Insurance for Students
Student Health Insurance Requirements
All IU Indianapolis international students in F or J status along with their dependents are required to have health insurance for their entire stay in the United States. We will enroll all students who are registered for classes in the IU International Plan, administered by Anthem, and bill the bursar account for the cost.
Learn more about IU Indianapolis’s international student health insurance plan »
Enrollment and billing
New students will be automatically enrolled in the IU International Plan at the beginning of their first semester at IU Indianapolis. Continuing students will be automatically re-enrolled every semester to ensure continuous coverage. Dates of insurance coverage are August 1 - December 31 for fall semesters and January 1 - July 31 for spring semesters. The insurance premium for each semester is listed below and will be charged to the student's bursar bill.
2024-25 Academic Year
Fall 2024: $772.55 premium (fee)
Spring & Summer 2025: $1,070.45 premium (fee)
Exemptions from mandatory insurance enrollment
All IU Indianapolis international students registered for classes will be automatically enrolled in the IU International insurance plan. It is important to avoid purchasing health insurance from other companies unless you are approved for an exemption from mandatory IU insurance enrollment. Limited exemptions will apply for students in the qualifying situations described below. The deadlines to submit an Health Insurance Exemption Request e-form in Atlas are September 15 (fall semester) and January 31 (spring semester).
Must request an exemption
Students in the following situations can request exemption from mandatory enrollment in the IU International Insurance Plan:
- Students who will remain outside the United States for the entire semester and enroll in their IU Indianapolis courses online
- Students eligible for insurance coverage through a parent's or spouse's U.S.-based employer
- Students working in the U.S. on CPT or OPT who are eligible for insurance coverage through their employer
- J-1 exchange students with alternative coverage the meets J-1 requirements
The deadlines to submit an Health Insurance Exemption Request e-form in Atlas are September 5 (fall semester) and January 20 (spring semester).
Automatically exempt
The following students are automatically exempt from mandatory enrollment in the IU International Plan (will not be enrolled or charged). If you find that you are enrolled and billed for IU International insurance and need to clarify your situation, please contact iadvisor@iupui.edu.
- Graduate students with an Assistantship or Fellowship who are enrolled in a different IU health insurance plan
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Students sponsored by one of the government agencies listed below who have a valid financial guarantee on file with the Office of International Affairs (uploaded in Atlas):
Abu Dhabi Police Scholarship ProgramKuwait EmbassyOman EmbassyQatar EmbassyQatar Higher Education InstituteRoyal Thai Scholarship ProgramSABICSACMUAE EmbassyUAE Military Attache
Dependent insurance
Once you are enrolled in the IU International health insurance plan, you may also purchase coverage for your dependent family members through the online IU International Student Insurance Dependent Enrollment Form. Only IU Indianapolis students are enrolled automatically in coverage. Office of International Affairs cannot enroll dependents in the insurance plan on your behalf or charge their insurance premiums to your Bursar account.
If you are a graduate student with an Assistantship or Fellowship, you may be eligible for insurance coverage provided by your department. If you to prefer to enroll yourself in the IU International Plan and want to add dependent family member(s), you must complete the Enroll in IU International Insurance e-form in Atlas and complete the online IU Graduate Appointee & Fellowship Recipient Waiver Request (to which you will receive a link via email from IU Human Resources) in order to waive out of the insurance coverage that IU has offered to provide. Failing to complete the waiver request will result in being billed for both insurance policies.
F-1 Students on Optional Practical Training (OPT)
As an F-1 student on OPT at IU Indianapolis, you will be automatically enrolled and billed for IU International insurance coverage if you register for classes. You must complete If you would like to request exemption from mandatory student insurance enrollment, you must complete a Health Insurance Exemption Request in Atlas.
F-1 students on OPT who are not registered for classes are eligible to enroll in the IU International insurance plan if desired. Request more information by contacting iadvisor@iu.edu.
Insurance contacts
IU Human Resources Student Insurance Specialist: Insurance plan information
Telephone: 812-856-4650
Email: studenhc@iu.edu
Office of International Affairs: Student insurance enrollment, exemption requests and bill for insurance premium
Telephone: 317-274-7000
Email: iadvisor@iu.edu
Anthem Student Insurance Plans: Questions about using insurance and medical bills
Telephone: 1-844-412-0752
Web: www.anthem.com
University Health Plans (UHP): Assistance for students experiencing difficulty accessing Anthem account, as well as enrolling dependents in insurance coverage
Telephone: 800-437-6448
Web: www.universityhealthplans.com/intro/Indiana.html
Email: info@univhealthplans.com
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
When and how can I get my insurance card?
