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Graduate Student Health Insurance at the University of Mississippi

Learn more about your health benefits as a graduate student at UM.

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Eligibility and Insurance Requirements for Graduate Assistants

The Graduate School is pleased to offer subsidized health insurance to all graduate students holding an assistantship with appointments of 1/4 time or higher.

  • Graduate students not on assistantships, Law and PharmD students are not eligible for the subsidized plan, however those students are eligible to enroll on a voluntary basis.  Voluntarily enrolled students must pay the full premiums directly to United Healthcare.
  • Additional information on voluntary enrollment is available on our University of Mississippi Health Services website.

Graduate assistants with appointments of 1/4 time or higher are required to participate in a health insurance program.*  Enrollment and payroll deduction of premiums will be automatic upon appointment for each fall and spring term. Premiums will be subsidized by the university.

  • International students and students who WILL be on a graduate assistantship SHOULD NOT enroll themselves. They will be automatically enrolled by the Graduate School.

*Graduate assistants may request a waiver from participation in the above sponsored group plan if they already have comparable health insurance.

Spouse and child/dependent policies are available; for information, go to the insurance provider’s website

For more information about coverage, exclusions, network providers, waivers and voluntary participation forms, also visit the insurance provider’s website

Graduate Student Health Insurance Program Highlights at the University of Mississippi

  • 80% of negotiated charges for hospital visit, physician office visit (after $20 copay) or emergency room visit (after $150 copay), for preferred United Health Care providers.
  • 100% of prescription drug coverage after Tier 1 $20 copay, Tier 2: $50 copay, Tier 3: $75 copay.
  • Inpatient mental health and substance abuse expenses are covered at the preferred allowance after deductible, for preferred providers. Outpatient mental health and substance abuse expenses have a $20 copay and then are covered at the preferred allowance after deductible, for preferred care providers.

 

Understanding Your Insurance Plan

Insurance plans can change from year to year and depend on your status as a student. Make sure you know what your plan covers so you can plan for your future. 

  • Use our resources below to explore your plans based on your year of enrollment and your status as a student. 

Insurance Plans for the 2024-2025 Academic Year

If you've enrolled in the 2024-25 academic year you can find your Insurance Plan below. 

Insurance Plans for the 2023-2024 Academic Year

If you've enrolled in the 2023-24 academic year you can find your Insurance Plan below. 

Insurance Premiums for Graduate Assistants

For a definition of 1/2 time and 1/4 time assistantships, please see the Graduate School’s Financial Aid information page

Frequently Asked Questions about Graduate Assistants Health Insurance Program

The University of Mississippi requires graduate assistants (1/4 time and above) to have health insurance. Whereas this requirement may be satisfied by having alternate insurance, the state IHL board has negotiated a group health insurance plan for all Mississippi universities with United Health Care and will provide a subsidy for participants in this plan.

Surveys have shown that graduate students are a segment of our population that tends not to have adequate health insurance.

This is a result of a combination of factors.

  • Most graduate students are of the age where they can no longer be covered as a dependent on their parents’ insurance.
  • Also, graduate students usually have limited income and individual insurance plans can be very expensive.

While affording health insurance is a problem for many graduate students, the University has an interest in assuring that graduate assistants (i.e., those graduate students who are employed by the University to do teaching, research, or administrative service) are able to receive adequate health care so that they will be able to perform their duties and complete their studies, with limited absence due to illness or injury.

All international students (holding F or J visas), whether graduate, undergraduate, or ESL students, are required to have insurance.

  • In addition, all graduate assistants, with appointments of 1/4 time or above, are required to have insurance.

This applies to graduate instructors, graduate teaching assistants, graduate research assistants, and graduate administrative assistants.

The definition of 1/4 and ½ time appointments is in terms of the monthly salary trigger levels ($2500-4999 per semester corresponds to 1/4 time and $5000 or more per semester corresponds to ½ time).

  • Holders of University funded fellowship (e.g., Dissertation Fellowships) are also required to have insurance.

Graduate students who are employed on hourly wage or who have assistantships with stipends less than $2500 per semester are not required to have insurance.

The University provides a subsidy for graduate assistants.

  • For 1⁄2 graduate assistants, the subsidy is 70% of the premium
  • For 1/4 graduate assistants, the subsidy is 35% of the premium.

A graduate assistant must be enrolled full time (9 hours of graduate course work) to receive the subsidy.

For domestic graduate assistants, the insurance coverage begins on 8/15 for a Fall period (or 1/15 for a Spring/Summer period) or the initial appointment date for your assistantship, whichever is later.

For an international student, whether you are a graduate assistant or not, the coverage period begins on 8/15 for the Fall (or 1/15 for the Spring).

You may request a waiver from participation in the UM Graduate Assistants Plan.

  • If you are a domestic graduate assistant, this process is conducted online each year.

You must be granted access to the waiver request site and will receive an email in the Fall once access has been granted.

We advise graduate assistants to carefully consider the overall benefits, including the subsidy, of the UM Graduate Assistants Plan in comparison with other individual insurance.

  • All International Students must contact the Office of International Programs to request waivers.

This will mean that you have both insurance coverages and should provide coverage of essentially all of your health care costs.

No, the plan does not offer COBRA coverage.

However, if you graduate in May, your spring coverage will still continue until 8/14 of that year.

You may print a copy of your insurance card from the United Health Care website at or through their mobile app.

If you are an international student, you will be automatically enrolled in the insurance plan at the beginning of your first semester at UM and you will continue to be enrolled in the plan as long as you are an enrolled student at the University.

If you are awarded a graduate assistantship (whether you are an international or domestic graduate student), you will be enrolled automatically in the plan if you have not been approved for a waiver of participation by the deadline.

  • For an international graduate student, your enrollment in the insurance plan begins on August 15 for a Fall term and January 15 for a Spring/Summer term.
  • For a domestic graduate assistant, your enrollment begins either on these same dates or when your assistantship begins, whichever date is later.

This automatic enrollment process is handled by the Graduate School, so you don’t have to do anything.

Yes. If you purchase additional plans for spouse or dependents, you will do so directly with United Health Care through their web site.

  • Keep in mind that payments will not go through the University.

For Graduate Assistants the payment of the premium will occur as a payroll deduction from the six paychecks of each Fall/Spring term.

International students not on assistantship will have their premium billed to their Bursar account after the last day to add classes.

The Fall coverage period is shorter than the Spring coverage period, which includes the summer months as well.

  • So, at the beginning of the Fall semester, a premium for five months is collected. At the beginning of the Spring semester, a premium for seven months is collected.

Yes, if you are enrolled in the plan during the Spring semester, you are also enrolled during the summer, until August 14.

Visit United Health Care to learn more.

Yes, pregnancy is covered under the same benefits as any other condition.

For the Fall term, coverage begins on August 15. The Fall term coverage extends until January 14 of the following year.

For the Spring/Summer term, coverage begins on January 15 or when your graduate assistantship begins, whichever is later.

Again, if you are an international student, coverage begins on January 15 whether or not you have an assistantship. The Spring/Summer coverage continues until August 14.

Yes. At the beginning of each academic year you will need to request (or renew your request) for a waiver of participation in the Graduate Assistants Health Insurance Plan.

  • A wavier granted at this time can apply for the entire 12-month period. If your initial graduate assistantship begins in a Spring semester, the request for a waiver of participation must be made at least one week before the beginning of the Spring semester.

Additional Plan Highlights

For additional highlights of the plan, please see the links below:

Note: Deductibles and co-pays are waived for covered services provided at the VB Harrison Student Health Center.

To find a Local Provider, please visit the insurance provider’s website