Depending on the college or university you are attending, international student insurance can be purchased either through the school, or through private insurance companies. 

Some schools require international students to purchase mandatory school-sponsored insurance, but most allow their international students to purchase international student medical insurance from a company outside what the school offers, so long as the other company's coverage meets the minimum requirements set forth by the school. The minimum requirements are specified in a document called the waiver form, and it can usually be obtained by international students on the school's website and/or their international student office.

Insurance Waiver Meaning

Every school will have its own waiver form variations. The international student insurance waiver form is typically one to two pages in length, and all variations generally have the following sections:

• Section to specify the student's name, date of birth, and signature.
• Coverage dates during which the insurance must be active.
• A list of benefits that the insurance must include. Next to each benefit, the insurance company can specify whether that specific requirement is met by the insurance or not. Alternatively, there may be an affirmation at the end that certifies that all the requirements are met.
• A portion to be filled by the insurance company, which includes the signature, signing date, the coverage dates, and the certificate number (or policy number).

Tips

• Even though many international student insurance plans are available, make sure to purchase the plan that meets your school's requirements.

• Make sure to read the waiver form carefully to understand what exactly the minimum requirements are. You may not be familiar with all the insurance terms used in the US. If you are not sure which plan will meet the requirements, please send your school's waiver form to us and we will help you choose the most suitable plan that meets your needs.

  We are always available to help you with any questions or concerns you have.

• After you have purchased your international student insurance plan, you need to complete the student section of your waiver form first, sign the form, and then send to us. Without first completing the student portion, the insurance company can't complete their portion of the form, because they don't know what plan was purchased or for whom it was purchased.

  Once you send the waiver form to us with your completed portion, and we will have the insurance company complete their part so we can send it back to you. It usually takes two to three business days (excluding weekends) to get the waiver form completed and returned to you.

• Before the start of autumn and spring semesters, many international students enroll in classes around the same time in the US. Typically, many international students procrastinate and put off purchasing compliant insurance. When we receive a request from the student to have the insurance company complete their portion of the waiver form, the student may not realize that there are many other international students from different schools throughout the US also requesting completion of their waiver forms. With such a high volume of requests, it could mean that it takes a little longer for you to receive your completed form to turn into your school.

  Please keep in mind that in high-volume seasons, it is not possible for the insurance companies to expedite your waiver form completion out of order. Therefore, please plan ahead and give yourself extra time to ensure you won't be delayed when you're ready to enroll into your classes.