Insurance

Graduate Assistants

Graduate Assistants (GA) Health Insurance 

One of the benefits of being a Graduate Assistant/Associate (GA) at USF is that you may participate in the USF Student Health Insurance Plan and, as a GA, may be eligible for a USF employer contribution toward their health insurance. The Student Health Insurance Plan is administered by Academic HealthPlans (AHP) and underwritten by United Healthcare (the health insurance plan provider).

Student Health Insurance Plans

USF offers two student health insurance plans administered by Academic HealthPlans (AHP) and insured by UnitedHealthcare (UHC). Both plans are PPO plans using the UnitedHealthcare Choice Plus Network, one of the nation's largest provider networks.

Eligibility

For additional information, students can review USF Regulation 6.0162 and resources available through the Affordable Care Act Marketplace.  For information about required benefits, see HHS Federal Affordable Care Act.

To be eligible for a USF employer contribution toward your health insurance, you must be a full-time GA in good standing (including meeting the credit hour and GPA requirements of the Graduate School and your academic program) with at least a .25 FTE (10 hours per week) appointment in one or more of the following Job Codes:

  • Graduate Research Associate - Job Code 9181
  • Graduate Research Assistant - Job Code 9182
  • Graduate Teaching Associate - Job Code 9183
  • Graduate Teaching Assistant - Job Code 9184
  • Graduate Assistant (non-exempt) - Job Code 9185
  • Graduate Assistant (exempt) - Job Code 9550

USF health insurance support for eligible Graduate Assistants (GA), Research Assistants (RA), and Teaching Assistants (TA) for the 2026–2027 academic year:

Domestic Graduate Assistants (GA/RA/TA)

  • Fall Enrollment period: July 15, 2026 - September 19, 2026.
  • Annual premium: $4,267
  • USF contribution: $3,483
  • Student responsibility: $784 annually. Fall 2026 responsibility $294. Spring 2027 responsibility $490
  • Please see the GA Subsidy Payroll Processing Schedule for a break-down of the deduction schedule. 

International Graduate Assistants (GA/RA/TA)

Eligible international graduate assistants who maintain eligibility throughout the semester will receive a 100% health insurance subsidy, covering the full insurance premium. No payroll deductions will be taken for the premium.

  • Fall Enrollment period: July 15, 2026 – August 28, 2026
  • Coverage is mandatory for international students
    Insurance costs are included as part of tuition and fees

  • The Compliance Office will confirm your enrollment directly with Academic HealthPlans and update your Student Self Service account within 5 business days.

The University’s contribution is paid directly to the administrator, Academic HealthPlans (AHP). GAs must enroll in the plan during the Open Enrollment periods to be eligible and insurable for the semester(s) of employment and must maintain eligibility throughout the semester(s).

ENROLLMENT Processes

Once Central Human Resources can confirm your job offer in Oracle, you may enroll. 

Newly appointed GAs: once you have an offer letter, you must complete the hiring process to be an active employee and allow 5-10 days for an invite email from Academic Health Plans’ enrollment portal, Care26 sender: noreply@ahpcare.com to enroll. Please note, you are unable to respond to the activation email. 

Reappointed GAs: if you are currently enrolled in the 25-26 policy, please do not wait for an activation email, you will need to log back into your mycare26 account to enroll for the 26-27 GA/RA/TA health Insurance policy and/or reset your password, if forgotten. 

If you are experiencing issues with online enrollment, please contact Academic HealthPlans directly at (888) 896-5797 or visit  https://help.ahpcare.com/hc/

 

For general information about enrolling in the plan or eligibility, visit the USF Student Health and Wellness Center website or contact them through their Jotform. 

For questions concerning the content of the plan, please see the GA Insurance Plan Benefits page or contact the Academic HealthPlans (AHP) customer support team.

For questions regarding the GA subsidy, email the Central Human Resources – Benefits Office at benefits@usf.edu.

Helpful Resources