Student Health Insurance

ENROLLMENT

Mandatory Insurance for Graduate Assistants & International Students

Graduate students with a qualifying assistantship, or international students with either an “F” or “J” visa type, are required to hold insurance and all students that meet either of these requirements are automatically enrolled each semester.

Once a student is enrolled, the premium for the student policy is added to the student's account balance and applied to the Consolidated Student Bill (along with their tuition and fees) at the beginning of the semester. Students can review their Consolidated Student Bill by visiting the Student Accounts tab in MyRED.

Each semester, international students and graduate assistants will be required to either ACCEPT or WAIVE their enrollment into the health insurance plan. 

• Accepting enrollment in the health insurance plan confirms the student is active on the insurance policy and allows them access to information on their health insurance coverage and benefits through UHC.
   
• Waiving enrollment in the health insurance plan removes the student from the insurance policy and reverses any relevant charges or credits related to the health insurance plan.
  • Student health insurance can only be waived if a student submits a waiver request form and provides proof of coverage through a comparable health insurance plan that meets the University's waiver requirements.
     

NOTE: Students must have a current local address to complete their enrollment. A local address is a U.S. based mailing address that identifies where a student will be living during the semester. Students are encouraged to review their address in MyRED to ensure that the address in the CURRENT/LOCAL field is correct. If this information is missing or (out-of-date) in MyRED, then students will not be able to properly access all of their health insurance benefits.

During the enrollment period, the Office of Student Accounts will notify students through their school email ("@huskers.unl.edu") with information about their mandatory enrollment and the steps required to either ACCEPT or WAIVE the student health insurance plan. Those instructions can be found down below.

For more information on enrollment requirements for the student health insurance plan, click one of these links:

• Students with Graduate Assistantships (or Fellowships)
   
• Students with International Visas
   

HOW TO ACCEPT YOUR INSURANCE

Accepting your enrollment in the student health insurance plan provides you with access to your insurance card, coverage details and online account access.  Without access to this information, you may be unable to properly use your insurance coverage, so we encourage you to accept your insurance early to begin managing your coverage right away. 

Fall semester and Spring semester carry separate policies, so student health insurance must be accepted at the beginning of each term.
The open enrollment windows for the 2026-27 Academic Year are:

Follow the instructions below to ACCEPT your insurance and set up your UHCSR MyAccount portal to access your student health insurance:

• Step-by-step Instructions for Accepting your Student Health Insurance Coverage (International Students)
   

• Step-by-step Instructions for Accepting your Student Health Insurance Coverage (Graduate Assistants)

   

HEALTH INSURANCE CARDS 

After accepting your insurance, you will receive an email from United Healthcare StudentResources (UHCSR) which will prompt you to complete your setup by creating (or logging into) your MyAccount profile with UHC. There you will be able to review your insurance coverage and access your digital health insurance card through your online account.

Physical medical insurance cards are not automatically mailed out to students, but you can request one through the UHCSR MyAccount portal.
Dental insurance cards, however, are mailed out to students once enrollment is accepted.

Follow the instructions in the video below to learn how to access your digital insurance card.

VIDEO: How To View Your Digital Insurance Card
 

ADDING DEPENDENTS

United Healthcare also offers the ability for you to add dependents to your coverage if you are enrolled in the student health insurance plan.  To add a dependent to your insurance coverage, you must first ACCEPT enrollment, then your dependents may be enrolled in the insurance plan using the MyAccount portal.

For more information, contact the UHCSR campus representative by emailing unebraskaadvocates@uhcsr.com
 

SUMMER INSURANCE COVERAGE 

Any students that meet the requirements for automatic enrollment in the student health insurance plan during a Spring semester are automatically covered through May, June, and July as well.

Students are not required to register for classes during a Summer Term to maintain their existing insurance coverage; the Spring/Summer health insurance coverage will remain valid until that coverage period ends (usually on July 31); regardless of enrollment status or graduate assistantship status during those summer months.

Qualifying students with first-time enrollment that takes place during a Summer Term (i.e., students who have not attended UNL prior, or are starting a graduate program during the summer term) may not be covered by the previous semester's Spring/Summer coverage. However, students can contact the Office of Student Accounts for more info about Summer Health Insurance Coverage
 

HOW TO WAIVE YOUR INSURANCE

If you already have qualifying insurance coverage and wish to waive the insurance assigned to you by the University, you may submit a waiver request to have your current insurance coverage reviewed. If your existing insurance meets the minimum requirements for the UNL's waiver criteria, then you may be allowed to use your own insurance. 
Before you attempt to WAIVE your insurance, you must review the Nebraska System Waiver Criteria to understand what types of plans are eligible for waiver. Make sure to include all necessary documents when submitting your waiver request. 

Nebraska System Waiver Criteria
 

Waiver requests must be completed in the Fall AND Spring semesters by the deadline for each semester. The waiver periods for the 26-27 Academic Year are:

Follow the instructions below to WAIVE your insurance (if you already have insurance coverage that meets the waiver criteria)

• Step-by-step Instructions for Waiving your Student Health Insurance Coverage (International Students)
   
• Step-by-step Instructions for Waiving your Student Health Insurance Coverage (Graduate Assistants)
   

NOTE: If your waiver request is denied, then you will be required to keep the student health insurance plan through the rest of the semester. If you do not submit a waiver request or if you do not successfully complete a pending waiver request, you are responsible for the cost of the premium added to your student account balance.

Rates & Dates

*New qualifying students who start classes during a summer term may not be covered by the previous semester's Spring/Summer coverage, and can contact the Office of Student Accounts for more info about Summer Health Insurance Coverage.

**An administrative fee of $10 has been added to these rates. Students may be required to pay an additional admin fee per covered person per enrollment period if they are adding dependents to their plan.

Frequently Asked Questions and Coverage Details

How do I access my coverage?

Your insurance card, coverage details and online account access are all managed through the UHCSR MyAccount portal. You will be prompted to set up your MyAccount profile after you ACCEPT your insurance enrollment. If you did not set up your account after accepting your enrollment, you can still do that at any time by visiting UHCSR MyAccount and selecting the "Register now" option. 

VIDEO: How To Create Your MyAccount Profile 

What services are covered?

The University’s plan includes medical, mental health, dental, and prescription drug benefits. Navigate to UnitedHealthcare StudentResources to view full coverage details.  Click the year you wish to review and then explore the Medical Student Plan to see coverage details.  

Summary Flyer for UNL 2026-27 coverage 

How do I understand my health insurance?

Familiarizing yourself with insurance terms and the detail of your plan helps you know what you’ll have to pay when you seek medical or dental services or pick up a prescription. Review these terms and tips to get the most from your insurance coverage.

Learn more with videos on the UHCSR website 

Contacts for further assistance

UnitedHealthcare StudentResources Campus Representative
unebraskaadvocates@uhcsr.com
866-351-4262 

UNL Student Accounts
https://studentaccounts.unl.edu
studentaccounts@unl.edu
402-472-2887

UNL Student Health Center
https://health.unl.edu/
UHC@nebraskamed.com
402-472-5000

Learn more

For more information about how insurance works, please visit HealthCare.gov. You can also call the Marketplace Call Center at 1-800-318-2596. Teletypewriter (TTY) users should call 1-855-889-4325