Taking good care of your health is an important part of life as a graduate student. We want you and your family to thrive while you are at Yale.
Yale Health - Health Care Coverage
Yale Health is the comprehensive, on-campus, full-service health center and health care plan for students and their family members.
- Yale Health Basic Coverage is provided at no cost to you if you are a degree-seeking student enrolled at least half-time in M.A., M.S., and Ph.D. programs.
- Students are also automatically enrolled and billed for Hospitalization and Specialty Care Coverage, which includes prescription coverage. If you have alternate coverage, you can choose to waive Yale Health Hospitalization/Specialty Care Coverage, but you must do so by the posted deadline (Sept. 15). You must complete a waiver each term you are enrolled.
- If you are an eligible Ph.D. student, you receive a Health Fellowship Award which covers the full cost of Hospitalization/Specialty Care for you and your children, up to age 26. If you do not participate in Yale Health Hospitalization/Specialty Coverage, you will not receive a Health Fellowship Award.
- You may enroll your legally-married spouse and dependent children, up to age 26, in Yale Health by submitting the enrollment/change form by the annual deadline. Premium fees may apply, with PhD students eligible for family support.
- See below for information about Travel Health Programs.
For questions concerning health care coverage, contact Yale Health Member Services.
Mental Health & Wellness
Dr. Eva Wilson is the Graduate School’s embedded mental health clinician. Confidential drop-in therapy appointments are now available via her Bookings Page. Please note that Dr. Wilson does not offer emergency or crisis services. Rather, she is available for brief therapy or for interim support while students seek a longer-term clinician. Students can sign up for appointments up to 7 days in advance.
All Yale students enrolled at least half time in a Yale degree program are eligible for counseling at Mental Health & Counseling completely free of charge, regardless of whether they have waived Yale Health Hospitalization/Specialty Care coverage. Spouses and civil union partners are eligible for services if they are enrolled in the Yale Health plan as a dependent.
During your time here, you may encounter work anxiety, personal loss, relationship problems or sexuality issues that you want to discuss with a professional. At Yale, there are many additional supportive resources and people to help you.
- Mental Health & Counseling at Yale Health can help you address any psychological concerns and assist you in achieving your intellectual and personal goals.
- Yale Well Initiative provides wellness information, resources, and opportunities for all students at Yale, including student wellness grants.
- The Good Life Center is the official student wellness center of Yale University and is supported by the Yale Well Initiative.
- Student Health Education services at Yale Health can help you choose a healthier lifestyle and better quality of life. They can work with you on smoking cessation, improving sleep, having safer sex, and strengthening your time management skills.
- Smoking Cessation and Tobacco Free Yale supports the Yale community through programs geared towards helping you quit tobacco. Most public areas on the Yale campus are Tobacco Free or are seeking to develop Tobacco Free policies.
- Mindfulness & Meditation at Yale Health can help you master these life-enhancing skills.
- The Chaplain’s Office at Yale supports students from all faith traditions as well as students who don’t identify with any specific tradition.
- The Graduate School staff, deans, and directors are also here to help if you have academic, personal or financial concerns or questions
Sports & Exercise
- Yale Payne Whitney Gym provides free year-round gym membership for full-time degree-seeking students. Others, including spouses and partners, may join for a fee.
- Club Sports & Intramurals (IMs) welcomes you to to join a team and participate in organized sports, including softball, soccer, volleyball, basketball, and more.
- Yale Athletics Varsity Intercollegiate Sports offers free tickets to home games with your student ID, discount student guest tickets, and free tickets for children.
- New Haven Parks, Recreation, and Trees offers information and programs to help you get out and explore New Haven. East Rock Park, an easy walk from campus, has 425 acres of hiking trails and open spaces, with amazing views of Long Island Sound from the summit. Nearby Lighthouse Point offers a sandy swimming beach, extensive picnic grounds, a carousel, and a splash pad. And right in the center of the city, the New Haven Green hosts free outdoor concerts and holiday celebrations.
Dental & Vision
You may enroll in Optional Graduate and Professional Student Dental and Vision Care Plans online by September 15, annually. Coverage begins October 1. Services are provided outside of Yale Health, and GSAS Health Award Fellowships do not pay for this coverage.
Travel Health Programs
Before traveling, please prepare for medical care coverage and any other pre-travel issues, such as immunizations. The following resources may be helpful in determining what you need, and how to make sure you have adequate coverage during your trip.
- Travel Health Services for Students are available through Yale Health and off-campus local providers. Services include pre-travel consultation, education, vaccination, and medication, usually for a fee.
- If you are a Ph.D. student going on an approved dissertation research trip, the Graduate School provides a Travel Health Fellowship to cover travel department visits and immunization at Yale Health.
- If you need to travel within the United States for research, an internship, or fieldwork, an Approved Academic Travel Rider will help meet your medical needs. Please apply for this several months before your travel, as enrollment deadlines are very early.
- International SOS Global Travel Assistance provides international and domestic emergency medical, security and travel assistance services anywhere in the world. Yale students are automatically enrolled.
- The Yale University International Travel Toolkit for Graduate Students will provide you with information and a pre-departure checklist if you are doing international research or educational travel.
- Register your Travel with ISOS TravelTracker. ISOS TravelTracker helps the University locate and contact travelers in the event of a major emergency.
Sexual Health
- Student Health Education at Yale Health has informational materials and free safer sex supplies.