Graduate Student Health Insurance Award

The Graduate College offers two types of health insurance awards. Award A applies in the fall semester and continues to apply to the spring semester health insurance costs if the student qualifies in the spring semester. Award B applies ONLY to spring semester health insurance costs. To qualify for these award funds, you must submit your GSHI or GA offer letter to the Graduate College via the submission form, and you must maintain all eligibility requirements throughout the entire semester.

Health insurance coverage purchased for spring semester continues through the summer term for no additional cost. No award is provided for the summer semester. 

For more information, skip to:

• "Award A" for Fall and Spring Semester, 2022-23 AY
• "Award B" for only Spring Semester 2023
• 2023-24 AY Application Information
   

For the 2022–23 academic year, the Graduate College has been able to secure funding in order to provide a GSHI award of $918.50/semester (maximum award of $1,837 per academic year). 

For the 2021–22 academic year, students who purchased UC student health insurance (SHI) coverage for themselves and for a spouse/dependent(s) were charged the full cost of coverage for the academic year on their fall semester bill.

For the 2022–23 academic year, students who are charged the full cost of coverage for the academic year on their fall semester bill will receive the maximum total of their award ($1,837) on their fall bill. Students who are billed on a semesterly basis will receive a maximum of $918.50/semester as applicable. 

As of Fall 2020, only full-time students are eligible for this award. Students must be enrolled in at least 10 graduate credit hours in order for the award to disburse to their bill. If a student drops or withdraws from courses during the semester and falls below 10 graduate credit hours, the award will be removed from their student bill. The reason for 10 (rather than 12 or 15 or whatever the student’s program requires as a criteria of their tuition scholarship) is that for the purposes of billing, 10 credit hours is considered full-time status for graduate students. Audited courses do not count toward this minimum. 

At the end of each award semester, the university will re-confirm students’ eligibility to make sure that all other requirements have been met (see below for description requirements). Students who fail to maintain award eligibility will have their award removed.

It is the student’s responsibility to check with the program that sponsors their graduate assistantship to make sure the pay dates for the minimum $2,560 in pay falls within the pay date ranges below. These date ranges will be used to pull information from UC payroll records to verify eligibility.

Please direct any questions to gshi@uc.edu.

If you have already received Award A (which covers fall and spring semester), DO NOT apply for Award B. If you have already been awarded Award A, you are NOT permitted to be awarded Award B for double the award in spring.

The GSHI Award B application is now open. The deadline to apply is March 31, 2023.

Timing

• Application Period: 11/10/22–03/31/23.  
• Awards Posted: starting in January, awards will be posted on a weekly basis. 
  
• First day of classes: 01/9/23
• Late January 2023, GSHI will check to make sure that the student has enrolled for SHI by the SHI enrollment deadline and if not, remove the award.
• April 2023, GSHI will check to make sure that the student met all of the requirements for the GSHI Award during the spring semester and if not, rescind the spring award.
  
  

Award Benefit

$918.50 credit to Spring Semester bill.

Award Criteria

To receive this award, you must:

1. Be a Graduate Assistant (teaching, research or administrative) or Fellow, in the UC payroll system as a graduate assistant or fellow.

2. Be receiving stipend payments of a minimum $2,560 through UC Payroll within the following pay dates:

Spring Semester: 01/01/23–04/28/23 (9 pay periods)

• GAs who are awarded a 15 week appointment, rather than a 16 week appointment, must receive a minimum of $2,400 per semester. 
• Payroll checks from UC for grad students with a payroll status of student worker, compensated hourly, do NOT count toward the $2,560 requirement.
• Payment must be made from UC Payroll (refunds from the Bursar are not considered payments).
• Co-op students paid by a company other than UC during spring semester will not have their pay from their co-op company counted toward the $2,560 semester pay requirement.
• Graduate students who receive a fellowship stipend directly from an outside/third-party sponsor are required to send a copy of the award letter and/or official documentation that clearly states the award period and financial terms of the fellowship (e.g., stipend amount, tuition scholarship amount, living allowance, etc.) to GSHI@uc.edu OR via mail:

GSHI
University of Cincinnati
PO Box 210635
Cincinnati, OH 45221-0635    OR    via UC Mail to ML 0635

Each outside/third-party sponsor must be a U.S. based foundation which requires matching funds or be a U.S. based federal or state institution which supports research or teaching missions like Fulbright, Krell, etc.

3. Maintain university student health insurance coverage during the spring semester. For more information about enrollment, contact the Student Health Insurance Office.

4. Enroll for at least 10 graduate credit hours in spring semester. Audited courses do not count toward this minimum.

If a student does not meet all eligibility requirements throughout spring semester, then he or she will forfeit the Graduate Student Health Insurance Award for spring semester. This will result in the full amount of the award being removed from the student’s UC account.

If a graduate student waives the university health insurance for spring semester, he/she will not be eligible for the GSHI Award B.

Applications for GSHI Award A accepted from June 27 to September 5, 2022. 