It takes approximately 2-5 days from the date of enrollment for your insurance benefits to reflect active status in Anthem's system.
Anthem will NOT mail you a printed copy of your Anthem member ID insurance card unless you make that request through the Sydney Health App or by contacting Anthem. There are a variety of ways that you can access a digital copy of your Anthem insurance card:
- Look up your Anthem member ID and digital copy of your insurance card online here.
- You can access your digital Anthem member ID card, claims information and other resources through Anthem’s Sydney Health app.
- You will also receive an email a few days after you are enrolled from Anthem to be sure you get connected with their online resources.
No matter when you are enrolled for the semester, your dates of insurance coverage will match those listed on the IU Student Insurance website for the current semester. Your eligible medical expenses will be covered for those dates, even if you have not yet received a copy of your insurance card.
What if I need to go to the doctor before I have my insurance card?
If you are just getting enrolled in IU International insurance coverage and need to visit a doctor or pharmacy urgently, it is best to request expedited insurance enrollment (takes 1-2 days) by contacting iadvisor@iu.edu. You will be provided with a coverage letter that serves as proof of insurance until your digital Anthem insurance card becomes available.
Another option is to pay out of pocket for your visit to the doctor or pharmacy and submit a claim to Anthem once your insurance enrollment has been activated in order to be reimbursed for the amount of the bill covered by insurance.
I am a graduate student with an Assistantship or Fellowship. What action do I need to take for insurance enrollment?
As a graduate student with a qualifying IU Indianapolis assistantship or fellowship, you are eligible for two different IU health insurance plans and may be enrolled in both. Learn more about the IU Graduate Appointee and IU Fellowship Recipient insurance plans here. You can decide which insurance plan best meets your needs.
You may be enrolled in both insurance plans, depending on when your assistantship or fellowship is confirmed by your department in IU's human resources system. In this the case, you must select which insurance plan you want to keep and take the following actions in order to avoid being billed for two insurance policies:
- If you want to enroll in the IU International insurance plan, complete the Enroll in IU International Insurance e-form in Atlas, and then complete the online IU Graduate Appointee & Fellowship Recipient Waiver Request (to which you will receive a link via email from IU Human Resources) in order to waive out of the IU insurance coverage that your department has offered to provide. Failing to complete the waiver request will result in being billed for both insurance policies.
- If you want to enroll in the IU insurance coverage provided by your department, you must complete a Health Insurance Exemption Request eForm in the "Insurance and Finances" section in Atlas. If approved, you will not be enrolled in or billed for IU International insurance coverage for the semester.
Some international graduate students prefer to enroll in the IU International Plan because they want to add dependent family member(s) and find this option to be more affordable.
Students with graduate assistantships ("student academic appointments") must have a Social Security Number on file with IU in order to be eligible for IU Graduate Appointee insurance enrollment.
What are J-1 Student insurance requirements?
To be exempt from the IU International Plan, J-1 students' health insurance policy must meet minimum coverage levels set forth by the U.S. Department of State:
- $100,000 for each sickness or illness (including maternity/pregnancy care)
- $100,000 for each accident or injury
- $50,000 for medical evacuation
- $25,000 for repatriation
- $500 deductible or less per illness or accident
Your policy’s coverage must be effective on the day you enter the U.S. until you complete your J program and depart the U.S. If your J program is active while you are outside of the U.S., you are still required to maintain health insurance coverage. You are responsible for purchasing and maintaining health insurance coverage for your J-2 dependents. The same rules apply for them.
I recently graduated. When will my insurance end?
Your insurance coverage will expire at the end of the period of insurance coverage in which you were last registered for classes. The last day of coverage for Spring/Summer insurance is July 31, and the last day of fall insurance coverage is December 31.Insurance coverage during post-completion OPT
If you already have IU International Student Insurance through IU, it will expire at the end of the period of insurance coverage, regardless of when you complete your program. The last day of coverage for Spring/Summer insurance is July 31, and the last day of fall insurance coverage is December 31. Our best suggestion for OPT students who will not register for classes is to use the insurance offered through your employer.
If you register for classes at IU Indianapolis any time during your OPT period, you will be billed automatically for IU International insurance. If your OPT employer will provide you with U.S.-based insurance coverage, and you would like to request exemption from mandatory student insurance enrollment, you must complete a Health Insurance Exemption Request in Atlas.
If your OPT employer does not provide you with insurance coverage and you would like to enroll in the IU International plan during OPT, contact iadvisor@iu.edu.
