Student health insurance program
Virginia Commonwealth University offers a comprehensive health insurance package for eligible VCU students through our partners, UnitedHealthcare.
All full-time Ph.D. students, first professional students (D.D.S., M.D., Pharm.D.) and international students (those on F- and J-visas) are eligible for the student health insurance program. A hard waiver (automatic enrollment) will apply for these student populations, meaning that they will be required to enroll in the program if they are unable to provide proof of other insurance.
Open enrollment dates
| Enrollment period | Open enrollment begins | Final deadline to enroll or waive coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Annual plan open enrollment | August 1, 2025 | September 8, 2025 |
| Fall-only open enrollment | August 1, 2025 | September 8, 2025 |
| Spring/summer open enrollment | December 17, 2025 | January 30, 2026 |
Enroll or opt out of the plan
During open enrollment, the below eligible populations are required to take action to opt in or waive coverage. Please contact your respective eligibility coordinator if you have any questions.
| Student Population | Registration | Plan Options |
|---|---|---|
| First professional students (D.D.S., M.D., Pharm.D.) | Must enroll full-time to access the portal | Annual plan |
| Full-time Ph.D. students | Must enroll in a minimum of 9 credits to access the portal |
Semester-based plan. Must take action during each open enrollment:
|
|
International undergraduate, master's student, or Ph.D. (those on F- and J-visas) Important: Any international individual enrolled in a class or classes at VCU is considered a student and is subject to the health insurance premium based on tuition and fees assessment rules |
Must enroll in 1-15 credits to access the portal |
Semester-based plan. Must take action during each open enrollment:
|
The portal updates overnight so changes to your enrollment may not show until 48 hours after enrollment changes. Part-time (1-8 credits) domestic Ph.D. students are not eligible for the VCU Student Health Insurance program.
Step-by-step tutorials
- How to enroll in the student health insurance program
- How to opt out/waive coverage
- Health Insurance 101
Plan benefits
The following documents provide information about the benefits contained within VCU's health care package:
- Student health insurance brochure: Provides a high-level, easy to read overview of the plan benefits, good for comparison purposes
- Certificate of Coverage: Provides additional details and an in-depth look at the plan benefits outlined in the brochure
These documents, as well as key points of the information contained within, can also be found on our Plan Benefits webpage and United Health Care's VCU webpage.
Resources for students enrolled in the plan
Once you have enrolled in the plan, you can print ID cards, find providers and pharmacies, and more by visiting United Health Care's VCU webpage:
Who to contact
For questions about the student health insurance program, please contact your respective eligibility coordinator listed below:
| Student group | Eligibility coordinator | |
|---|---|---|
| Ph.D. students | Jamie Taylor | gradhealthins@vcu.edu |
| D.D.S students | Shane Castro | secastro@vcu.edu |
| Pharm.D. students | Nicholas Garcia | garcianr2@vcu.edu |
| M.D. students |
Jesse McMillan
|
jesse.mcmillan@vcuhealth.org |
| Undergraduate, master's and part-time Ph.D. international students (Note: full-time Ph.D. international students should contact gradhealthins@vcu.edu |
Global Education Office | intlhealthins@vcu.edu |