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 NU-SHIP mandatory enrollment policy was enacted due to international students obtaining insurance plans that do not provide comprehensive coverage (i.e. travel plans, catastrophic plans, short-term plans, etc.) leaving the students and the university with significant financial burden. Furthermore, most insurance plans do not include the required coverage which is directly tied to the student’s visa compliance per the U.S. Department of State insurance requirements. Consequently, the NU-SHIP Policy Committee which includes cross-campus leadership from the Dean of Students Office, the Office of Student Affairs, the Office of International Student & Scholar Services, and the Office of Risk Management & Compliance agreed upon and mandated the aforementioned policy along with formal approval from the Office of the Provost and the Office of the President.

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.