The University requires that all full-time graduate students (enrolled in 9 credit hours or more), all Graduate Assistants, and all international students either purchase the University’s health insurance plan or provide evidence of coverage on another comparable health insurance plan to waive the USC fee. If no waiver is submitted, the cost of the University’s health insurance plan will be automatically added to their semester tuition and fees bill. The University will provide a contribution toward the premium for all graduate assistants to help offset the cost of the USC mandated policy through Pearce & Pearce, Inc.

For more information on Student Health Insurance, benefits, cost, and the waiver process, see the Student Health Services Health Insurance webpage.

For graduate students who wish to additionally insure spouses and dependents or who are not in the automatic insurance billing category, but who optionally wish to purchase insurance, please visit the insurance website.

Note that all students are also charged a health fee for access to Thompson Health Center. See Bursar's website for health fee. This fee can not be waived and is not covered by the GA health insurance subsidy.

Physician and nurse practitioner visits to Student Health Services are free, however there are additional fees associated with lab work, x-rays, physical therapy and pharmacy that are not covered by the student health fee. While USC Student Health Services provides excellent out-patient care for enrolled USC students, SHS provides only out-patient primary care, short-term (but not long-term) counseling and psychiatry services. If and when USC students need specialist care, emergency services or hospitalization, the student health fee does not cover these services. For additional information including waiver of the University’s health insurance plan for those with alternate coverage, follow this link to the Thomson Health Center webpage on Health Insurance.