HUSHP is made up of two parts that are billed to students:
- Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP)
- Student Health Fee (SHF)
With the SHIP and SHF, students can access most of their care at Harvard University Health Services (HUHS) with no additional copay or charge. Coverage for students starts:
- August 1 for the fall term
- February 1 for the spring term
For academic year degree programs, two mandatory fees will be assessed in addition to tuition:
Harvard University Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP)
Students with comparable coverage may be eligible to waive by the established deadline.
Harvard University Student Health Fee (SHF)
- Full-time students in very limited circumstances may be eligible to waive this fee
- Part-time students taking 10 credits or less can waive this fee by the established deadline.
- Part-time students taking more than 10 credits with comparable coverage may waive this fee by the established deadline. Complete the waiver process with HUHS and if required, the Registrar’s Office will contact you to collect information on comparable coverage.
SHIP and SHF are not assessed for students enrolled in the MPH-EPI, MHCM, MPH-Generalist, summer-focused and summer-only degree programs; or for non-degree students.
Students attending summer programs are strongly encouraged to have alternative health coverage while enrolled. Summer program students will not be assessed any health charges for the summer and should have alternative coverage should they need care during the summer.
Students with questions about the Harvard University Student Health Program can visit their website at https://hushp.harvard.edu/ , email HUSHP at mservices@huhs.harvard.edu or call their office at 617-495-2008.
Dependent Health Insurance Enrollment
Dependents can be added during open enrollment (June 1 – August 31) or with a life changing event. There is an additional fee to add dependents. Enrollment and/or renewal are not automatic. Visit HUSHP website to add dependents or learn more about dependent eligibility and enrollment.
Pre-Matriculation Information for Degree Students Only
Who is eligible?
Degree students who arrive early for mandatory school work in order to matriculate into the fall term are offered the chance to enroll in one month (July) or two months (June & July) of insurance, but the start date of the insurance must be consistent with the start date of the program (e.g., a student starting a program on July can only purchase coverage for July).
NOTE: If the student is arriving in the area prior to August 1st, but is not a mandatory pre-matriculating student, he/she is not eligible to purchase early insurance.
Instructions to enroll?
Students who are eligible to receive the pre-matriculation health insurance will receive an email survey in the spring and they can elect to receive the coverage. The cost for pre-matriculation coverage will be included in the email.
Please refer to the Academic Calendar for important term dates.
Health Insurance Waiver Process
Most Harvard students* are automatically enrolled in both parts of the Harvard University Student Health Program and charges are applied to a student’s term bill. To opt-out of coverage you must complete an online waiver by the July 31 deadline for the fall term or full academic year, and January 31 for the spring term. If your waiver is approved, the charge will be removed from your student term bill.
Please note: the Student Health Insurance Plan waiver and the Student Health Fee waiver are separate from each other and must be waived for both the fall and spring terms.
Visit the HUSHP website to waive and/or to learn more about the Harvard University Student Health Program.
*Students in MHCM, MPH45-EPI, MPH45-GEN, and summer-focused/only degree programs and non-degree programs are NOT eligible to enroll in the Harvard University Health Programs. A waiver does not need to be submitted for students in these programs because insurance coverage is not offered for summer or online programs.
