Student Health Insurance Plan – SHIP

What type of health insurance do I have?
The Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) Aetna Student Health is offered through Aetna, a large national health insurer.

What are my coverage dates?
SHIP (Aetna) coverage for most students begins 8/15 and ends 8/14 each year. If you attend the Medical Campus, contact your program administrator to learn more about your rates and coverage dates.

How do I receive my insurance card?
You will not receive a physical health insurance card. You can easily access your health insurance information and view or print your insurance card online at bu.edu/shs/shipcard or at aetnastudenthealth.com/bu.

Will I be charged for visits to SHS?
Services at SHS are available at no additional charge for students enrolled in SHIP. SHIP, along with your student health and wellness fee, covers all services at SHS including: primary care and mental health visits, physical exams, lab work, immunizations, some orthopedic devices, support for interpersonal violence (SARP), assessment and brief treatment for students struggling with substance use, and more.

Please note: Services performed outside of SHS will incur an additional cost.

What will I be charged for visits outside of SHS, including medications?
Medications will have a copay, and the price of the copay depends on the type of medication. Charges for visits outside of SHS will vary depending on if you have in or out of network care. After deductible charges can include copay and/or coinsurance. For detailed benefit information visit aetnastudenthealth.com/bu and view the Benefits and Plan Design Summary.

I still have questions, who can I contact?
If you still have questions, you can speak directly with the SHS Insurance Department in the following ways:

• Send a secure message through patientconnect.bu.edu. Choose Message > New Message > Insurance and Billing
• Send an email to ship@bu.edu.
• Call us: 617-353-3579 (direct line) or call 617-353-3575 and choose option 3.
• Schedule an appointment to speak with an insurance specialist through patientconnect.bu.edu.
• Choose Appointments > Insurance and Billing

You can call Aetna Student Health directly at 800-966-7772 or visit their website: aetnastudenthealth.com/bu.

SHIP offers three key advantages that make it ideal for a college student who is likely to want high-quality healthcare in the Boston area while keeping out-of-pocket costs as low as possible.

Predictable Costs

If you need to see a doctor, fill a prescription, or go to the emergency room, you’ll pay a fixed dollar amount when you use a network provider and the plan pays the rest. Copays keep your out-of-pocket costs predictable and manageable. For example, if you need to see a behavioral health provider, you will pay just a $10 copay for each visit—and you have unlimited sessions under SHIP.

You may also pay a deductible and coinsurance for certain visits, procedures, and diagnostic tests like x-rays. The plan has fixed coinsurance, but the amount you pay will vary.

Convenience

You’ll find a wide network of participating providers in Boston. Many are affiliated with Boston University and are just a walk, bus ride, or few T stops away. Search the Preferred Provider Network directory here.

You also have access to Teladoc, an online health platform that provides 24/7 access to licensed doctors by phone or video. Students with SHIP can use this service for urgent primary care or behavioral medicine concerns whenever they arise. Learn more. 

Flexibility

Aetna has a nationwide Preferred Provider Network, so even if you’re home for the summer or away from campus and need healthcare, you’ll likely be able to find a nearby network provider. Also, if you want to use an out-of-network provider, the plan will still pay benefits—but your costs will be higher.

Learn more about how costs may vary with SHIP vs. a private insurance plan. 

All full-time, three-quarter time, and all international students are automatically enrolled in SHIP coverage. Part-time students may be eligible for SHIP coverage but will need to enroll.  Online only students are not eligible for SHIP.

Depending on your insurance, you may be able to waive SHIP if you have other coverage that meets ACA requirements and if your health plan places no added restrictions when you are in the greater Boston area, such as limiting your coverage to urgent care or emergency only coverage. We urge you to think before you waive SHIP. For many students, SHIP offers the most comprehensive coverage with the lowest out-of-pocket costs. See Waiving SHIP section below to learn more.

If You Have Dependents:

Dependent coverage is available through SHIP. Eligible dependents include your spouse and dependent children up to age 26. For more information about enrolling dependents, please visit the Dependent Coverage page on the Student Accounting Services website. As of the 2025-2026 plan year, students enrolled in student Basic are eligible to enroll their dependents in SHIP.

Full-Year and Fall or Spring-Summer Coverage

Depending on your eligibility, you may elect to have SHIP coverage for the entire year, Fall only, or Spring-Summer only, as follows:

Full-Year Coverage

Students will automatically be enrolled in full-year SHIP coverage and are not eligible to withdraw from coverage outside of the open enrollment period.

Fall-Only Coverage:

Students who meet any of the following requirements may be eligible to request Fall-only SHIP coverage:

• Students not registered for the Spring 2025 term.
• Students registered for the Spring 2025 term solely  in Distance Education (online only) courses.
• Domestic students who are registered for the Spring 2025 term part-time with fewer than 9 credit hours.
• Any of the above, may submit the Premium Adjustment Request Form.
• If you’ve been approved for comprehensive MassHealth or a subsidized health plan through Massachusetts Health Connector prior to January 1, you may submit the Certification of Coverage Form.

The deadline to apply for the change from annual SHIP to Fall only is December 31st.

Spring-Summer Coverage

If you’re only enrolled for courses during the Spring semester, your coverage will begin on January 1 and continue through the end of the plan year on August 14.

Boston University automatically enrolls all students who are legally required to have health insurance in SHIP. You will be billed for the SHIP premium through your student account. Students who are eligible to upgrade to the Plus plan are not automatically enrolled in Plus the following year and must choose to upgrade. For questions or more information contact studenta@bu.edu or call 617-353-2264.

