Students who enroll in the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) for Penn State, may also choose to enroll their eligible dependents. All Penn State international students (J and F visa holders) must provide proof of health insurance for any accompanying dependents.
Who is considered an eligible dependent?
- The spouse of the insured student
- Dependent children of the insured student under the age of twenty-six who are not self-supporting.
Children shall cease to be dependent on the first to occur
1) The end of the month in which they marry; or,
2) The end of the month in which they turn twenty-six years of age
How to enroll eligible dependents
- Undergraduate students and graduate students (nongraduate assistants and graduate fellows) can enroll eligible dependents in the SHIP for Penn State through the UHCSR website.
- Graduate assistants and graduate fellows can enroll eligible dependents in the SHIP for Penn State through Workday.
Dependent coverage period
Dependent health insurance eligibility expires when the insured student leaves or graduates from Penn State, or no longer meets eligibility requirements.
Dependents must be re-enrolled each fall semester to continue receiving health insurance. Re-enrollment is not automatic. The only exception is dependents enrolled under Graduate Assistants/Graduate Fellows/Graduate Trainees. Dependent coverage for this population will carry over each semester.
Children's health services
University Health Services and other campus health centers do not provide health care services to children. Dependent children of students insured through SHIP for Penn State should visit the UHCSR website for a list of participating children's health care providers in their local community.