Frequently Asked Questions

All full-time graduate and undergraduate students are required to maintain adequate health insurance. All international students on a F1 or J1 visa must hold adequate insurance, regardless of credit hours taken. If students are not covered by a policy that meets waiver criteria, they will be automatically enrolled in the Student Blue Plan and the premium amount will be added to their student account and semester statement. The Student Blue Plan is mandatory for all international students holding an F1 or J1 visa and cannot be waived.

• Full-time employees of the university that are enrolled as students are not subject to the Student Health Insurance Requirement.  Faculty/staff who are taking classes may not participate in the Student Blue Plan. The exception will be part-time faculty/staff enrolled full-time in a graduate program.
• If you received an email notification to take action to complete the Health Insurance Requirement, please email  healthinsurance@elon.edu to notify the office that you are an employee and your information will be updated by the Student Health Insurance Project Manager or you can call Tammy Hill at 336-278-7276.
• Dependents or spouses of employees enrolled full-time at Elon must comply with the Student Health Insurance Requirement. Dependents who are enrolled full-time are eligible to participate in the Student Blue Plan.

Students are expected to always carry a copy of their insurance card with them and must present their insurance card at Student Health Services. Students who need a copy of their current insurance card should consult the primary subscriber (parent/partner) for a copy of the card. A photo image is acceptable but must list the student as insured.

Student enrolled in the Student Blue Plan can access their insurance on the Student Blue Portal or call BCBS customber services at 800-579-8022 to track your BCBS insurance card. It is mailed to the address on your Student Blue Portal.

Students who currently have insurance and whose insurance meets the waiver criteria are not required to enroll in the Student Blue Plan. To be considered for waiving the Student Blue coverage, you must enter your current insurance information into the portal by the enrollment deadline so that your current policy can be reviewed for eligibility. You will also need to upload a copy of your insurance card.

Learn more about the waiver periods 

If your existing policy does not meet the waiver criteria, you will be enrolled in the Student Blue plan and the premium added to your tuition bill.

Before going to the Student Blue Portal to file a waiver, students should have a photo or image of both sides of their insurance card. Students will need this information to submit to the waiver portal.

Upon acceptance to the university and before matriculation, students must upload their current insurance information if they request to waive out of the Student Blue Plan. After the initial insurance upload is completed, students will be required to reaffirm that the same insurance is in effect annually before they are allowed to register for fall classes. If the insurance coverage cannot be verified, students will be required to update their insurance information providing adequate coverage or enroll in the Student Blue Plan.

For Spring semester verification, only those students whose policy information cannot be verified will be required to update their insurance information providing adequate coverage or enroll in the Student Blue Plan.

If the insurance coverage cannot be verified, students will be required to update their insurance information providing adequate coverage or enroll in the Student Blue Plan.

All full-time undergraduate, graduate and law students can enroll in the policy — even if they have other coverage — as secondary or voluntary coverage. Students and families will want to consult with their insurance adviser and compare coverage to see if the Student Blue plan is right for their family, even if they have existing coverage.

Enroll in the Student Blue Plan

If you have a change in insurance status due to age or life circumstances, please email the Elon Student Health Insurance Project Manager at healthinsurance@elon.edu and they will send you instructions to enroll in the Student Blue Plan. You will pay a prorated amount for the remainder of the academic year until the next enrollment period.

Coverage dates are August 1 – January 31 for Fall semester enrollment and February 1 – July 31 for Spring enrollment. Enrollment start dates may be modified if status changes (for example, loss of current coverage).

End dates for the plan for most students will be July 31. The policy covers students throughout the summer from anywhere in the U.S.; there is also coverage for travel outside the U.S. through  Exceptions may apply based on student status.

If you are graduating, the student health insurance policy coverage will end either on Dec. 31 (December graduates) or July 31 (May graduates).

International travel health insurance coverage is included in the cost of most Study Abroad programs. For information about insurance coverage while participating in international study, visit the Global Education Center website.

Study Abroad students are not subject to the Health Insurance Requirement while they are abroad but must either submit a Waiver Request or Enroll in the Student Blue Plan for the return semester. An email will be sent while you are abroad in April. Approved waivers and plan enrollments do not carry over or renew from the previous semester.

If you are enrolled in the Student Blue Plan and will Study Abroad for the upcoming semester and want to remain enrolled in the Student Blue Plan during your Study Abroad semester, you will need to email healthinsurance@elon.edu and request to Enroll in the Student Blue Plan for the semester you are abroad. Please take action to ensure no lapses occur in your Student Blue Insurance Coverage while you are abroad.  (You will not be automatically re-enrolled during the semester enrollment period.)

