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Office of International Engagement

Health Care and Insurance

Maintaining your health is important. Healthcare in the United States is very expensive, which is why all Illinois State students are required to maintain proper immunizations/vaccinations and health insurance. All J visa holders are also mandated by immigration regulations to maintain health insurance which meets the Department of State requirements.

What Immigration Requires

Here are the specific terms that J-1 students insurance must meet or exceed:

  • $100,000 of coverage per accident or illness (insurance should cover both emergency AND non-emergency illnesses and accidents)
  • “Medical Evacuation” up to $50,000 (to cover transportation costs back to home country in the event of serious illness or injury)
  • “Repatriation of Remains” up to $25,000 (to cover transportation costs back to home country in the event of death)
  • Deductible of no more than $500
  • Covers any pre-existing conditions after a reasonable waiting period
  • Includes provision for co-payment that does not exceed 25% co-pay by the Exchange Visitor
  • Does not exclude benefits for perils inherent to the activities of the Exchange Visitor’s program
  • Must be underwritten by an insurance company that meets the rating requirements of the USIA or is backed by the full faith and credit of the Exchange Visitor’s government

New Students

All new students must submit their immunization history to Student Health Services and have a Tuberculosis (TB) Screening done by the 10th day of classes.

Immunization History

All students who enroll at Illinois State University are required by state law to verify their immunization history. You are strongly encouraged to submit your immunization history to Student Health Services by August 1st for the Fall Semester and January 1st for the Spring Semester.

Health Services prefers that you submit the Immunization History Form. You can download and submit the form on the Student Health Services Immunization Requirements webpage. Health Services will also accept Immunization Records from your home country physician, but the original signed document must be in English. They will not accept translated documents or documents in a language other than English.

TB Screening

For more information regarding the mandatory TB Screening, please visit Student Health Services Immunization Requirements webpage. You can schedule your TB Screening by calling (309) 438-2778 or visiting the Student Services Building. The TB Screening must be performed by ISU Student Health Services.

Health Insurance

All international students are expected to have health insurance coverage. The University Health Insurance plan provides excellent coverage at a very reasonable price. However, if you already have health insurance coverage from your home country provider, you may opt out of the University Insurance, but you must provide a copy of your policy in English to the Student Insurance Office.

Students at Illinois State have two options for getting insurance:

University Health Insurance

The University's Student Health Insurance provides excellent coverage at a reasonable cost.

All Illinois State students who enroll in at least 9 credit hours (Fall/Spring) or 6 credits (Summer) are automatically enrolled in the University's Student Health Insurance. You don't have to do anything to sign up. The Student Health Services website contains information about this insurance plan, including coverage and benefits, as well as the cost of the program.

If you are enrolled for less than the number of credit hours required to be automatically enrolled in ISU Insurance, you WILL NOT receive ISU Health Insurance Coverage. In order to request coverage, you must "opt in" by submitting a Student Health Insurance Request Form in your My Illinois State Account.

In addition to covering standard insurance terms, the University's Aetna policy also includes worldwide medical assistance such as unlimited emergency medical evacuation and repatriation, emergency transport to your home country if a family member has a life-threatening condition, natural disaster evacuation, and more!

Please note that dependents (spouse/children) are not covered by Illinois State University's Student Health Insurance. You will need to purchase insurance for them from a private company or an insurer from your home country.

Private Health Insurance

You may choose to use insurance from your home country or from a private company within the US. To use insurance from home or a private company, you must first be able to prove that it is as good as, or better than, Illinois State's plan. You must show detailed information in English (like a policy plan or brochure detailing the coverage) to the University's Student Health Insurance Office. If your insurance is satisfactory, you will be allowed to cancel your automatic Illinois State coverage by completing a form. For a listing of options, email InternationalStudents@IllinoisState.edu.

U.S. Health Care System

For a brief introduction to the U.S. healthcare system and how it works, watch the video below.