Timing

• Application Period: 6/27/22–9/5/22
• Posting of awards: Starting on August 12, awards will be posted on a weekly basis. 
• First Day of Classes: 8/22/22
• September 2022, GSHI will check to make sure that the student has enrolled for SHI by the SHI enrollment deadline and if not, remove the award.
• December 2022, GSHI will check to make sure that the student met all of the requirements for the GSHI Award during the fall semester and if not, rescind the fall award.
• January 2023, GSHI will check to make sure that the student has enrolled for SHI by the SHI enrollment deadline and if not, remove the award.
• April 2023, GSHI will check to make sure that the student met all of the requirements for the GSHI Award during the spring semester and if not, rescind the spring award.
   

Award Benefit

$918.50/semester credit to Fall, or Fall and Spring Semester bills (maximum award of $1,837 for the academic year).

Award Criteria

To receive this award, you must:

1. Be a Graduate Assistant (teaching, research or administrative) or Fellow, in the UC payroll system as a graduate assistant or fellow.

2. Be receiving stipend payments of a minimum $2,560 per semester through UC Payroll within the following pay dates:

Fall Semester: 08/30/22–12/31/2022 (9 pay periods)
AND (only if spring award is also desired)
Spring Semester: 01/01/23–04/28/23 (9 pay periods)

• GAs who are awarded a 15 week appointment, rather than a 16 week appointment, must receive a minimum of $2,400 per semester. 
• Payroll checks from UC for grad students with a payroll status of student worker, compensated hourly, do NOT count toward the $2,560 requirement.
• Payment must be made from UC Payroll (refunds from the Bursar are not considered payments).
• Co-op students paid by a company other than UC during either of these semesters (fall or spring) will not have their pay from their co-op company counted toward the $2,560 semester pay requirement.
• Graduate students who receive a fellowship stipend directly from an outside/third-party sponsor are required to send a copy of the award letter and/or official documentation that clearly states the award period and financial terms of the fellowship (e.g., stipend amount, tuition scholarship amount, living allowance, etc.) to GSHI@uc.edu OR via mail:   

GSHI
University of Cincinnati
PO Box 210635
Cincinnati, OH 45221-0635    OR    via UC Mail to ML 0635

Each outside/third-party sponsor must be a U.S. based foundation which requires matching funds or be a U.S. based federal or state institution which supports research or teaching missions like Fulbright, Krell, etc. 

3. Maintain university student health insurance coverage throughout the qualifying award term. For more information about enrollment, contact the Student Health Insurance Office. 

4. Enroll for at least 10 graduate credit hours in each qualifying award semester. Audited courses do not count toward this minimum.
 

If a student does not meet all eligibility requirements throughout the qualifying award term, then he or she will forfeit the Graduate Student Health Insurance Award for that semester. This will result in the full amount of the award being removed from the student’s UC account.

If a graduate student waives the university health insurance, he/she will not be eligible for any GSHI Award.
 

Submit your GSHI offer letter for the 2023-24 academic year here. 

Timing

• Posting of awards: Starting on August 11, awards will be posted on a weekly basis. 
  
• First Day of Classes: 8/21/23
• September 2023, GSHI will check to make sure that the student has enrolled for SHI by the SHI enrollment deadline and if not, remove the award.
• December 2023, GSHI will check to make sure that the student met all of the requirements for the GSHI Award during the fall semester and if not, rescind the fall award.
• January 2024, GSHI will check to make sure that the student has enrolled for SHI by the SHI enrollment deadline and if not, remove the award.
• April 2024, GSHI will check to make sure that the student met all of the requirements for the GSHI Award during the spring semester and if not, rescind the spring award.
   

Award Benefit

Starting in Fall 2023, the GSHI award covers 100% of the single-student UC Student Health Insurance charge. The award will provide $1224.50/semester credit to eligible semester bill(s). Maximum award of $2,449 for the 23-24 academic year.

Award Criteria

To receive this award, you must:

1. Be a Graduate Assistant (teaching, research or administrative) or Fellow, in the UC payroll system as a graduate assistant or fellow, or paid via a Catalyst "departmental item type" designated as a fellowship stipend. Hourly student worker positions (where clocking in and out is requried) do NOT count. 

2. Be receiving stipend payments of a minimum $2,636 per semester through UC Payroll within the following pay dates:

Fall Semester: 08/29/23–12/31/2023 (9 pay periods)
and/or
Spring Semester: 01/01/24–04/27/24 (9 pay periods)

• GAs who are awarded a 15 week appointment, rather than a 16 week appointment, must receive a minimum of $2,472 per semester. 
• Payroll checks from UC for grad students with a payroll status of student worker, compensated hourly, do NOT count toward the $2,636 requirement.
• Co-op students paid by a company other than UC during either of these semesters (fall or spring) will not have their pay from their co-op company counted toward the $2,636 semester pay requirement.

3. Maintain university student health insurance coverage throughout the qualifying award term. For more information about enrollment, contact the Student Health Insurance Office. 

4. Enroll for at least 10 graduate credit hours in each qualifying award semester. Audited courses do not count toward this minimum.
 

If a student does not meet all eligibility requirements throughout the qualifying award term, then he or she will forfeit the Graduate Student Health Insurance Award for that semester. This will result in the full amount of the award being removed from the student’s UC account.

If a graduate student waives the university health insurance, he/she will not be eligible for any GSHI Award.
 

Please direct any questions to gshi@uc.edu.