Students participating in any Study USA program should consult their insurance carrier for coverage. Study USA students can waive or enroll by going onto the Student Blue Portal during the Fall semester and if approved waiver or enrollment in the Student Blue Plan was received during the Fall semester, your waiver and enrollment in the Student Blue Plan will be re-verified for the Spring semester.

Students enrolled in the Student Blue Plan and who travel outside the U.S. are covered for accidents and illnesses through their Student Blue Plan. Students planning to travel outside the U.S  should carry their  Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina/Student Blue member ID card and:

• Verify your benefits prior to travel.
• Know who to call. Call Blue Card Worldwide Customer Service at 1-866-654-2819 or collect at 1-804-965-8411.
• Find a provider with BlueCard Worldwide online. In an emergency, go to the closest hospital.
• Visit BCBSNC to learn more about travel benefits outside the U.S. (you must use your Student Blue log-in)

The Health and Wellness Fee is charged to all students and is part of the tuition bill each semester. Through this fee, students are able to access Student Health Services for a routine office visit, and after insurance is filed, co-pays and deductibles are covered. The student is responsible for all other charges.

The Health and Wellness Fee is not to be confused with the Student Health Insurance Plan. The Student Health Insurance Plan is an insurance policy for all full-time undergraduate, graduate and law students. Students may waive the Student Blue policy by providing proof of adequate insurance coverage.

Contact Student Blue (Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina) at 1-800-579-8022 or go into the Student Blue portal and request a card.

If you have specific questions about coverage for a claim, contact the BCBS Student Blue staff directly:

Student Blue
PO Box 2073
Durham, NC 27702
1-800-579-8022 
email@studentbluenc.com

Dependents must be added by Aug. 30 (fall semester) or Jan. 31 (winter/spring semester). If you have a qualifying life event — marriage, birth, dependent/s arriving in the U.S. — you have 30 days from the event date to add your dependent. No exceptions. Documentation will be required. Contact Student Blue (Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina) at 1-800-579-8022. Elon University does not handle the dependent coverage.

If you do not upload current insurance (spring) or affirm current insurance (fall) the premium for the Student Blue policy will be on your fall or spring semester bills. Students are financially responsible for this premium if they do not apply for a waiver before the semester starts. The winter term insurance coverage is part of the fall bill and summer term insurance is part of the spring bill.

Learn more about the plan benefits at Student Blue 2025-2026 benefits. We expect benefits to be the same. Information on the 2026-2027 benefits will be released in the Spring semester.

In addition to routine and emergency medical care, the Student Blue Plan offers other benefits for consideration:

• Prescription benefits
• Annual physical exams
• Immunizations
• STI testing
• Birth control (including IUD insertion and removal) and Plan B prescriptions
• PrEP drug regimen
• Mental health benefits

Visit the Student Blue Plan website 

Check out the Student Blue Plan tutorial

The cost of the Student Blue Plan for 2025-2026 is proposed at $1486.32 per semester for undergraduates ($2972.64 annual) and $1981.74 per semester for graduate/law students ($3963.48 annual). This is subject to regulatory approval in Summer 2025.

The Health Insurance Requirement Compliance process occurs twice per academic year. It is a semesterly process for the Fall and Spring semesters (each semester/every academic year) that you are a full-time enrolled student. 

• Fall semester is the reset time for the Health Insurance Requirement process, all full-time enrolled students (returning or new/incoming students) are required to either Waive (submit a Waiver Request and upload the front and back image of your active insurance) or Enroll in the Student Blue Plan (you will need to Request Enrolllment in the Student Blue Plan if you have chosen the BCBS coverage offered by the university).

• Spring semester –
  • If you have an approved waiver or enrollment from the Fall, it will be re-verified for the Spring semester and if approved, no further action is needed.
  • If you receive a denied waiver, change your insurance or choose to waive (opt-out) with your own insurance instead of remaining enrolled in the Student Blue Plan for the Spring semester, you will need to take action to submit a Waiver Request and upload the front and back image of your current insurance.
  • If you remain enrolled in the Student Blue plan and are not Studying Abroad or a Part-time student for the Spring, your enrollment in the Student Blue Plan will continue and you will be automatically re-enrolled for the Spring semester. No further action will be needed.