However, you must take action by the deadline if you wish to:

• Cover dependents. Dependent coverage does not carry forward and the dependent enrollment application will need to be submitted every year. As of the 2025-2026 plan year, students enrolled in the Basic Plan are eligible to add dependents.
• Waive SHIP coverage. If you are eligible to waive SHIP below and do so by the deadline, you will be not be responsible for the SHIP premium. Please see the Waiving SHIP section below for additional information.
• Elect the Plus option (available to students who were actively enrolled in the Plus plan in the 2024-2025 plan year, only). Note: Plan level cannot be changed after the 2025-2026 open enrollment.

Qualifying Life Events

• If you are not enrolled in SHIP and experience a loss of coverage due to a qualifying life event, you may be eligible to enroll in SHIP. However, you must provide documentation within 31 days of the event in order to add SHIP coverage.
• If you are enrolled in and your dependents experience a loss of coverage due to a qualifying life event, you may enroll those dependents. You must submit a dependent enrollment application and include documentation of the loss of coverage within 31 days of the event in order to add those dependents.
• If you are enrolled in SHIP, you may also add a spouse, upon marriage, or a newborn child or a newly adopted child. You must complete a dependent enrollment application and provide documentation within 31 days of the event to add those dependents.

Examples of qualifying life events:

• Aging out of coverage provided by a parent’s plan.
• Loss of a job.
• Getting married or divorced.

Eligible dependents are the student’s legal spouse and dependent children below age 26.

Rates and Enrollment

Your SHIP coverage rates depend upon your school and program.

Review the Aetna Plan Design and Benefits Summary for detailed information under Plan Documents and Benefits for the specified year, school and campus.

Are you a graduate student who receives a trainee stipend or research/teaching income? Read the SHIP FAQ’s to learn about the health insurance credit.

Premium rates can vary depending on your program length. The standard annual rate for the Basic plan is $3,538. Students currently enrolled in the Plus plan have the option to upgrade to the Plus plan at the rate of $4,741.

If you decide SHIP is not for you, you may be able to waive coverage. However, international students may only waive coverage if they are enrolled in a plan underwritten in the US that meets the comparable coverage requirements. Students are not eligible to waive SHIP based on travel insurance plans.

Am I Eligible to Waive SHIP Coverage?

If you have other coverage available, such as through a parent’s plan, you may be eligible to waive SHIP coverage. If you do so by the deadline, you will not be charged the SHIP premium.

To be eligible to waive SHIP coverage, you must:

• Be enrolled in an ACA compliant health insurance plan underwritten in the US that meets the comparable coverage requirements. Use the checklist below to determine comparability.

Please see the Changing Your Automatic SHIP Enrollment section for more detailed instructions for waiving SHIP.

Note: The waiver does not carry forward and must be submitted every year.

Comparable Coverage Checklist

Please download the Comparable Coverage Checklist to compare your current coverage to the Aetna Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP).

Required services (as listed in the above checklist) must be provided at a location within a reasonable distance of the greater Boston area. Health plans with a closed network of providers and accessible for only emergency services, such as out-of-area HMOs, EPOs, or Medicaid products, generally are not acceptable.

Note: You are responsible for determining whether your current coverage meets ACA requirements. However, if Boston University becomes aware that your current plan doesn’t meet ACA criteria, Boston University may decline your request for a waiver.

Think Before You Waive

Even if your current coverage meets ACA requirements, SHIP may be a more affordable and convenient option.

How to Waive SHIP

If you decide to waive coverage, the Fall waiver must be submitted by September 20. If you are entering in the Spring, the waiver must be completed by January 31.

Follow these simple instructions to apply for the enrollment waiver:

• If your current plan meets all of the requirements on the comparable coverage checklist, you can access the waiver through the MyBU portal by selecting “Student Health Insurance” from the left menu, then choosing “Waive SHIP”.
• During the process you will be redirected to the website of our partner, Gallagher Student Health & Special Risk, to complete your waiver.
• If your waiver is approved, the credit will be applied to the student account within 1-2 business days.

Find all the information you need here in order to make an informed decision about SHIP, and to use your coverage well.

SHIP Resources

• SHIP FAQs

Aetna Plan Documents

• Plan Documents and Benefits Summary

Aetna Claim Forms

• Aetna Medical Benefits Claim Form
• Aetna Prescription Claim Form.

Other Contact Information

Student Health Services (SHS)
Phone: 617-353-3579 (Insurance Line)

Student Accounting Services
Phone: 617-353-2264

Aetna Student Health
Phone: 800-966-7772

Aetna Provider Directory (Provider Search)
Phone: 800-966-7772

Aetna Insurance Card (Print Your ID Card)
Phone: 800-966-7772

Still Have Questions?

When you enroll in SHIP, our on-campus insurance advocates are available to assist with all SHIP-related matters. For questions regarding health insurance-related matters, billing, or to schedule an appointment simply access the Patient Connect portal, select “Messages,” and the “Insurance” messaging option.

Students can purchase dental insurance for themselves and dependents through Aetna. This plan is not administered by BU Student Health Services and must be purchased directly through Aetna at aetnastudenthealth.com/bu.

The Aetna Dental PPO plan covers dental services for both in-network and out-of-network providers. The cost for the 2025-2026 plan year is $478 and coverage lasts from 8/15 to 8/14. For students starting in the fall semester, the deadline to enroll is 9/20. For students starting in the spring semester, the deadline to enroll is 1/31. Please note that for spring start students, coverage lasts from 1/1 to 8/14 at the same cost, $478.

For questions about the Aetna Dental PPO plan, please contact Aetna customer service.