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Most US universities require international students on F-1 and J-1 visas to carry health insurance that meets the school’s minimum standards. The school will auto-enroll you in its own student health insurance plan (SHIP) if you do not show proof of comparable coverage, so the real question is usually not whether you need insurance but whether the school’s plan or a private plan is the better deal.
What international student insurance costs
Private student health plans for 2026 typically run $30 to $124 per month for a student around age 20, depending on the coverage level. Budget plans with $150,000 to $200,000 maximums start near $30 to $32 a month; mid-range plans with $300,000 to $500,000 maximums run $48 to $74 a month; and top-tier plans with $1,000,000 maximums and low deductibles run $100 to $124 a month. Annual totals range roughly from $360 to $1,500.
University SHIP plans are usually more expensive. As one 2026 comparison noted, NYU’s SHIP cost $5,099 per year while comparable private plans ran $1,301 to $1,969 per year. The gap varies by school, but private plans are often thousands cheaper, which is why the waiver process exists.
What the coverage includes
Student health plans work like regular health insurance: doctor visits, hospitalization, emergency care, prescriptions, and mental health services, with a deductible and coinsurance. Medical evacuation and repatriation are usually included, typically $50,000 to $300,000 for evacuation. Many plans include urgent care coverage with a copay and a low per-visit cost at the campus student health center.
Pre-existing conditions get limited coverage on most student plans. Common terms are coverage after 6 months on the plan, or acute onset coverage only. If you have an ongoing condition, read the pre-existing terms before buying, and compare them against the SHIP plan’s terms, which are sometimes more generous.
Meeting the school’s waiver requirements
Schools set their own thresholds for waiving SHIP, and they check. Typical requirements include a deductible of $500 or less, mental health coverage, coverage effective from the first day of the semester, and evacuation and repatriation benefits above $50,000. The waiver deadline usually falls early in the semester, and missing it means you pay for SHIP on top of any private plan you bought.
Buy the private plan before the waiver deadline, submit the waiver with the plan documents the school asks for, and keep the confirmation. Some plan sellers offer full refunds if the waiver is denied, which removes most of the risk of buying before the school approves it.
Short trips vs full academic years
Not every student needs a full-year health plan. If you are visiting for a short program, a summer course, or an exchange of a few weeks, a standard travel medical plan at a few dollars a day may satisfy the program’s requirements at a fraction of the cost. Check what the program requires first; some short programs accept travel medical plans, while degree programs almost always require full student health coverage.
For students juggling school without an employer plan back home, our guide to health insurance options without employer coverage covers the alternatives, and students looking to cut costs elsewhere may find car insurance discounts for students useful.
