Health Records & Medical Insurance

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts requires all full-time and part-time international students who study on campus to submit proof of immunization against the following communicable diseases: measles, mumps, rubella (MMR); tetanus (must be Tdap vaccine); hepatitis B; (bacterial) meningitis; varicella; and tuberculosis, depending on country of origin.

Your healthcare provider can supply proof of vaccination against these diseases with dates of your immunizations or they can complete the Immunization Record Form. This information must be received before you can complete your course registration.

If you are not in compliance with all Boston University immunization requirements when you arrive on the BU campus, you will have seven days to obtain the necessary vaccination(s) or you will be considered noncompliant. You may obtain vaccinations (by scheduling an appointment in advance) at:

Student Health Services

881 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA 02215
Phone: 617-353-3575

Medical Insurance

All international students enrolled during the summer are required to have medical insurance and are automatically enrolled in and charged for Boston University’s Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) as part of their registration. Students may waive enrollment in the SHIP if they are enrolled in a comparable US-based insurance plan. More information regarding the SHIP waiver requirement can be found on this webpage.

Two levels of individual coverage are available, Basic and Plus. Students are charged at the Basic level with their registration and may request Plus coverage by emailing insmed@bu.edu at least two weeks prior to the start of their summer courses.

Boston University’s Student Health Insurance Plan rates for summer 2023 are provided below. The rates for summer 2024 will be posted on January 15, 2024.

Students who register for the Summer 1 session or for both the Summer 1 and Summer 2 sessions are charged for the full summer coverage period of late May–mid August. Students who attend the Summer 1 session only should email insmed@bu.edu prior to the end of their Summer 1 studies to request the Summer 1 only coverage period. Students who register for just the Summer 2 session are charged for the Summer 2 coverage period listed below.

* The 2022/2023 SHIP year ends on August 14, 2023. Students enrolled in SHIP for the full summer, or for Summer 2 only, are eligible to request an additional three days of coverage under the 2023/2024 plan year. Students who would like to continue their enrollment in SHIP for August 15-17, 2023, must email insmed@bu.edu with their request by August 1, 2023. The Basic and Plus plan rates for this coverage period will be available when the 2023/2024 plan year rates are established in April 2023. 

Student Health Services

BU Student Health Services, located at 881 Commonwealth Avenue, is available for urgent care issues by appointment, Monday through Friday, from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm (opens at 10 am on Thursdays). Visiting summer students who are not enrolled in BU’s Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) are charged a fee of $25 for each visit, charged to your student account. Students not enrolled in SHIP will need to provide insurance information for blood work; for immunizations, your student account will be billed.

Student Health Services will provide a referral to visiting international students with a non-urgent issue.

In the case of an emergency, students should call 617-353-2121 on campus to reach the BU Police Department emergency line or 911 off campus. If you experience a medical emergency or crisis on weekdays after closing hours or on weekends, you may call 617-353-3575 and follow the prompts to be connected with the appropriate healthcare provider or you may go to the closest urgent care center or emergency department.

Any student who experiences a sexual assault or crisis should first call the Sexual Assault Response & Prevention Center at 617-353-7277 to speak with a counselor.