Posted on Wednesday, August 21st, 2013 at 9:33 am

Beginning in fall of 2010, the University of North Carolina (UNC) Board of Governors implemented a “hard waiver” student health insurance plan on all sixteen 4-year campuses. “Hard waiver” means that a student  is required to hold a “creditable coverage” health insurance policy or else enroll in the UNC Chapel Hill International Student Insurance plan. All international students who have F or J immigration status are required to carry health insurance for themselves and their dependents throughout the duration of their academic program.

“Hard waiver” does not mean that a student must enroll in the UNC System Student Health Insurance Plan, but it does mean that students must show evidence of creditable health insurance coverage.

Creditable coverage includes all of the following benefits:

1. The health insurance plan must have a minimum medical benefit of $100,000 coverage for each specific illness or injury.
2. The plan must have a deductible not to exceed $500 per accident or illness.
3. The plan must provide at least $25,000 in benefits for repatriation of remains to the home country in case of death.
4. The plan must pay up to $50,000 for medical evacuation to the home country.
5. Policy active for the entire duration of the academic semester

Alternative Health Insurance

Our Student Health Insurance plan offers four plan levels that meet all of these requirements: Smart, Budget, Select and Elite. Choosing either of these plans over UNC Chapel Hill’s school sponsored plan will save you a considerable amount of money. For example, for an international student aged between 18 and 24:

• UNC Chapel Hill plan $2,616.80 per year
• Our Student Health plan:
  • Smart –  $371.28 per year
  • Budget – $513.24 per year 
  • Select – $1,161.16 per year
  • Elite – $2,380.56 per year

Saving you up to $2,245.52 per year! 

To view our plan in more detail, please visit our website to compare the different plan options. You can also visit the UNC Chapel Hill School Insurance Requirement page for more information and to apply online.

Updated 8/5/2020

Posted by Ross Mason

Ross is the Vice President of International Student Insurance, with over 15 years experience in the international education arena. A graduate from the Nottingham Trent University in the UK with a First in BSc (Hons) Business and Technology, Ross has lived all around the world including LA, New York, Boston, London, Hong Kong, Florida and Germany.