Insurance Waiver Requirements

Your health insurance plan must meet the University’s general waiver requirements outlined below.

General Criteria:

To satisfy the USC health insurance requirement for students, the plan held by the student must:

1. Be Minimum Essential Coverage; AND

2. Provide unrestricted access to:

  • An in-network primary care provider,
  • An in-network hospital, and
  • Full, non-emergency medical and behavioral health care
    These services must be available within a reasonable distance of campus or the student’s residence while attending school. A maximum commuting distance of 50 miles is recommended.

Common Reasons for Waiver Denial

  • Your waiver request may be denied if:
  • Your plan provides only emergency or urgent care in your area of study
  • Your plan is a regional HMO or EPO with no network coverage in the Los Angeles area
  • You are enrolled in an out-of-state Medicaid plan (note: these are not accepted for students residing on campus)
  • Your plan is a Healthcare Sharing Program, which is not recognized as insurance and does not guarantee coverage
  • Your plan does not meet the coverage requirements in item 2.

Additional Requirements for International Students

If you are an international student, please note that most international insurance plans do not meet waiver requirements. Your plan must meet all general waiver criteria above, in addition to meeting U.S. Department of State visa support requirements.

Your plan must:

  • Be written in standard English, with all benefits clearly expressed in U.S. dollars
  • Include a claims payment office located in the U.S. (all claims must be processed and paid directly to U.S. providers)
  • Provide a minimum of $50,000 per year for medical evacuation
  • Provide a minimum of $25,000 for repatriation of remains

If you have questions regarding your request for a waiver or if you intend to keep the USC Student Health Insurance Plan and have questions, please contact USC Student Health at studenthealth@usc.edu.

Keeping SHIP/AETNA
Submitting waiver

Students who decide to waive SHIP/Aetna must submit a waiver by the third week of classes (Friday). Waivers must be submitted every year in the fall semester by the third Friday deadline.

See Fees and Deadlines