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Insurance and Benefits for Student Employees

Special rules relating to insurance and other benefits often apply if you’re working in a job title that requires you to be a student in order to hold that title (a “student-status job”).

This page gives you information about insurance benefits. For charts outlining the eligibility requirements for other benefits, including tuition assistance and resident (in-state) tuition entitlement, please see the Student Employee Benefits page.

Insurance Overview

Whether you’re eligible for university employee group insurance benefits depends on your job title and the length of your appointment.  Here is a list of student titles.

Graduate students appointed to work in a student academic title for at least 20 hours a week for at least 4.5 months are eligible for the university’s employee group insurance benefits.

Undergraduate students in academic student titles and students in student non-academic titles are not eligible for employee insurance benefits. Coverage for students in undergraduate and non-academic student titles is available through the Student Health Insurance Plan for University of Texas students, offered through United Healthcare Student Resources.

Information about insurance requirements for international students is available from International Student and Scholar Services.

Graduate Student Insurance

If you're a graduate student appointed to work in an academic title for at least 20 hours a week for at least 4.5 months, you're eligible for the same insurance benefits as other current employees. Review the information below to learn more about your insurance benefits and their costs.

Summer Coverage for Teaching Assistants and Assistant Instructors

If you're a teaching assistant or assistant instructor who's appointed to work on a nine-month basis and you worked during the spring semester (January 16 through May 31), you're eligible for insurance coverage for the summer months of June, July and August.

The university will contribute its portion of premiums (premium sharing) to your summer insurance coverage. This means that the cost of your summer coverage is the same as the rest of the year. Any out-of-pocket costs you have for summer coverage will automatically be deducted from your June 1 paycheck. (To figure out this amount, log on to My Insurance Benefits (EID required), choose "My Benefit Costs", and multiply your monthly cost times four.) This means you'll prepay for your entire summer insurance coverage with your June 1 paycheck.

Under certain conditions, you can decline pre-payment of summer insurance premiums. If you do this and don't earn enough each summer month to cover the costs, the coverage will be cancelled. You'll get detailed information about summer coverage by e-mail in April.

Summer Coverage for Graduate Research Assistants

If you're a graduate research assistant or other academic graduate-student employee appointed on a 12-month basis, you're only eligible for summer insurance coverage if you're working in a benefits-eligible position during the summer months.

If you’re not working in a benefits-eligible position during the summer months, you may be eligible for COBRA continuation coverage. Review the COBRA Continuation Coverage & Privileges page to learn about the 60-day enrollment deadline, enrollment process and cost.

Annual Enrollment

All employees who remain benefits-eligible during the summer months should participate in Annual Enrollment. Annual Enrollment occurs July 1-31 of each year and is your opportunity to make insurance plan and coverage changes for the upcoming plan year, which begins September 1 and continues through the following August 31. Please review the Annual Enrollment Web site each year to ensure you stay up-to-date and take any needed action. You will also receive important information about Annual Enrollment by e-mail during June and July.

Insurance Orientation

If you're a benefits-eligible academic graduate-student employee, there is a free class you can take to learn all about your insurance options. The Graduate Student Employee Insurance Orientation (PN200) (EID required) is offered each fall during August and September. It will provide you with the chance to ask questions and get information geared specifically to graduate-student employees. The class takes only two hours, and students who've taken it in the past have found it very useful.

At any time of the year, you may also attend the New Employee Welcome and Orientation that is available to all benefits-eligible employees. This is also a free class and is offered every Monday morning. You will have the same opportunity to ask questions and get information about your insurance options.