Do UT students need health insurance?
Domestic students aren’t required to buy UT’s student plan, but UT strongly urges every student to have coverage. F- and J-status international students are automatically billed, and the fall 2026 waiver deadline was September 4 at 5 p.m.
In this guide
Who must have the UT plan?
The UT catalog calls the student plan optional for currently enrolled students. Domestic students may voluntarily enroll during open enrollment or after a qualifying life event.
The rule differs for international students: F- and J-status students must carry qualifying insurance and are automatically enrolled in UT SHIP. Having another plan doesn’t remove the tuition-bill charge until UT approves a waiver.
What does UT SHIP cost in 2026–27?
The international-student cost page lists totals of $1,298 for fall 2026 and $2,596 for spring plus summer 2027, rounded to whole dollars. Those totals include evacuation and repatriation coverage and UT’s 5% administrative fee.
A new international student may also have a one-month $324 charge before the regular fall or summer coverage period. Domestic voluntary-enrollment pricing is handled by Academic Health Plans; UT’s Healthyhorns page doesn’t publish that price.
How does an international student waive it?
First confirm that your coverage fits one of UT’s waiver categories. Employer plans, qualifying individual U.S. plans, certain UT employee-dependent plans, eligible graduate appointments and some fellow coverage have their own proof rules.
J-1 exchange students can’t waive UT SHIP. Other eligible students submit the matching waiver through UT’s linked process and must show adequate evacuation and repatriation coverage or buy it through AHP. Individual policies must be U.S.-based and ACA-compliant, cover the whole term, have a deductible no higher than $500 and coinsurance no higher than 25%; travel and short-term plans don’t qualify.
When is the waiver due?
The 2026–27 deadlines are September 4, 2026, at 5 p.m. for fall; January 25, 2027, at 5 p.m. for spring; and June 3, 2027, at 5 p.m. for summer. UT says processing can take up to two weeks.
Check the tuition bill after approval. If the insurance charge remains on the listed class-day checkpoint, contact intlinsurance@austin.utexas.edu immediately.
Should I keep UT SHIP?
Compare its network and costs with a parent, employer or Marketplace plan using Healthyhorns’ options. Being able to visit University Health Services isn’t the same as having insurance for outside specialists, prescriptions or emergencies.
Domestic students should choose coverage that protects them in Austin and at home. International students should keep UT SHIP unless alternate coverage clearly meets the waiver rules and the waiver is approved by the deadline.
How we got this
Domestic and international rules, current costs and waiver dates come from the linked UT catalog, Healthyhorns and Texas Global pages. Checked October 28, 2026. This is an independent undergraduate guide, not a decision on your own eligibility.
Sources and dates
- Optional student insurance rule2026-10-28
- UT health insurance options2026-10-28
- 2026–27 international UT SHIP costs2026-10-28
- Waiver rules and deadlines2026-10-28