Greetings!

Health care services in the U.S. can be costly and unexpected expenses can be disruptive to your academic progress. It is important that you are covered by comprehensive health insurance and UMD requires all full time students to carry adequate health insurance.

The U.S. does not have comprehensive socialized health care as is available in many countries. In the U.S., health care and health insurance can be expensive. Health care refers to the services one receives from medical providers. Health insurance, largely privatized in the U.S., refers to the policy one purchases that helps to cover some of the costs associated with receiving health care.

All students who meet any of the following conditions will be automatically enrolled in UMD’s Student Health Insurance plan (SHIP). The annual premium will be charged to your student financial account.

• F1 or J1 undergraduates registered for 6 or more credits

• F1 or J1 graduate students enrolled in 48 or more units in a semester or 36 units in a 12 -week term

The University of Maryland SHIP insurance plan is a platinum level insurance plan.

• The SHIP insurance carrier is United Healthcare.
• The premium rate for fall 2024 is: $1,045.
• SHIP Open Enrollment: June 17, 2024- September 19,2024.
• You may begin using your insurance as early as August 1, 2024.

When choosing insurance it is important to read information regarding the plan and what it covers. To learn more about the SHIP plan, please visit their website.

SHIP covers most services at the University of Maryland Health Center. At the University Health Center, SHIP patients do not have out of pocket expenses and no fee is required for covered services.

To begin enrollment and activate my plan access this online enrollment guide.

How can I access my insurance card?

Students enrolled in SHIP can access their insurance card, search for a provider and view claims on the UHCSR app.

SHIP is administered by Academic HealthPlans (AHP). Communication about the insurance requirement and how to submit a waiver will be directly from the AHP email address (info4students@myahpcare.com) to your University of Maryland email account.

Please do not ignore these communications from AHP, especially if you have other acceptable insurance and are planning to submit a waiver.

Questions about the SHIP enrollment/waiver process should be directed to Academic HealthPlans Customer Service at help.ahpcare.com.

Students who decide to enroll in the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) must activate their plan on the AHP website. A few days after activation, United Healthcare will send an email with additional details, such as how to access the Insurance ID card, and how to navigate the UHR website. It's also a good idea to download the UHCSR app.

What if I don’t want the SHIP plan?

Students who have an existing US based health insurance and do not want SHIP must provide proof of comparable insurance coverage and submit a waiver ONLINE at umd.myahpcare.com by September 19 for F-1 students and August 30 for J-1 students. (*J1 students must waive no later than August 30th, 2024 due to SEVIS reporting requirements) 

If you were already charged for SHIP and the waiver was approved, it may take 5-7 business days for the insurance charge to be removed from your UMD financial account. You must follow the same waiver process every year you are at UMD, and you will receive notification annually.

The State of Maryland Employee Health Plan: Students who hold a graduate assistantship* are eligible to enroll in a State of Maryland Health Plan. This is different from SHIP. Enrollment in a State of Maryland Employee Health Plan is not automatic.

More information about the State of Maryland plans can be found on the UMD Human Resources Benefits website. You can reach out to your departmental payroll representative for additional assistance.



** Please note, students who hold a graduate assistantship will need to choose either SHIP or the State of MD plan. If the State of MD plan is chosen, the graduate assistant must then submit a waiver for SHIP since you will be automatically enrolled.

US Health Care and Health Insurance

Access the Healthcare and Health Insurance module in the ISSS Online Orientation to learn more about general terminology and the importance of carrying insurance in the United States. After reviewing this section, students will better understand how to navigate the healthcare system and UMD’s student insurance requirement.  

UMD Health Insurance session

Join University Health Center staff to learn more about the UMD SHIP plan. During this live session, you will learn about the benefits of SHIP and how to access your plan details and insurance card.

Date: August 21, 2023

Time: 11:00AM EST

Register via iTerp!

Information for Graduate Students

The Graduate School has a comprehensive website covering health insurance for graduate students. Visit their website for Health Insurance FAQs.

Every year, the Graduate Student Government (GSG) leads a collaboration with UMD offices and partners to welcome new students from all over the world via the International Student Welcome Shuttle to their new home at UMD. This program is a long-standing tradition and lets new grad terps have a safe first commute from Dulles Airport to their new homes in College Park.

The shuttle program, free of charge to incoming international students, welcomes many new students into the community and connects them quickly to a friendly face and helpful resources. This program is a collaboration with the Department of Transportation Services (DOTs), ISSS, and other departments across the University.

To register for a spot on the shuttle, click here. For more information, please see this page on the GSG website.

New international students who have an on-campus housing assignment may request an early move-in date of August 19, 2024, no earlier than 9am. 

Once housing assignments are released, students may request an early arrival via their Housing Portal by choosing Early Arrival Request. The requests will be reviewed on an ongoing basis and the students should continue to check the request in the Housing Portal for updates. Resident Life attempts to update the status within two business days, but as we get closer to opening staff may be in training sessions which delays the process, please apply early.

Have you completed your ISSS enrollment intent form?

On July 19th, ISSS launched the “Intent Form” All students who have I-20/DS-2019 with a Fall arrival date are required to complete this form. The form was added to ISSS iTerp checklist. If you haven’t completed this form, please login to iTerp.

The due date is August 2nd!

Ask your questions via our Live Chat, available on our website Monday-Friday from 9-11 a.m. ET.

Schedule a Virtual Appointment with an ISSS advisor. Appointments can be scheduled under newly admitted students Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 1:30-3:30 p.m. ET.

By email: isss-admissions@umd.edu

For important reminders and updates, and to keep aware of any upcoming events, please follow our office at our social media accounts!

Missed a Tip of the Week?

You can find previous Tips of the Week on our website by clicking here!

We hope that you find these emails informative and helpful. You are receiving

them because you have been accepted to the University of Maryland for the Fall 2024 semester. If you do not intend to enroll at UMD, please inform ISSS via your iTerp checklist, your department, and either the Graduate School (graduate students) or the undergraduate admissions office (undergraduate students-please fill out this form) that you decline your admission.