University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP)

International undergraduate students will be automatically charged for coverage under the University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP) for the first time once they have enrolled in more than two .5-credit on-campus courses. Continuous coverage must be maintained throughout your academic career at the University unless/until you can provide proof of having obtained OHIP coverage. So, you will continue to be charged for UHIP during every academic term you are taking at least one .5-credit on-campus course after that. The charge for UHIP coverage will be posted to your student account each term.

International Undergraduate Students

Regular Undergraduate students are charged a higher amount in the Winter term to ensure continuous health coverage to the end of August. Co-op Undergraduate students are charged the higher amount during every academic term to ensure continuous coverage during work terms.

International Graduate Students

Graduate students are charged the UHIP fee during every term, including Inactive terms, to ensure continuous coverage for the duration of your program.

Canadian or Permanent Resident Students Not Otherwise Covered

UHIP coverage is also compulsory for Canadian or Permanent Resident students who are not covered by a Canadian provincial health plan (eg. OHIP)  Please visit the Student Financial Services office to enrol in UHIP.

If you have applied for Permanent Resident status in Canada and have received your "Approval in Principle" letter from Citizenship and Immigration Canada, you may be eligible for OHIP coverage. Please see the OHIP website to determine your eligibility.

UHIP coverage is compulsory for dependants. Your dependants must be enrolled in the plan within thirty days after they become eligible for coverage (i.e. the date of their arrival in Canada, the date of your marriage in Canada or the date of expiry of comparable coverage under another pre-approved plan), to avoid having a $500.00 penalty fee and premiums retroactive to the date they became eligible charged to your student account. Eligible dependants include

• a spouse
• a common-law partner
• children

How do I enrol my dependants?

You will need to visit the Finance - Student Financial Services office with original passports for each dependant, to enrol them. The additional charge for enrolling dependants will be posted to your student account:

Changes affecting UHIP coverage require a new form to be submitted to Finance – Student Financial Services outlining the change.

If you receive a letter from OHIP indicating you qualify for OHIP coverage, you need to bring a copy of the letter to Finance - Student Financial Services before the OHIP coverage becomes effective so adjustments can be made to your UHIP coverage.

If we receive your letter confirming OHIP coverage after it's effective, you will only be entitled to request a refund of UHIP premiums as of the first of the month following the date Sun Life receives the Request for Refund Form.

UHIP provides a web and mobile version of the UHIP card.

Once you have become “Fees Arranged”, you will be included on the next UHIP enrolment list and notified by e-mail when you can access the new Sun Life member website to print your UHIP card. This new process will allow you to obtain your UHIP coverage card at your convenience and will be available to you as long as you remain an eligible member under UHIP.

If you're accessing the Sun Life website for the first time, please review the Sun Life Member Website UHIP registration

Note:  The password on file is your University of Waterloo Quest e-mail address. The certificate/member ID is UW0 (zero) followed by your eight-digit student ID number.

Sun Life's Customer Care Centre can be reached at 1-866-500-8447 any business day from 8 a.m to 8 p.m. E.T.

For more information about UHIP, please visit the UHIP website. You may also find these answers to Frequently asked UHIP questions helpful.