Enrollment and Waiver Criteria
Wake Forest requires health insurance for all full-time enrolled students. Students must elect to either enroll in the insurance program or request to waive enrollment if they carry comparable personal health insurance meeting the criteria set by WFU (detailed below).
The enrollment or waiver election period starts July 1- September 15, 2024, by visiting studentbluenc.com/wfu.
- On or after July 1, visit the Student Blue website
- Select either Request Waiver or Enroll for Coverage.
- Follow the steps to create a new account.
- Once the account is created, follow the prompts to complete the enrollment or application for waiver. If you are waiving coverage, be sure to have your insurance ID available to complete the form.
- If the election is for enrollment, the health insurance premium will remain on the student account, and cards will begin mailing mid-July for the August 1 plan year start.
- If the election is for a waiver, a credit will be issued within seven (7) business days to the student account. The waiver will remain in place for the entire academic year. If the insurance used to waive changes during the academic year, please submit your updated insurance information to sip@wfu.edu.
- On or after July 1, visit the Student Blue website
- Log in with your WFU email address.
- Follow the prompts to complete the enrollment or application for waiver. If you are waiving coverage, be sure to have your insurance ID available to complete the form.
- If the election is for enrollment, the health insurance premium will remain on the student account, and cards will begin mailing mid-July for the August 1 plan year start.
- If the election is for waiver, a credit will be issued within seven (7) days to the student account. The waiver will remain in place for the entire academic year. If the insurance used to waive changes during the academic year, please submit your updated insurance information to sip@wfu.edu.
To Enroll for Coverage
- If you are a returning student who participated in the program last year, you will need to re-enroll this year during the open period.
- Once enrollment is submitted online, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina will send an email confirming the receipt of your information and enrollment election.
- 2024-2025 Premiums: $2,758 or $1,379 per semester
- Final rates may be revised after review by the North Carolina Department of Insurance.
A portion of the cost of the Student Insurance Program is retained by Wake Forest University to pay for student health services supplied by WFU and administrative costs. The State of North Carolina no longer allows “age-banding” of premiums within individual products (i.e., Student Blue, BCBSNC plan), therefore there is one charge to all subscribers. All charges for the Student Insurance Program, including reserve funds, are retained by Wake Forest University solely for the purposes of funding plan expenses and/or for the equitable and non-discriminatory benefit of plan participants.
REFUND POLICY: There are no premium refunds except for students entering full-time active duty in any Armed Forces.
To Waive Coverage
- You will need your current insurance ID card handy along with your Student ID to complete the waiver.
- Once you complete the waiver application online, BCBSNC will send an email confirming the receipt of your waiver application. Please note that this email is only confirmation of the receipt of your insurance information, and the waiver request may be subject to further review to ensure compliance with the University criteria (noted below).
- If at any time the waiver information is found to be invalid, the waiver can be denied.
- In order to receive a credit for the health insurance premium on the student account, a waiver must be submitted, and a credit to the student account can be expected within seven (7) business days of submission.
- Have a lifetime maximum benefit of at least $1,000,000. Plans with per incident, per illness or maximums that are less than the lifetime maximum are not acceptable
- Provide access to health care providers in the Winston-Salem, NC area (Reynolda campus students) or Charlotte, NC area (Charlotte campus students) for emergency and non-emergency conditions, including mental health care. If you have an HMO and Winston-Salem, NC (Reynolda campus students) or Charlotte, NC (Charlotte campus students) is out-of-network, your coverage doesn’t meet our criteria. If your HMO offers guest privileges, you must contact your insurer to receive guest privileges and do so prior to waiving coverage
- Provide prescription drug benefits
- Remain in effect while enrolled at WFU
Wake Forest University requires all students to be enrolled in a health plan that is filed and approved in the U.S. and compliant with the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Plans marketed solely to international students are often not filed and approved in the U.S, or compliant with the ACA, and do not meet the Wake Forest University insurance requirements. GBG Insurance, HDL Global Specialty, ISO, PGH (United), PSI, Student Medicover, and Tata AIG are examples of companies that do not meet the waiver requirements. Travel and Sickness Plans will not be accepted. Plans that meet the requirements are generally plans offered through US employment or purchased through the local state marketplace.
International students with F or J visas will not have the option to waive from the Student Blue plan online and are eligible for waiver only if they are covered by a plan reviewed and approved by the University based on the criteria above. International students will need to email their insurance policy to sip@wfu.edu to have it reviewed, and the Student Insurance office will advise if the plan is acceptable for a waiver, or if enrollment into Student Blue is required.