For Parents
Welcome to the University of Florida and the Student Health Care Center (SHCC). Our mission is to help your student remain healthy while at the University of Florida. We know it can be difficult sending your student off to school so remember, we are here to help!
NEW! Parent Email
The SHCC realizes that as a parent, you play an integral role in your student's health care. We have developed an email newsletter to send to parents informing you of what's happening on campus as it relates to health care.
You can subscribe to this email by sending an email to listserv@lists.ufl.edu. The body of the message should be:
subscribe studenthealth-l firstname lastname
Preview presentations
Below are the presentations that you may have seen while attending Preview Orientation sessions:
- Parent Preview Presentation
- Transfer Student Preview Presentation
- Student Preview Presentation
- FAQs about the SHCC
Feel free to review our website, we have extensive information on many services offered and recommend many health-related sites to help your search.
A word on chronic illnesses
We realize that many students may have to deal with a chronic illness while away from home and enduring the college life in a new town. If your student has a chronic illness that needs to be managed regularly, the Student Health Care Center can provide most services to treat them.
Talk to your student about scheduling an initial appointment with the student's team provider to discuss treatment. If we cannot treat your student at the SHCC, there are many resources on campus that can help. The SHCC provider will refer your student to a qualified community provider.
In order to find out which Team your student is assigned, they can call the SHCC at (352) 392-1161.
How to pay for services
The University of Florida collects a health fee in the student's tuition costs. This fee funds part of the services for your student. However, there are charges for certain procedures, lab work, x-rays, and pharmacy supplies. So be sure to remind your student to ask the provider about any charges their visit may incur.
If there are charges associated with the visit, the student has the option to pay that day at the SHCC cashier with cash, check or most major credit cards. If they are not paid on the day of service, the SHCC will transfer these charges to the student's bursar account and can be paid online or in person.
The university also offers health insurance that students may purchase. There are two plans designed to cover the majority of services offered at the SHCC and may be more cost effective than keeping them on your current plan. Review the information on our eligibility & insurance page.
Has the changing economy impacted your health insurance coverage?
If your employment situation is changing and you’re involuntarily losing health insurance coverage, you may be eligible to purchase UF’s student health insurance plan due to your circumstances. Your next steps might be confusing, so here are some things to consider:
- Don’t delay your decision. A break in coverage of more than 63 days may prevent coverage for pre-existing conditions.
- You must enroll in the University of Florida Student Health Insurance Plan within 31 days of losing your other coverage.
- The annual student health insurance premium may cost less than COBRA premiums. However, since coverage differs among health plans, both premium costs and benefit designs (including issues such as plan maximums, exclusions and limitations) are important factors to consider when you compare plans.
- UF Student Health Care Center (SHCC) is a source for health care services and has convenient locations on campus to serve you.
For more information on eligibility or benefits, visit www.aetnastudenthealth.com or call 877-850-6039. Click on “Students”, then “Find your School”, and enter University of Florida.
Although health insurance is recommended, you do not need it to use services at the SHCC. This plan does not replace GatorGradCare, which covers graduate students on appointment.
Additional information
Below are a few links that will tell you more about the SHCC:
