Health Insurance

Health insurance is a way to insure yourself against the very expensive costs associated with illness and injury minus any policy exclusions. In return for a premium (monthly fee), the insurance company agrees to pay the price of a portion of your medical expenses, minus any deductible (amount that you must first pay before the insurance company contributes).

The U.S. does not have a national health care system like many other countries. If a person does not have health insurance and needs medical assistance, s/he is responsible for paying all medical fees. The cost of medical care is very expensive and the fastest rising expense in the U.S. today.

Become familiar with health insurance terminology and research the plan premium, co-insurance rates, deductible, coverage limits and exclusions. It is important to be familiar with the details of your insurance plan and to read your policy carefully and completely, including the information in the fine print.

All F-1 international students who have an active I-20 and are enrolled in DePaul classes will be automatically added to ISO health coverage on a rolling basis. Eligible students will be covered according to the term coverage dates. To see when you can expect to receive your insurance card, please view "What are the ISO enrollment dates & billing process?"

If you are an international student but studying from outside the U.S. for the duration of this term, ISO does not provide coverage for medical costs incurred outside the U.S. To opt-out of ISO insurance for the Spring 2024 term only, please complete the ISO Out-of-Country Removal request on the ISS Portal HERE under Student Requests. All requests (including cancellations) must be submitted by April 26, 2024. 

*Please do not submit multiple requests. The ISO refund will appear on your student account by May 15, 2024.

If you are enrolled in classes and currently in the U.S. but already have your own health insurance coverage, read below to find out if you may qualify for a waiver.

If you are a new international student on an F-1 visa who already has health insurance, you may qualify for a waiver. The waiver application opens at the beginning of each quarter and is open for about 1 month. Please note: Health Insurance charges on your Student Account will not be removed until after the Waiver deadline.

If you are an F-1 visa holder with an I-20 program start date before 8/24/2015 but are not currently enrolled in classes, you can purchase the ISO insurance directly here. 

If you hold a J-1, J-2, F-2, or F-1 OPT status, you can also purchase ISO insurance here.

• F-1 OPT students with a valid I-20 can purchase the ISO OPTima (OPT) Plan

• J-1 students with a valid DS-2019 can purchase the J1 Exchange Plan.

• Dependents on F-2 or J-2 visa can enroll either with the F1/J1 visa holder as a dependent or on their own, by purchasing the ISO Voyager plan for non-students. The second option is usually more affordable but less benefits are offered.

If you are a continuing student, your ISO insurance card will be emailed to your depaul.edu email address directly from ISO each term. If you are an initial student, the card might be sent to the email that you used to apply to your DePaul program. Please be sure to check your spam/junk folder if you do not receive an email from ISO.

We process health insurance enrollment on a rolling basis, so some students may get their insurance cards before others. Please refer to ISO enrollment dates & billing process for the "Date when students should receive their Health Cards from ISO" for when you should receive your insurance card.

Please email ISS@depaul.edu for assistance. If you have a health emergency, please seek medical assistance immediately. You will be able to submit your medical bills to ISO later for billing. To find a doctor or provider within your network, please use this link.

Yes - Unless you have been approved for a waiver directly by ISO or are a sponsored student (e.g. SACM) where your sponsor provides their own health insurance, all eligible students are automatically added to ISO health coverage.  ISO will send your insurance card to your DePaul email address– please check your SPAM folder before calling ISO at 800-244-1180.

ISO has a very useful Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section on its website to help answer questions about your insurance coverage and to help you find a doctor.

You can search for in-network providers here.

DePaul requires that every student submit proof that they have been immunized from specific diseases. Unfortunately, the ISO insurance plan does not cover immunizations.

To learn more about what immunizations are required and how to submit your proof of immunization online visit the Immunizations Requirement webpage. 

*We also recommend that you bring a copy of your records with you as back-up in case you need to re-submit for any reason. 

No. We process health insurance enrollment each term, so your insurance card is valid for the coverage period of that term – please refer to ISO enrollment dates & billing process for coverage dates. Every term, ISO will email you a new insurance card with new insurance ID. Please always use the correct insurance card and ID to avoid any confusion.