Process.

Part-time students, non-degree-seeking students, students in certificate programs, students in an exclusively online program, and/or students enrolled at the Shady Grove campus are eligible to purchase a SHIP.  These student groups are NOT part of the mandatory enrollment/waiver process, but ARE ELIGIBLE to enroll in SHIP.  These student groups will use the Voluntary Enrollment Process.

Research Scholars and Postdoctoral Researchers are also eligible to purchase SHIP using the Voluntary Enrollment Process.

Yes. Graduate students registered for 1 or more credits are eligible to purchase SHIP using the Voluntary Enrollment Process.

Part-time students, non-degree-seeking students, students in certificate programs, students in an exclusively online program, and/or students enrolled at the Shady Grove campus are eligible to purchase a Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP).  These student groups are not part of the mandatory enrollment/waiver process, but are eligible to enroll in SHIP.  

If you choose to enroll in SHIP, you must enroll during the Open Enrollment Period or after a qualifying life event.  For current open enrollment dates, please visit the Academic HealthPlans website. 

If you are a Graduate Assistant, you may enroll in SHIP or you may enroll in the State of Maryland Employee Health Plan.  If you choose the State of Maryland Employee Health Plan, you must enroll during the first 60 days of your GA start date.  Also, if you choose the State of Maryland Employee Health Plan, you must waive out of SHIP.  (New GA's who do not yet have their insurance information can submit their GA offer letter to the Waiver Portal.) 

Open enrollment is a general term used to describe the time period when you may enroll in a health insurance plan, or change your health insurance options.  If it is outside of Open Enrollment, you may be eligible to enroll if you have a Qualifying Event—aging off a parent’s plan, marriage, divorce, and birth or adoption of a child. Supporting documentation is required for these events.

SHIP Open Enrollment periods can be found on the Academic HealthPlans Website.

Please note, Graduate Assistants are eligible to enroll in SHIP or the State of Maryland Employee Health Plan.  To enroll in a State of Maryland Employee Health Plan, new GAs must enroll during the first 60 days of their GAship or wait for Open Enrollment.  More information about the State of Maryland Employee Health Plans can be found at uhr.umd.edu/benefits/.

The Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) cost sheets can be found on the Academic HealthPlans website.  

The State of Maryland cost sheets are found at uhr.umd.edu/benefits/.

Graduate Assistants can choose to enroll in SHIP or a State of Maryland Health Insurance plan. 

There is no funding available to assist students with the purchase of health insurance.  If extra financial support is needed to cover this cost, students can request a reevaluation of the cost of attendance to increase their financial aid package.  More information about this can be found on the Bursar's website.  

Another option is to enroll in a Terp Payment plan to help spread out payments over the course of 3-4 months. 

Students can also explore the possibility of applying for Medicaid from the Maryland Department of Health.  To see if you are eligible for Medicaid, please go to health.maryland.gov.

Financial planning that includes health insurance is an important measure for everyone to undertake and will help to protect the health and well-being of all students.  For guidance on financial planning matters, please visit the Bursar's Money Matters website at financialaid.umd.edu/resources-policies/money-matters.

If you have health benefits through your GAship (State of Maryland Employee Health Plan), your health benefits will end when your assistantship ends.  

--If you end your GAship in December, your health insurance will end on Dec 31, 2024.  
--If you end your GAship in January, then your health insurance will end January 31, 2025.
--If you end your GAship in May, then your health insurance will end on May 31, 2024.**  

**Important note about Summer: If you have a GAship for the Spring and your GAship is renewed for the upcoming Fall, then you will have continuous coverage over the summer. However, if you are not renewed for the upcoming Fall, then your insurance will terminate on the last day of the month that your GAship ended (as shown above).

Full-time fellows are required to have health insurance.  Some fellowships provide a reimbursement for the purchase of health insurance.  Please look at the details outlined in your fellowship offer.

Health insurance options for fellows:

  • Enroll in the Student Health Insurance Plan
  • Enroll in an external plan (i.e. spousal plan, parental plan, etc..) using the Qualifying Event process (ending your job makes you eligible for a Qualifying Event)
  • Enroll in a short term plan.  Explore options at healthcare.gov  or ehealthinsurance.com/.  (ehealthinsurance.com does not require your email or phone number.  Any site that requires your personal information is not recommended.)
  • If you are enrolled in a State of Maryland Employee Health Plan and become a part-time student, that will mean that your graduate assistantship will end.  When your GAship ends, your health coverage will end.  
  • If you are enrolled in SHIP, and become part-time, your SHIP coverage will continue through the end of the plan period.  And if you graduate, SHIP coverage will continue through the end of the plan period. 
  • If you are enrolled in an external plan, and become part-time, your coverage will continue through the end of the plan period. 
  • When you lose insurance, you may be eligible to enroll in a new plan using the Qualifying Life Event process.
  • If you are enrolled in a State of Maryland Employee Health Plan, and you are no longer enrolled as full-time student, then your graduate assistantship would end. When your GAship ends, your state health coverage will end.  
  • If you are enrolled in SHIP, your coverage will continue through the end of the plan period. The change in your student status will not terminate your SHIP.
  • If you are enrolled in an external plan, your coverage would continue through the end of the plan period. 
  • When you lose insurance, you may be eligible to enroll in a new plan using the Qualifying Life Event process.

Please consult the International Student and Scholar Services website for more information about your visa requirements.  Please note, we always recommend that you purchase a U.S. insurance plan.  Insurance from outside of the U.S. may be insufficient.

Enroll in the summer SHIP using the Qualifying Event process (loss of coverage is a qualifying event).  The Summer SHIP ends on July 31, 2024.  At that time, you will need to enroll in a Fall SHIP during the regular open enrollment process.

The State of Maryland Benefits Office will provide you with an end of coverage letter.   In order for them to prepare that letter, they need the system to show a clear end date of your GAship.  For questions about this or to expedite this, please contact the State of Maryland Benefits Office at EBD.Mail@Maryland.gov or 410-767-4775.

The type of Qualifying Event is Loss of Coverage, and the Event Date would be the end of your coverage (May 31).

This first plan you choose is the Summer plan and it will have a fixed end date.  It is the last plan available for AY 23-24. For this summer plan, you will pay AHP directly with a credit or debit card.

In August, you will need to enroll for the fall plan (part of the AY 24-25 plan year).  For the Fall plan, your student account will be charged (about $1,000). 

Wylie Fellows can request a reimbursement for both the summer and the fall.

Please complete this form. If you are enrolling in Summer and Fall, please make one request for reimbursement (summer and fall together) in August after your account has been charged.  

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