Individuals on Rutgers' F or J visa sponsorship may meet Rutgers' health insurance requirement in a number of different ways depending on their situation, needs and preferences.

For specific information on how you can meet the insurance requirement, please select the link below that best describes your status at Rutgers:

F-1 or J-1 Student Registered for Credits at Rutgers and their F-2 or J-2 visa dependents.

J-1 Visitor NOT Registered for Credits at Rutgers and their J-2 visa dependents.
(includes J-1 Professors, Research Scholars, Short Term Scholars, and Special Visiting Research Students NOT Registered for Credits at Rutgers)

F-1 and J-1 Students Registered for Credits at Rutgers: How to Meet the Insurance Requirement
F-1 and J-1 registered students may meet the University's health insurance requirement in one of the following ways:

• Rutgers' Student Insurance Policy-Automatic Billing
• Alternate Insurance Coverage and Insurance Exemption Request
• Insurance Coverage Through Rutgers Employment Benefits

Rutgers' Student Insurance Policy-Automatic Billing
The University offers a Rutgers student insurance policy that meets the University's minimum insurance requirements. All registered F-1 and J-1 students except those with full Rutgers TA or GA appointments are automatically billed for this policy on their term bills. Even students registered for 0 credits ("maintenance of candidacy") will be automatically billed. The way the fees will be listed on your bill will depend on whether you are registered as a full- or part-time student. Billing of insurance is done on a per-semester basis, with the "fall semester" covering September 1 through mid-January and the "spring semester" covering mid-January through August 31. The cost for the "spring semester" is higher because it covers a longer period of time. The specific date in mid-January when the fall semester insurance ends and spring semester insurance begins changes each year based on the start date of the spring semester. For further information on these charges please see Costs for the Major Medical Plan with Rx Card.

Alternate Insurance Coverage and Insurance Exemption Request
Individuals may elect to have alternate (non-Rutgers) insurance coverage if they wish, either through a policy of their own choosing or through an alternate insurance provider. In either of these cases, however, students must take specific action in order to have the automatic insurance charges removed from their term bill; this action consists of submitting to CIFSS a form to request an exemption from the University's student insurance plan, which must be accompanied by documentation of the alternate coverage showing it meets or exceeds Rutgers minimum insurance requirements.

Insurance Coverage Through Rutgers Employment Benefits
Certain F and J visa holders who are employed by Rutgers may, as a benefit of that employment, be given insurance coverage at a nominal cost. This generally applies only to those with full TA, GA or Fellowship appointments.

J-1 Visitors NOT Registered for Credits at Rutgers: How to Meet the Insurance Requirement
(This includes: Professors, Research Scholars, Short Term Scholars, and Visiting Students NOT Registered at Rutgers)

For all J-1s other than those registered for course credits at Rutgers, arranging for insurance payment or providing proof of alternate coverage must be handled by the host department directly with the Center for International Faculty and Student Services (CIFSS) at the time the department requests CIFSS to issue the visitor's DS-2019. If you will be bringing any J-2 dependents with you to Rutgers, the host department will also need to arrange for insurance coverage or provide proof of alternate coverage for them. Regarding payment for insurance, please note: some host departments expect J-1 visitors to reimburse the department for any insurance payments made by the department, while other host departments are able to cover the costs. You can assume that if your department does not ask you to pay, they do not expect you to pay.

Host departments arrange for health insurance as follows:

• If your appointment at the University includes health benefits, your host department will only need to arrange for additional coverage if your health benefits will not begin on your first date of employment. In such cases, the host department can either purchase the Aetna Student Health Insurance Policy to cover the period prior to the date health benefits become effective or, alternatively, they can provide CIFSS with proof of alternate coverage for that period. University appointments that include health benefits also offer the option of including a spouse and/or children at a small extra cost to the employee.


• If your appointment at the University does not include health benefits, your host department must, at the time of requesting CIFSS to issue your DS-2019 form, either purchase the Aetna Student Health Insurance Policy to cover the period of the DS-2019 form or, alternatively, provide CIFSS with proof of alternate coverage for that period.

Alternate coverage may be insurance coverage from your home country or an alternate insurance provider on the insurance referral list provided by CIFSS.