International students should be familiar with the health information below before traveling to the United States.

Schedule medical, dental and vision appointments before you leave your home country.

• Bring your updated record of immunizations translated into English. Students are required to show proof of immunity to measles, mumps, and rubella, and recent tuberculosis screening. Download our International Student Health Form for complete requirements.
• Bring copies of important medical records and a list of allergies and medical conditions written in English.
• Bring any prescription medications in their original labeled containers along with a copy of the prescription translated into English.
• If you wear eyeglasses, please consider bringing an extra pair and a copy of the eyeglass prescription translated into English.

Purchase Health and Accident Insurance

The United States does not have a government medical plan or health service that covers the whole population. Instead, most people have private health insurance which pays for a large portion of the cost of medical treatment. Medical care in the United States is very expensive. A visit to an urgent care facility can be almost $200 and a visit to an emergency room in a hospital can be over $500. Therefore, it is very important that you purchase health insurance that will cover you while you are in the United States. If you purchase a policy in your home country, please make sure that the policy pays for benefits in the United States.

Please select your health insurance policy carefully. Health and accident insurance does not cover all medical expenses. Carefully note what it covers and what it excludes. Most policies do not cover routine dental or vision expenses and most do not cover pre-existing medical conditions until you have been on the policy for six months. Make sure that the policy you select provides coverage for medical benefits for at least $50,000, covers repatriation of remains up at least $7,500, and medical evacuation for at least $10,000. The deductible, which is the amount you have to pay before the insurance company pays anything, should be as low as possible. Please review this website provided by the American International Education Foundation (AIEF) for more information.

The companies below, among others, provide International Student coverage:
International Student Protection
HTH Worldwide