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Medical insurance
Undergraduate students are automatically enrolled in the SFSS Health and Dental Plan, and the fee for this plan is included in your tuition. Please note that this enrolment does not apply to Distance Education students, new students starting their studies in the Summer term, and certain other categories of students. The plan runs from September to August of the following year and is prorated for those who begin their studies at SFU in the Spring term.
If you're uncertain about your Health and Dental Plan enrolment status, please check your fee statement on goSFU or contact Studentcare for assistance. If you are not automatically enrolled in the Plan, you may have the opportunity to enrol yourself during the term's Change-of-Coverage Period. To opt in, visit studentcare.ca and find the Self-Enrolment section.
See opt-out details
Opt-out and Change-of-Coverage deadlines for the Health and Dental Plan are published at studentcare.ca.
You may opt out by providing proof of equivalent extended coverage through studentcare.ca. If you do not opt out, you will be responsible for the plan fee as charged.
Once you receive an approval email from StudentCare confirming successful opt-out, you may exclude the Health and Dental charges from your tuition payment.
Opt-outs must be submitted each year, even if you have opted out previously. If you already provided proof of coverage in a prior year, you can log in to studentcare.ca during the Change-of-Coverage period and indicate that you wish to opt out again.
Students enrolled in the Professional Development Program (PDP), depending on the course(s), may opt in or opt out during the term's Change-of-Coverage Period. To opt in, visit studentcare.ca and navigate to Self-Enrolment. To opt out, go to Opt-Outs.
Graduate students are automatically enrolled in the GSS Health and Dental Plan, and the fee for this plan is included in your tuition fees. Please note that this enrolment does not apply to Distance Education students, new students starting their studies in the Summer term, and certain other categories of students. The plan runs from September to August of the following year and is prorated for those who begin their studies at SFU in the Spring term.
See opt-out details
Opt-out deadlines and change of coverage deadlines for the Health and Dental Plan are published at studentcare.ca. You can opt out if you provide proof to Studentcare of equivalent extended coverage. If you do not opt out before the deadline, you will owe the plan fee as charged.
Opting out must be done every year even if you have opted out before. If you provided proof of coverage to Studentcare in a previous year, you can log in to studentcare.ca within the Change of Coverage period and indicate that you still want to opt out.
Please refer to the studentcare.ca website for more details.
New international students
New international students enrolled in an undergraduate, graduate, or exchange program at SFU are automatically enrolled in a mandatory four-month primary medical insurance plan through guard.me@SFU for their first term. The cost of this plan is included in your tuition fees.
New international students, including those on exchange or studying abroad, must apply for coverage under the BC Medical Services Plan (MSP) if they will reside in British Columbia for longer than six months.
This insurance plan also covers students at the Great Northern Way Campus and the Centre for Digital Media.
Additionally, international students who have previously attended SFU and have been absent for three or more consecutive terms, or those who are readmitted under SFU's reactivation and readmission policy, will be enrolled in the guard.me@SFU plan when they continue their studies at SFU.
The plan provides interim coverage while waiting for the BC MSP, if eligible. Students can opt out of the guard.me@SFU plan if they already have BC MSP coverage or another eligible insurance plan. For more details, please see www.sfu.ca/medical-insurance.html.
You may be eligible for a refund of the unused portion of your insurance if you have not made a claim and there is more than one month of coverage remaining when you apply through guard.me@SFU. To receive a partial reimbursement, guard.me@SFU must receive your application before the last month of the term (April 1, August 1, or December 1). If your application is approved, the partial refund will be credited to your SFU account.
For complete plan details, visit www.guard.me/sfu or call guard.me at 905-752-6230 (within Canada) or 1-888-756-8428 (toll-free outside of Canada).
Why do I have to pay Health and Dental Plan (HDP) charges?
Students are automatically enrolled in the Health and Dental Plan because the university requires all enrolled students have medical insurance coverage.
You are required to pay the HDP fees if:
- You did not opt out during the change-of-coverage period (please refer to the studentcare.ca website), or
- You attempted to opt out but did not receive an opt-out approval email from StudentCare.
If you are covered under another health insurance plan, you may opt out at studentcare.ca during the change-of-coverage period. Only students who successfully opt out and receive an opt-out approval email from StudentCare will have the charges adjusted on their account.
For more information on acceptable coverage, please visit the Medical Insurance section for Undergraduate or Graduate students on this page, as applicable.
Do I have to opt-out of HDP if I have opted out in previous year?
Yes, you must opt-out every year, even if you have opted-out before.
How do I get HDP charges removed?
To have HDP charges removed from your student account, you must have successfully opted out during the change-of-coverage period (please refer to the studentcare.ca website).
- If you received an opt-out approval email from StudentCare, you may ignore the HDP charges on your student account. Pay your balance minus the HDP fees. Here is how to check your balance.
- If you did not opt out during the change-of-coverage period or if your opt-out request is denied, you are responsible for paying the full HDP amount.
When can I expect my refund after successfully opting out of HDP?
It may take up to 15 - 20 business days for the adjustment to be reflected in your student account.
Why aren’t the HDP charges showing on my student account anymore?
If you don't see the HDP charges on your student account, it means that your opt-out with StudentCare was successful. The adjustment has already been made to your account, and your balance now reflects the updated amount.
Concerned about the monthly interest charge deadline?
If you received an opt-out approval email from StudentCare, you will not be charged monthly interest on the HDP portion. Pay your Student Account balance minus the HDP fees. Here is how to check your balance.