Each academic year all students are enrolled in the UC Student Health Insurance Plan (UC SHIP) automatically. If you are currently insured with a qualifying health plan and do not wish to keep UC SHIP as secondary coverage, you may submit a waiver request. Before you submit a waiver request please be sure your insurance plan meets the Waiver Criteria established by the University of California. The distance requirement is 50 miles from the student’s residence while in Santa Barbara.
Depending on your financial need, you may be eligible to have your UC SHIP premium fully or partially covered by a UC Health Insurance Grant from the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships. Please note that your financial aid award will change if you waive out of UC SHIP.
A new waiver form MUST be submitted every academic year.
Quarter
Waiver Period (Opens)
Waiver Period (Closed)
GAP coverage ensures that registered students with APPROVED waivers have access to in-house medical care at UCSB Student Health at a full or substantial discount for most services.
If the insurance plan for an APPROVED waiver has a provider network limited to facilities outside of the Goleta/Santa Barbara area, (yet still within the 50 miles) such as Ventura, we strongly recommend students sign up for the Gaucho Access Plan (GAP).
The UC Student Health Insurance Plan (UC SHIP) fee is removed from your BARC account within 15 business days of your waiver being approved. If your UC SHIP Health Fee is not removed from your BARC account after 15 business days please contact the Insurance Office. Thank you for your patience!
Please Note: The Insurance Office performs routine semi-annual verification of insurance plans for students who were granted a waiver from the mandatory UCSB student health insurance program. Many insurance plans change every January, and those students who fail the verification process will be notified in a series of emails and/or text communications asking for proof of current insurance coverage. If a student does not provide their updated proof of insurance coverage for verification, they will be charged the quarterly premium for enrollment in the UC Student Health Insurance Plan (UC SHIP) on their next billing statement (BARC) and the student will be enrolled in UC SHIP.