Student Health & Counseling

Students Who Already Have Health Insurance

STATUS: THE SPRING WAIVER PERIOD IS CLOSED

If you missed the Spring Waiver Deadline visit the Missed Waiver Appeal information page for due dates and criteria.  

Remember, students do one waiver per academic year.  All students who attend PSU in Fall 2024 ,will need to do one new waiver for the 2024-25 academic year.  Messaging will go out starting in August 2024.

Multiple students pointing at a computer screen.
Waiver Application

Students Taking 5+ Credits

Portland State University requires any student taking 5 or more credits per term to maintain comprehensive medical insurance coverage.  Students must do one waiver per academic year.  If a student has their own health insurance plan, including the Oregon Health Plan (OHP), they can submit an application to waive the PSU Student Health Insurance Plan.  Waiver applications must be submitted by the term’s waiver application deadline.  If a student’s waiver application is approved, the Student Health Insurance premium will be removed from their PSU account within 2-3 business days of approval.

Students are automatically charged $1256 until they waive out by the deadline.  Only one waiver is needed per academic year. A new academic year begins each Fall.

Students taking 1-4 credits

The PSU health insurance requirement does not apply to students taking 1-4 credits. No further action is required.
If you drop below 5 credits within the first two weeks of the term, the insurance charge will automatically be reversed from your student account within 48 hours of the drop/waiver deadline.

Students taking Restricted Differential credits

Some credits, such as those earned during study abroad, the School of Public Health with OHSU, and some continuing education credits are considered Restricted Differential Tuition credits, meaning they do not count toward the 5 credit hours triggering the Student Health Insurance Plan requirement.

Waiver Criteria

Insurance Waiver Criteria

In order to waive the PSU Student Health Insurance Plan, students must have a private health insurance plan with the following benefits: 

  • An annual individual deductible of $2,500 or less
  • At least 70% in-patient hospitalization coverage
  • Plan must be effective on or prior to the term start date. If the plan's effective coverage date is after the term start date, a waiver cannot be approved for that term. 

OHP Students

Students covered by the Oregon Health Plan (OHP) meet the University's requirements to waive the Student Health Insurance Plan.

Unsure if your plan meets the criteria?

If you are not sure if your private insurance plan meets PSU's waiver criteria, contact the Student Insurance Team by  emailing insurancehelp@pdx.edu.