STUDENT HEALTH INSURANCE

If you have comparable health insurance coverage, log into CAESAR to submit your waiver application. Please review Northwestern University’s comparable coverage requirements to ensure your plan qualifies for a waiver. For step-by-step instructions, see our screenshot guide. Once your waiver is successfully submitted, the default charge will be reversed within 1–2 business days.

If you wish to enroll in NU-SHIP, log into CAESAR to confirm your enrollment. For step-by-step instructions, see our screenshot guide.

The NU-SHIP premium will be billed to your student account following your tuition posting.

The NU-SHIP premium will be billed directly to your student account. We recommend reviewing the payment methods posted on the Student Finance website.

The NU-SHIP is annual plan. Therefore, we are unable to enroll students on a quarterly basis.

The NU-SHIP is an annual plan. Therefore, we are unable to bill you on a quarterly basis. We encourage you to reach out to the Office of Student Finance to find out if you are eligible to enroll in a payment plan.

The default charge will reverse within 1-2 business days of you successfully submitting your waiver. When reviewing your student account in CAESAR we recommend reviewing the real time activity versus the monthly snapshot.

We recommend reviewing the alternative insurance coverage options we have posted on our website.

Each academic year, in the first quarter in which you have an active registration status at Northwestern, you are asked either to confirm or waive your enrollment in the NU-SHIP, via the online form in CAESAR, at your earliest convenience:

• If you intend to use the NU-SHIP for your insurance coverage this year, please confirm your enrollment to ensure you do not experience any eligibility or service issues.
• If you will use alternate insurance coverage – which must meet all of Northwestern’s comparable coverage requirements – then please waive your NU-SHIP enrollment so you are not billed for coverage you do not need.

The mandatory NU-SHIP enrollment requirement applies to all international students. Northwestern University requires all degree-seeking international students – students holding a J-1 or F-1 U.S. visa – to confirm their annual Northwestern University Student Health Insurance Plan (NU-SHIP) enrollment, and maintain coverage in the NU-SHIP, for the entire time they are studying at Northwestern.

The requirement stems from J-1 and F-1 students having visa requirements involving insurance coverage. Additionally, the cultural difference between our healthcare system and many others in the world caused problems where international students either did not maintain enrollment for the full year or did not have adequate coverage.

The result was financial burden that resulted in a disruption to studies, as well as increased liability on the university’s side. A cross-campus policy committee deemed it necessary to ensure international students maintain sufficient coverage by requiring participation.

Most waiver requests are denied because one or more questions on the waiver form were answered “No,” meaning the plan does not meet Northwestern University’s comparable coverage requirements. Additionally, the most frequent reasons include enrollment in an out-of-state Medicaid plan or an out-of-state HMO plan. These plans typically limit coverage to emergency services only and therefore do not provide sufficient in-network access in Illinois.