Bursar Billing

Billing students through the Bursar’s Office rather than requiring payments directly to the carrier increases financial accessibility of the plan by allowing students to utilize the various payment plans offered by the University, with the cost of insurance split over two semesters. It also creates a more unified billing experience for students and is the most common model for the cost of insurance payments in higher education.

Yes. Open enrollment will now be from July 1 - August 31.

GAs, GTAs, and GRAs with at least a 10 hour assistantship (a .5 assistantship) are eligible for an 88% subsidy of their student medical insurance cost (dependents and dental are not subsidized by the university). The criteria for this benefit have not changed. 

Once enrolled, the student share of the insurance premiums will be charged to the student account (the university’s portion of premiums will be shown on the student’s pay stub if needed for tax purposes). The student can then choose to pay the insurance charge, along with university fees, through the Graduate Comprehensive Fee Payment Plan. While this is a change from the current payroll withholding process, since the Graduate Payment Plan debit dates line up with payroll dates, the net impact to graduate students is minimal.

The insurance charge will be added at the time of enrollment in the Plan. If at the time of enrollment the assistantship appointment has not been processed, the full cost of the insurance will be posted to the student’s account. This will be adjusted down by the amount of the university’s subsidy when the assistantship appears in the Virginia Tech system, as audited by the Student Medical Insurance office.

All international students in F-1 or J-1 visa status are required by the State Department and University policy to maintain health insurance to be enrolled at Virginia Tech. Beginning in the 24-25 academic year, international students will no longer have to pay up front for insurance if choosing to enroll in the Virginia Tech plan. The cost of the insurance will be added to their student bill, one charge in the fall, and one in the spring. If eligible, the student can opt into one of the payment plans offered by the Bursar’s Office, which allows for paying the overall student bill in installments.

For international students who choose to demonstrate proof of alternative comparable coverage, the waiver process with the Student Medical Insurance office will remain unchanged. However, international students who have not met the insurance requirement, either by purchasing the Virginia Tech plan or by demonstrating proof of comparable coverage by the end of open enrollment will be automatically enrolled in the Virginia Tech plan at the end of open enrollment (8/31), and the cost of the Virginia Tech plan added to their student account. Full payment for dental insurance and cost for dependent coverage will be due at the time of enrollment directly to Aetna.

The Student Medical Insurance Office will no longer place academic holds for non-compliance with the insurance requirement. The Bursar’s Office will follow their standard collections procedures for non-payment of student charges, including the insurance cost, which can include holds. 

All VMCVM students are required to maintain health insurance to be enrolled at Virginia Tech. Beginning in the 24-25 academic year, VMCVM students will no longer have to pay for cost of the insurance plan at the time of enrollment if choosing to enroll in the plan. The cost of insurance will be added to their student bill, one charge in the fall, and one in the spring. If eligible, the student can opt into one of the payment plans offered by the Bursar’s Office, which allows for paying the overall student bill in installments.

For VMCVM students who choose to demonstrate proof of comparable coverage, the waiver process with the Student Medical Insurance office will remain unchanged. However, if a VMCVM student has not met the insurance requirement, either by purchasing the Virginia Tech plan or by demonstrating proof of comparable coverage by the end of open enrollment, they will be automatically enrolled in the Virginia Tech plan, and the cost of Virginia Tech plan added to their student account. Payment for dental insurance and cost for dependent coverage will be due at the time of enrollment directly to Aetna.

The Student Medical Insurance Office will no longer place academic holds for non-compliance with the insurance requirement, but the Bursar’s Office will follow their standard collections procedures for non-payment of student charges, including the insurance cost, which can include holds.

All VTCSOM students are required to maintain health insurance to be enrolled at Virginia Tech. Beginning in the 24-25 academic year, VTCSOM students will no longer have to pay for the cost of the insurance plan at the time of enrollment if choosing to enroll in the plan. The cost of insurance will be added to their student bill, one charge in the fall, and one in the spring. If eligible, the student can opt into one of the payment plans offered by the Bursar’s Office, which allows for paying the overall student bill in installments.

For VTCSOM students who choose to demonstrate proof of comparable coverage, the waiver process with the Student Medical Insurance office will remain unchanged. However, if a VTCSOM student has not met the insurance requirement, either by purchasing the Virginia Tech plan or by demonstrating proof of comparable coverage by the end of open enrollment, they will be automatically enrolled in the Virginia Tech plan, and the cost of the Virginia Tech plan added to their student account. Payment for dental insurance and cost for dependent coverage will be due at the time of enrollment directly to Aetna.

