Health Insurance

The New School's Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) plays a vital role in fulfilling the university's commitment to student health and well-being. The SHIP provides comprehensive coverage for preventive and routine care, injury and illness, urgent and emergency services, hospitalization and diagnostics, mental health and substance use care, gender-affirming care, prescriptions, and specialty and nationwide provider access, as well as dental care, vision care, wellness resources, and travel assistance.

The student health insurance plan is available to:

• Degree students (including online-only students)
• Visiting and mobility (study abroad) students
• Maintenance-of-status students
• ESL+ certificate students
• Graduate credit certificate students
• Undergraduate and graduate non-matriculating students enrolled in credit-bearing courses

Students enrolled in Continuing and Professional Education are not eligible and are not charged for the health plan.

How It Works

• All students must have health insurance that provides comprehensive coverage where they are located. Insurance can be U.S.-based or international; it does not need to be ACA-compliant.
• All eligible students are charged for student health insurance automatically upon registration but must submit an enrollment form to be enrolled in the SHIP.
• Fall coverage continues automatically in the spring semester, provided you are registered for spring classes. Delays with spring registration can delay spring health insurance enrollment.
• Students with their own health insurance coverage must submit a waiver form if they do not wish to be enrolled in the plan.
• Students need to submit a waiver form once every academic year. Waivers submitted in the fall apply to both the fall and the spring semesters.
• If no action is taken, students are retroactively enrolled by default in the student health insurance plan after the waiver deadline and are responsible for the health insurance fee.

2026–2027 Plan

The annual premium is $4,859, which is divided into two payments. Dental and vision benefits are included for all enrolled students.

• Fall 2026 Premium: $1,970 (coverage period August 20, 2026, through January 14, 2027).
• Spring 2027 Premium: $2,889 (coverage period January 15 through August 19, 2027).
• Insurance Provider: Aetna Student Health, which administers the insurance plan and pays the claims.
• Plan Type: Aetna Open Choice PPO.
• Broker: University Health Plans, which handles enrollment and waivers, including dependent and OPT enrollment. 
• Insurance Card: View or print on the Aetna Student Health website.

The waiver deadline was September 30, 2026. 

Medical Benefits

• Summary of Benefits and Coverage
• Insurance Plan Brochure - English
• Insurance Plan Brochure - Chinese
• Insurance Plan Brochure - Korean

Dental Benefits

• Dental Benefits Brochure
• How to Use Your Dental Benefits

Vision Benefits

• Vision Benefits Brochure
• How to use Your Vision Benefits