Participants in Faculty-led Global Seminars, Partner Programs (Exchanges only), and Global Internships are covered by the following two types of health/accident insurance:
- International medical insurance provided by CISI.
- UC accident/illness benefit plan, known as UC Traveler Insurance (Chubb-AXA) is provided to all students and staff participating in UC programs.
Participants in UCSC Partner Programs (Providers API, ISA, TEAN only) are covered by the following two types of health/accident insurance:
- International medical insurance provided by the program provider.
- UC accident/illness benefit plan, known as UC Traveler Insurance (Chubb-AXA) is provided to all students and staff participating in UC programs.
Participants in UCEAP are covered by CHUBB-AXA. Detailed insurance information for UCEAP participants can be found on the UCEAP website.
Participants in UCDC will continue to have access to UC SHIP or, if UCSHIP was waived, private health insurance.
Participants in Independent Programs are responsible for securing international medical insurance independently. If covered by private medical insurance, review coverage for foreign travel and consider purchasing additional international health insurance, if needed. Insurance may be included through the program provider.
Note: certain high-risk activities such as moped/motorcycle driving, horseback riding, skin/scuba diving, skiing, mountain climbing, bungee jumping, skydiving, and hang gliding—are NOT covered by CISI. Please review and consider the exclusions of insurance you may obtain privately.
All Students
If you intend to travel independently outside of program dates, you may want to consider options for Extended Travel Insurance. If you are returning to the U.S. without domestic medical insurance in place, you may also want to consider Gap Insurance. Additionally, while Chubb includes a Trip Cancellation and Interruption Benefit, you should explore more extensive trip cancellation insurance should the provided benefit not meet your needs.
CISI Health Insurance
Students participating in Faculty-led Global Seminars, Global Internships, and Partner Programs (Exchanges only) are enrolled in CISI, Cultural Insurance Services International. It may help you manage existing and unanticipated health conditions while abroad, and includes coverage for office visits, hospital care, surgery, and prescription drugs. CISI does not cover preventative health care, so students should plan to receive routine care and check-ups before departing the U.S.
Insurance Cards
Students will be provided with the appropriate insurance card(s) prior to departure and should plan to carry it at all times while abroad.
Note: Enrollment in international health insurance coverage does not meet the UC’s health insurance requirement for enrolled students and therefore cannot be used to waive your UC SHIP coverage while you are abroad. International insurance will only cover you while abroad. For more information about UCSHIP and domestic insurance coverage, visit the UCSC SHC website.
If you are in an emergency situation, always seek the nearest available help.
You are not required to contact your insurance before receiving treatment, but it can be helpful if possible. If you plan to seek services from a facility outside of the networks associated with your insurance, communicate with your insurance prior to your appointment and they might pay for the services upfront. Otherwise, you might have to pay out of pocket for services and request reimbursement later by submitting a claim to your insurance company.
UC Traveler Insurance
UC Traveler insurance coverage is an accident/illness travel insurance plan provided to UC students and staff participating in UC programs. The plan includes travel help provided by AXA for emergency medical transportation, medical referrals, case monitoring, and facilitation of direct payment to medical providers.
Students participating in Faculty-led Global Seminars, Global Internships, and Partner Programs are automatically eligible for the UC Traveler Insurance. The policy number and contact numbers for services will be provided on an emergency contact card that you will get before departure.
Students who are not citizens or permanent residents of the United States who are traveling to their home country should be aware that UC Traveler Insurance may limit coverage in their home country.
All students should thoroughly review the UC Traveler Insurance benefits.
Independent Program participants
Get information about travel registration on the Registering UC Travel website. For the UC Traveler Insurance Benefits Summary, FAQs, and claim forms, go to the Travel Risk & Insurance page and scroll down the page to the heading for “Student resources & claims.”
UCEAP participants
UCEAP will directly enroll you in a travel insurance policy that is different from the UC Traveler Insurance Coverage for other off-campus programs. The policy number, contact information, benefits and exclusions, and claims process can be found in the pre-departure section of your UCEAP Portal account and on this resource page.
Extended Overseas Travel Coverage
If you intend to travel independently outside of program dates, you should consider purchasing extended overseas travel coverage.
UC Traveler insurance includes coverage before and after program dates for 14 days (in total) of personal deviation. You can enroll in up to 3 months of additional coverage using the UC Travel Insurance Extension here. Details on coverage for the UC Travel Insurance Extension are here.
Some Global Learning programs enroll students in CISI, an international health insurance provider. To extend your insurance with CISI or start a new insurance policy with CISI to cover you outside of your program dates, visit the CISI website to learn more and enroll.
Gap Coverage for Domestic Insurance
Short-term health insurance or “gap” coverage is for situations when UC SHIP or private domestic insurance is not active for a period when you are in the U.S. prior to or after your study abroad program. UC Santa Cruz does not have recommendations for any specific providers for gap coverage, but numerous private companies offer insurance. If you will have a gap in coverage, you should explore options for enrollment.
Trip Cancellation Coverage
UC Traveler insurance provides a limited trip cancellation benefit of up to $2000 in total (not per incident or item). It can apply if the cancellation is due to great injury or death, not in the case of financial distress. It is recommended that you purchase refundable airfare and/or additional trip cancellation insurance in the event you are no longer able to participate on your program or if the program were to be canceled. UCSC Global Learning is not responsible for any fees you incur related to unrecoverable costs due to program cancellation or changes.