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Onboard to UHIP

Your Enrollment

Registered international students are automatically enrolled in UHIP for a 12-month period, from September 1st and to August 31st. The coverage period is adjusted for exchange students.

For international students, coverage will be renewed automatically at the beginning of every academic year . 

Registration: You must officially register (pay the minimum fees or defer by the deadline) to be enrolled into UHIP. It can take 10 business days from becoming registered to activate your UHIP coverage.

Check your U of T email: You must update your U of T email on ACORN to receive a welcome email from Cowan, which contains your UHIP certificate number.

Access Your Card: Click on the following link from Cowan: “Click here to get your coverage card”. You will need to enter your First Name, Last Name, Date of Birth and Certificate Number (provided in your welcome package) or University ID to access your card. Your University ID is “U” + your student number.

Bring Your Card: Print your UHIP card before visiting a clinic or hospital.

A Cowan UHIP insurance card that contains the students' insurance information on the left side, and general information about UHIP and the contact information for Cowan on the right side.

Types of Enrollment

New international students at the University of Toronto are eligible for, and automatically enrolled into bridge coverage from August 10th to August 31st at no additional fee. Bridge coverage does not cover the cost of elective procedures. Bridge coverage cannot be utilized before August 10th or before students arrive in Ontario.

You will be enrolled in UHIP automatically at the beginning of the academic term in which you begin your studies. You need to follow the steps below once you arrive in Ontario:

If you do not have a student number (i.e. new employee, visiting staff), please contact your local Human Resources (HR) Office for UHIP enrollment. A complete list of HR contacts can be found at https://hrandequity.utoronto.ca/contact/.

If you are a post-doctoral Fellow, UHIP is administered by the Postdoctoral Office at SGS. Please contact the SGS Office.

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT UHIP DEPENDENTS

Take a look at this informational video that explains the important things you need to know about dependents for UHIP, including; deadlines, eligibility, cost, how to enroll your dependents and renewing dependents’ coverage. Clicking on the image below will redirect you to the video.

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Enrollment

Dependents are not automatically enrolled in UHIP, and you are required to enroll your eligible dependent family member(s) within 30 days of their arrival in Canada. 

You must be enrolled in UHIP to enroll your eligible dependents. 

To register your dependent(s), download the following document and follow its step-by-step instructions: Step by Step Guide to Adding your Dependents to UHIP.

Dependent applications must be renewed each academic year, at least 30 days before the expiry date. Renewal requests are due by August 1 each year.

Check out the UHIP website for detailed information on dependent coverage start and end dates.

Your dependent(s) become eligible for UHIP at the same time that you do. However, you must apply for your dependent(s)’s coverage for them to be enrolled. If your family member(s) become your dependent(s) after you become insured, they are eligible on the date that they become your dependent(s).  

For more details on dependent eligibility, check out the UHIP website.

Dependents are now enrolled under the primary student members policy, and will not be given their own UHIP card. Please note it may take up to 10 business days after payment is made to receive notification from Cowan that your new UHIP card, with your dependent listed on it, is ready to download. 

Your dependent may be eligible for a UHIP exemption if they get OHIP or if they leave Canada. You may apply for a refund for your dependent for any unused months by filling out the Dependent UHIP Refund Application and emailing it to us at database.uhip@utoronto.ca for processing.

Late enrollment

A late penalty fee of $500 will apply if you enroll your dependents 30 days after their arrival in Canada. There’s no discount for the time they had no coverage if you were late enrolling them. 

Dependent enrollment fees

The fees you pay are also dependent on the start date of your UHIP coverage. Please refer to the UHIP fees information (September 1, 2025 onwards) below: 

  • Member $792 
  • Member + 1 dependent $1584  
  • Member + 2 or more dependents $2376
  • Member $528 
  • Member + 1 dependent $1056 
  • Member + 2 or more dependents $1584 
  • Member $264 
  • Member + 1 dependent $528 
  • Member + 2 or more dependents $792 

Frequently asked questions

Returning Canadians or Dual Canadian Citizens are eligible to be covered for 3 months of UHIP coverage. All returning Canadian students should apply for OHIP coverage upon arrival in Canada. Currently, the three-month waiting period is being waived. We recommend you go to a service Ontario ASAP to enquire about your eligibility into OHIP. If you are not granted OHIP right away, our office can enroll you into UHIP for three months at a cost of 66 CAD per month (starting September 1, 2025).

Before enrolling you into UHIP, we want to ensure that you have tried to apply for OHIP as OHIP coverage is free of charge for returning Canadian citizens. Please note that we will not be able to extend your UHIP for additional months until you provide us with proof that you have applied for OHIP ( i.e. confirmation letter from Service Ontario), so make sure you apply!

It takes approximately 10 business days after becoming officially registered at the university to receive your UHIP welcome package from Cowan. Please wait two full weeks from the date you became registered to receive your Welcome Package, which includes your certificate number and the link to the Cowan portal. You can obtain your UHIP ecard by inputting the correct personal information on the Cowan portal. If you have to visit a doctor/clinic before your coverage card comes in, you may have to pay out-of-pocket, so you will need to hold onto your receipts to submit a claim later once your account has been created.

Important Note: You must update their UTmail+ on ACORN in order to receive communication from Cowan on creating their account and printing their card. 

Here’s how to create an account for Cowan’s Online Access Portal:

  1. In the welcome email you received from Cowan select “click here to set up your online access” and input the requested information. You can also create an account by visiting https://clients.cowangroup.ca and selecting “I’m a New User”.
  2. On the New User Registration Page, be sure to enter your Last Name, First Name, Date of Birth and Certificate Number as displayed in the email you received from Cowan.
    NOTE: Be sure to use your University of Toronto email address to create an account (not your personal email address). Your UTmail+ will be your Username going forward.  
  3. Finally, click on “Next Step”. Cowan will send you an email with a link to complete the account creation process which will include a temporary password to access your account. Once you get the email, click on the link to finish creating your account.
    NOTE: The link will expire in 24 hours. If you are unable to complete the account creation process during the 24-hour timeframe, please complete the above steps 1-2 again and another email will be sent to you. Make sure to update your temporary password after you log into the portal for the first time. 

Please make sure to input your name exactly as it is shown on your ACORN account, and the date of birth with the correct format. Cowan now allows students to access their card with either their certificate number or University ID number. For the University ID number, you’ll need to input “U” followed by your 10-digit student number at U of T, or “UT” followed by your 9-digit student number.