Open Enrollment Periods
Summer Open Enrollment- for new summer students is May 1 - May 31, 2024. New summer students must either enroll in the CMU medical SHIP or apply to waive it during this time.
Fall Open Enrollment- for all new and returning students for the 2024-2025 academic year is July 1 - August 23, 2024. All new and returning students must either enroll in the CMU medical SHIP or apply to waive it during this time. SHIP enrollments and waivers do not carry over each academic year.
Enroll in the SHIP
Each academic year, students are required to enroll in CMU's student medical insurance plan or obtain a SHIP waiver. Students must take this action during their Open Enrollment period, through the insurance portal in Student Information Online (SIO).
This process is a requirement each academic year. Enrollments and waivers do not carry over each academic year.
- Open enrollment periods correspond with a student's first active semester at CMU each academic year.
- By default, a placeholder charge for the CMU SHIP is posted on your student account. During open enrollment, this placeholder charge does not indicate a SHIP enrollment.
- Students who do not take action to enroll or waive before the end of their open enrollment period will be auto-enrolled in the SHIP medical plan.
- Optional dental and vision plans are available during a student’s open enrollment period.
SHIP Eligibility
You are eligible to enroll in the CMU SHIP if you are:
- A full- or part-time degree-seeking Carnegie Mellon student. You must attend the first 31 days of class during the semester you enroll in order to keep your SHIP enrollment for the full coverage year. Students who separate from the university prior to the first 31 days of classes will have their SHIP enrollment(s) terminated the first of the following month.
- The spouse/domestic partner or dependent of an enrolled student. Dependents can be enrolled during their student’s open enrollment period, or after open enrollment due to a Qualifying Life Event. Students in a domestic partnership can elect benefits for partners by completing domestic partner registration.
Qualifying Life Event (QLE) Enrollments
If you wish to enroll yourself or a dependent in the SHIP due to a Qualifying Life Event (for example, involuntary loss of insurance, including due to turning age 26), you have 90 days from the event to submit your enrollment and QLE documentation. This applies to the student medical, dental and vision plans; you cannot add the dental or vision plan outside of Open Enrollment without a qualifying event.
If you are enrolled in a plan, you can also add dependents who have had a qualifying event (for example, birth/adoption of a child or arrival to the U.S. for the first time during the coverage year).
If you are in need of a QLE enrollment, please contact UHS for assistance.