The Student Medical Insurance Office will no longer place academic holds for non-compliance with the insurance requirement, but the Bursar’s Office will follow their standard collections procedures for non-payment of student fees, including the insurance costs, which can include holds.

Most domestic undergraduate students do not have a university requirement to maintain health insurance. Nonetheless, we know that some students are interested in purchasing the Virginia Tech plan to manage their financial risks. With the change to Bursar billing, domestic students who do not have an assistantship will not be required to pay for the Virginia Tech plan up-front at the time of enrollment, and the cost of the plan will be added to their student bill. Payment for dental insurance and cost for dependent coverage will be due at the time of enrollment directly to Aetna. 

Students can choose to pay their student bill at a pace that works for them by enrolling in a payment plan offered by the Bursar’s Office. The insurance cost will be split over both semesters for students who enroll in the fall to maximize the ability to pay over time.

Visiting Scholars will still be required to pay for the Virginia Tech plan, both for themselves and for any dependents, to the carrier at the time of enrollment. Coverage dates for Visiting Scholars tend to vary significantly—contact the Student Medical Insurance Office for more information.

The cost (premium) of the current plan year can be found on the Student Medical insurance website; the cost of the 24-25 plan will be announced in June.

The cost of the plan is calculated based on a daily rate. For those enrolling in the plan in the fall, regardless of the specific date of enrollment, the charge will be approximately 50% of the total cost in the fall, and 50% in the spring (the daily rate for 8/1-1/31 and 2/1-7/31, respectively). For those who enroll in the Student Medical Insurance Plan in the spring, the spring charge will be approximately 58.33% of the annual premium (cost of insurance). This is because spring-only term is 7 months, from 1/1 through 7/31.

Graduate students with an assistantship will be charged 12% of the total annual cost allocated over fall and spring in the same way, if applicable. The insurance charge will be added to the student’s account at the time of enrollment. If at the time of enrollment the assistantship appointment has not been processed, the full cost of the insurance will be posted to the student’s account. This will be adjusted down by the amount of the university’s contribution to the cost of insurance when the assistantship appears in the Virginia Tech system, as audited by the Student Medical Insurance office.

Students who have a QLE (qualifying life event) and enroll in the Student Medical Insurance Plan outside of open enrollment will be charged a prorated amount of that semester’s cost based on the daily rate of the Plan. Students with an assistantship who enroll in the Plan outside of open enrollment with a QLE will have the assistantship credit calculated as 88% of the cost of the annual plan.

All students enrolled in the plan can enroll qualified dependents. All insurance costs for enrolled dependents are due at the time of enrollment directly to the carrier. For graduate students with an assistantship, these dependent charges cannot be added to the student bill.

Information on the many ways students can pay their student bill can be found on the Hokie Wallet site. Additional questions can be directed to the Bursar’s Office at bursar@vt.edu. 

Federal financial aid regulations require the student give the university permission to apply any excess Title IV federal funds (for example, Direct Loans or Pell Grants) to any non-institutional charges (like the Student Medical Insurance charge) on the student account that are within the same aid year as the federal financial aid. The student can authorize payment of miscellaneous charges to allow this.

The change to charging the student portion of the cost of the Virginia Tech plan will not change how the university collects funds from departments for the subsidized premium for graduate students. These funds will continue to be collected through a payroll process, and the university contribution reported on pay stubs and on the W-2.

The changes to the insurance requirements for F-1 and J-1 students have been streamlined and updated to account for changing industry standards and inflation. The new requirements are clearer and easier to understand, and provide financial security to international students while still ensuring students have a choice in how they manage the risks associated with paying for healthcare in the United States.

The VMCVM insurance requirements have been reworded and streamlined to align with VTCSOM requirements, creating one standard for both populations based on industry recommendations and best practices for these higher-risk fields. If a VMCVM student is also in F-1 or J-1 status, the international student insurance requirements apply.

The VTCSOM insurance requirements have been reworded and streamlined to align with VMCVM requirements, creating one standard for both populations based on industry recommendations and best practices for these higher-risk fields. If a VTCSOM student is also in F-1 or J-1 status, the international student insurance requirements apply.