Waiving SHIP

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Email: ship@berkeley.edu

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Location

Student Health Insurance Office
Tang Center, UC Berkeley
2222 Bancroft Way, Rm. 3200
Berkeley CA 94720-4300

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View our hours of operations webpage.

Students are strongly encouraged to first contact us by phone or email.

Topics

SHIP Insurance topic page

Waiving SHIP

All registered undergraduate and graduate UC Berkeley students, including international students, are automatically enrolled in the Berkeley Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) to meet the University of California’s health insurance mandate set by the UC Regents. If you have comparable health insurance that meets the SHIP waiver criteria and do not wish to have dual coverage, you can submit an online waiver application to waive enrollment in SHIP. The waiver must be filled out annually during the waiver period (July deadline for the entire upcoming academic year or January deadline for the spring semester).

SHIP Waiver for Spring 2026

The Spring 2026 Waiver Period is Open

Waiver Period

  • The Spring 2026 waiver period is from December 1, 2025, to January 1, 2026. Waivers must be received by January 1, 2026, to avoid a late fee of $75.

  • All waivers received between January 2, 2026, and January 15, 2026, are subject to a late fee of $75.

  • No waiver applications are accepted after the final January 15, 2026, deadline.

Who is eligible to waive?

  • Newly admitted and readmitted students for Spring 2026

  • Continuing students who did not waive or have a denied waiver for Fall 2025

  • Continuing students with a denied Fall 2025 waiver due to a failed audit

Note: Students, who waived successfully for the Fall 2025 semester, are automatically waived for the Spring 2026 semester and do NOT need to apply for a spring waiver.

Waiver Period for Master of Financial Engineering Graduate Students (incoming March class only)

The Spring 2026 waiver period is from December 1, 2025, to March 20, 2026. No waiver applications are accepted after the final March 20, 2026, deadline.

Waiver Application

Click here for instructions to the online waiver application. 

Summer 2026 - Special Programs

Click here for more information

Summer Special Programs include:

1. Master of Law (LL.M Executive Track)
2. Incoming and returning students in the following programs: 

  • Master of Information and Data Science 
  • Master of Information and Cybersecurity 
  • Master of Molecular Science and Software Engineering 
  • Online/On-Campus Master of Public Health (OOMPH)
  • Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT - BTEP & PLI)

Waiver Criteria & Forms

Fall 2025

Waiver Period is Closed

  • The Fall 2025 waiver period was from May 1, 2025, to July 15, 2025. Waivers must be received by July 15, 2025, to avoid a late fee of $75.
  • All waivers received between July 16, 2025, and August 15, 2025, were subject to a late fee of $75.
  • No waiver applications are accepted after the final August 15, 2025, deadline.
  • Note: A new waiver application must be submitted before the start of each Fall semester during the waiver period; approved spring semester waivers do not roll over.

Resources

Waiver Appeal

If your online waiver application was denied and you believe your insurance does meet the waiver criteria, you may submit an appeal. An appeal must be submitted within 10 business days from the denial date to be considered. You must have already completed the online waiver and received a denial to use this form.

To securely submit a SHIP waiver appeal, log onto the eTang portal with your Calnet ID and passphrase. 

  1. From the welcome page, click "MESSAGES" on the left side menu. Select "New Message".
    • Note: You may need to complete the Notice of Privacy Practice and Statement of Financial Responsibility before proceeding to "New Message". Please go to the home page and click on "Medical Clearances" on the left to complete these forms and then follow the rest of the instructions below.
  2. Under "Student Health Insurance Office (SHIO)", select "Request Student Insurance Plan (SHIP) Waiver Forms" and select "SHIP Appeal Form".
  3. Fill out the form completely and click the "Send" button.
    • Note: Appeals are processed within 30 days. If you do not receive a response within 30 days, please contact the SHIP office. You may be contacted via secure message in the eTang portal if additional documentation is needed to process your appeal. 

Waiver Reversal

If you waived SHIP enrollment for this semester and wish to reverse your waiver, please follow the instructions below. 

Log in to the eTang portal with your Calnet ID and passphrase.

  1. From the welcome page, click "MESSAGES" on the left side menu. Select "New Message".
    • Note: You may need to complete the Notice of Privacy Practice and Statement of Financial Responsibility before proceeding to "New Message". Please go to the home page and click on "Medical Clearances" on the left to complete these forms and then follow the rest of the instructions.
  2. Under "Student Health Insurance Office (SHIO)", select "Request Student Insurance Plan (SHIP) Waiver Forms" and select "SHIP Waiver REVERSAL Form".
  3. Fill out the form completely and click the "Send" button.

Note:  

  • To enroll in SHIP after the enrollment/waiver period, you must show proof your coverage has been terminated. Please upload documentation from your insurance company that shows the termination date.
  • If your waiver reversal request is approved, the full SHIP premium will be assessed to your CalCentral account; the premium will not be prorated.