Carnegie Mellon University

Students who wish to enroll in the CMU SHIP due to a qualifying event or who need to make a change to their SHIP enrollment should email shinsure@andrew.cmu.edu for assistance.

Student Medical Insurance

Health insurance is important because it protects you and increases your access to care. That's why having it is a requirement at CMU; each academic year, students must enroll in CMU's student medical insurance plan or apply to waive it. 

  • All full-time students who are physically located in the U.S. must have medical insurance that meets the university's requirements; certain programs also require this of their part-time students.
  • If your insurance meets those requirements, you may apply to waive CMU's Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP).
  • If you do not have insurance that meets the university's requirements as a full-time undergraduate or graduate student, you must enroll in the medical CMU SHIP. CMU also offers optional vision and dental insurance plans.
  • By default, the individual SHIP premium fee is posted on student accounts; the fee will be reversed for students who apply for and receive an approved waiver during the open enrollment period. If you do not take action during your annual open enrollment period to enroll in or waive the CMU SHIP, we will enroll you in the medical CMU SHIP when the open enrollment period ends. 

You are eligible to enroll in the Carnegie Mellon health plans if you are: 

  • A full- or part-time degree-seeking Carnegie Mellon student. You must attend the first 31 days of class during the semester you enroll. 
  • The spouse/domestic partner or dependent of an enrolled student. Students in a domestic partnership can elect benefits for partners by completing domestic partner registration

Individuals with access to staff benefits, adjunct professors, visiting scholars/researchers and university consultants may not enroll in the student insurance plans. CMU employees enrolled in a degree-seeking program will see a health insurance charge on their SIO account, but are not eligible to enroll in CMU SHIP, nor are they required to submit a waiver application; employees should email us at shinsure@andrew.cmu.edu to assist with reversing the student insurance charge. 

2023-2024 University Student Health Insurance Requirements

In order to waive CMU's Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP), all full-time students who are physically located in the U.S. must have health insurance that meets the following requirements:

  1. is provided by a company licensed to do business in the United States, with a U.S. claims payment office and a U.S. phone number;
  2. has unlimited annual and lifetime benefits (i.e., no policy maximum);
  3. will be in force for the duration of your time as a student for the academic year/semester (whichever applies);
  4. has a maximum deductible of $5,000 individual/$10,000 family. If the student’s deductible is greater than $5,000/$10,000, the student must have a Healthcare Savings Account (HSA) that will allow the student to seek needed medical and mental health care that covers all deductible expenses over $5,000/$10,000 (catastrophic health plans are not acceptable);
  5. covers all of the following with no session limits (a policy that covers only emergency/ urgent care in the location where the student is studying does not meet this requirement):
  • Routine, urgent and emergent care for both inpatient & outpatient medical care; 
  • Mental health treatment;
  • Alcohol & substance abuse treatment; 

6. Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) plans are acceptable only when the student is physically located in the provider network service area or has an “away from home” rider or guest membership that assures coverage commensurate with minimum requirements;

7. Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Plans are acceptable only when the student is physically located in the same state/area that provides the plan. (Examples: Acceptable: Student residing in FL and has FL Medicaid; Not Acceptable: Student residing in PA and has FL Medicaid); and

8. provides coverage for pre-existing conditions with no waiting period or limitations.

Important Waiver Information

All waivers are reviewed and subject to audit. If a waiver fails to meet the waiver requirements, the student will be enrolled in CMU SHIP.

With an approved waiver, the student is accepting full financial liability for any medical costs incurred.

Learn more about applying for a waiver