Student Insurance
International students usually have two options: the school plan, or a compliant private plan that clears the waiver at a lower premium. We help you compare them honestly.
Who it is for
International students on F-1 and J-1 status, scholars and research assistants, and domestic students who have aged off a family plan.
- Universities auto-bill their plan unless a waiver is filed
- Waiver plans must meet the school's published standard
- J-1 visitors and J-2 dependents have a separate federal minimum
- Get it wrong: rejected waiver, plan charged to tuition
- F-1 undergraduate and graduate students starting a US program
- J-1 exchange visitors, visiting scholars and their J-2 dependents
- OPT students between graduation and their first employer plan
- Domestic students over 26 who have left a parent policy
- Parents in another country arranging coverage before their child flies
What is covered
Medical care
- Doctor visits, urgent care, ER, hospitalisation
- Diagnostics and prescriptions
- Subject to deductible, coinsurance and coverage maximum
Waiver requirements
- Typically a deductible ceiling and coverage maximum
- Medical evacuation and repatriation usually mandatory
- We read your school's actual requirement, not a generic one
Evacuation and repatriation
- Evacuation to an adequate facility; repatriation of remains
- Required by J-1 regulations and most university waivers
- Standard in the plans we place
Mental health and sports
- Counselling matters for students far from home
- Some plans exclude intramural and club sports injuries
- Check both before buying on price
How AIS helps
- We check the waiver standard. Send the university requirement page and we tell you which plans clear it and which will be rejected.
- School plan versus private plan. A straight comparison of premium, deductible, network and campus health-center access, with the honest answer when the school plan wins.
- Enrollment before arrival. Coverage can be arranged and confirmed before the student lands, so orientation deadlines are not a scramble.
- Dependents. J-2 spouses and children added to the same arrangement.
- Claims and paperwork. We help with claim forms, provider billing questions and the certificate of coverage the international student office asks for.
Check before you buy
- Waiver rules differ by university and change yearly
- J-1 minimums are set by federal regulation
- Send the requirement in writing – a screenshot works
- We confirm compliance against plan wording, not sales sheets
Common questions
Student insurance FAQ
We answer these every August. Call 281-769-1180 if yours is urgent.
Usually, if your plan meets the school's published minimum and you file the
waiver before their deadline. Miss the deadline and the school plan is normally
billed to your student account for the whole term even if you have other
coverage.
Exchange visitors and their J-2 dependents must carry coverage meeting federal
minimums for medical benefits, repatriation of remains and medical evacuation
for the duration of the program. Sponsors verify it and non-compliance can put
program status at risk, so we confirm a plan meets the standard before you enroll.
Plans vary widely: some exclude pre-existing conditions for an initial period,
some cover them subject to a waiting period, and school-sponsored plans often
cover them from day one. If the student has an ongoing condition, tell us up
front – it usually decides the recommendation.
Yes, and it generally should. We set the effective date to cover the travel
date and the gap before the academic term starts, so an incident in transit or
during orientation is not uninsured.
Student coverage typically ends with enrollment, but on OPT you can usually
continue on a similar plan until an employer plan starts. We handle that handover
so there is no uncovered month.
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