As a graduate student at UT, you have multiple health insurance options available to you at varying costs depending on your status as a student, employee or fellowship holder. During your time as a graduate student, you may experience changes in eligibility for the various types of insurance as your employment or funding status changes.
There are several offices on campus that provide and administer health care and insurance resources for graduate students, including Human Resources and University Health Services. This website provides an overview of the resources that are available to graduate students at UT Austin as well as contacts for more information.
Insurance Options Based on Employment or Funding Status
Start here to learn more about the options available to you based on your status as employee, fellowship holder or self-funded graduate student, as well as options for dental and vision coverage and contacts for additional resources.
AcademicBlue SHIP & UT Select Insurance
Academic Graduate Student Employee Insurance Options
Visit Human Resources for a complete guide to insurance options available to academic graduate student employees, including benefits, frequently asked questions and more. This includes information on AcademicBlue (SHIP) and UT Select.
Insurance for Graduate Student Fellows
Visit Human Resources for a guide to insurance options available to graduate student fellows.
UT Select/AcademicBlue SHIP Premium Comparison (PDF)
While most graduate students may enroll in AcademicBlue SHIP, only benefits eligible academic graduate student employees and certain graduate student fellows have the option to enroll in the UT SELECT Medical plan. View a chart from Human Resources to compare the premium prices of the two plans and description of the services provided.
AcademicBlue SHIP Health Plan
Most graduate students are eligible to enroll in the student health plan- AcademicBlue SHIP.
Review plan information from Academic Health Plans below based on your employment or funding status.
Purchasing Insurance Through the Federal Marketplace
Healthcare.gov
- Graduate students at UT Austin are not required to purchase a University-provided insurance plan.
- All graduate students also have the option to purchase a plan of their choosing through the Federal Marketplace at Healthcare.gov.
- Premiums for plans purchased through the Federal Marketplace must be paid at the student’s cost.
Health Insurance for international Students
Texas Global
Students enrolled at UT Austin in a visa status of F or J are automatically enrolled in insurance each semester, except students who are U.S. citizens.
Learn more about health insurance requirements and resources for international students at the Texas Global website.
Other Resources
University Health Services
University Health Services (UHS) provides care to all enrolled students at UT, including those not covered by a University health insurance plan (but not dependents). If you are covered by AcademicBlue SHIP, many of these services are free. UHS is a fully accredited facility with licensed staff and board-certified physicians within the areas of family practice, internal medicine and sports medicine.
Counseling and Mental Health Center
UT Counseling and Mental Health services are available to all enrolled students at UT (but not dependents). If you are covered by AcademicBlue SHIP, many of these services are free. Consult their website for more information.
Health Care Assistance Fund
Starting in the Fall 2021 semester, the university changed the default insurance option for benefits-eligible academic graduate student employees from UT Select to AcademicBlue SHIP. Graduate students enrolled during the 2021-22 academic year who encountered higher costs because of the change may be eligible for the Health Care Assistance Fund.