University of Toronto health insurance: what UHIP covers, what it doesn’t, and how to actually see a doctor

The short version. International students at the University of Toronto are automatically enrolled in the University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP), which costs $948 CAD for the 2026–27 policy year and works roughly like OHIP. Separately, you pay into the UTSU Health & Dental Plan, which covers what UHIP refuses. The University of Toronto states plainly that “prescription medication and vaccinations are NOT covered by UHIP.” Neither plan pays for a sick note or a medical form, because those are uninsured services in Ontario. And neither plan gets you an appointment when your campus health centre is closed — which, at every U of T campus, is every evening and every weekend.

You have two plans, not one

This confuses almost every new student at the University of Toronto. UHIP is mandatory university-wide health insurance, insured by Manulife and administered by Cowan Insurance Group. The UTSU Health & Dental Plan is a separate supplementary plan run by the University of Toronto Students’ Union through Studentcare, with claims processed by Green Shield Canada. Graduate students hold the equivalent plan through the University of Toronto Graduate Students’ Union (UTGSU).

They cover different things, they use different portals, and a receipt submitted to the wrong one is rejected. Both run from 1 September to 31 August.

Sources: UHIP coverage details (uhip.ca) and UTSU Health & Dental Plan (utsu.ca), verified August 2026.

The most expensive misunderstanding is the prescription line. A student sees a doctor at no cost at their campus health centre, walks to a pharmacy, and finds that UHIP pays nothing toward the medication. That cost belongs to the UTSU plan — a different insurer, a different claim, a different portal.

What it costs in 2026–27

UHIP for the 2026–27 policy year is $948 CAD per year, or $79 per month, tax included. That is up from $792 in 2025–26, an increase of about 20%. Dependants are charged at the same rate per person: $1,896 for a student plus one dependant, and $2,844 for a student plus two or more. Starting in January is prorated to roughly $632, and starting in May to roughly $316. UHIP premiums reset every 1 September based on claims costs across all members.

The UTSU Health & Dental fee is billed separately and appears on your ACORN invoice among your incidental fees. Check the invoice rather than relying on a figure quoted elsewhere — union fees are set annually and differ between UTSU, UTGSU, UTMSU and SCSU.

Your campus health centre

The University of Toronto has three campuses, and each runs its own health service with its own address, hours and phone number. The St. George schedule does not apply to UTM or UTSC.

After-hours and walk-in clinics near each campus

The University of Toronto publishes lists of nearby clinics for each campus. The important detail — and the one students discover too late — is that these clinics differ sharply in whether they bill UHIP, what they charge someone without an OHIP card, and whether they will issue a note at all.

Near the St. George campus

The following walk-in clinics are listed by U of T Student Life as accepting UHIP.

Source: U of T Student Life, “Find an after-hours and weekend clinic”, verified August 2026. U of T notes that clinics may change location and hours without notice — call before travelling.

Near the UTM campus

UTM’s Health & Counselling Centre publishes the most useful list of the three, because it states what each clinic charges a patient without a valid OHIP card.

Source: UTM Health & Counselling Centre, after-hours and walk-in clinic list, verified August 2026. Prices are the clinics’ published uninsured rates and can change.

Three things in that table are worth reading twice. Square One Medical requires an OHIP card, which means it will turn away an international student. Appletree may charge a co-pay that UHIP will not reimburse, so “accepts UHIP” is not the same as “free”. And South Common Mall states that sick notes are not guaranteed — you can travel there, wait, pay $75, and still leave without the documentation you went for.

Near the UTSC campus

For non-emergency care outside the centre’s hours, UTSC directs students to call Health Connect Ontario on 1-866-797-0000 for nurse advice before going to an emergency room. Emergency departments triage by severity, not arrival order, so a non-urgent problem can mean a very long wait. Bring your UHIP card, a claim form and your T-Card; most Ontario hospitals bill UHIP directly.

Free 24-hour support at every campus

U of T Telus Health Student Support provides confidential 24-hour support for school, health or general life concerns at no cost to students, on all three campuses. It is counselling and support rather than a physician service, so it cannot prescribe or issue medical documentation — but for a mental health concern at 2 a.m. it is the right first call.

Where the coverage runs out

Four gaps catch University of Toronto students every year. None of them is a mistake on the student’s part.

Every campus centre closes

All three centres run on weekday daytime hours. A fever that starts on Friday evening, an infection over reading week, or an injury on a Sunday falls entirely outside them.

The new-student blackout on the UTSU plan

UTSU plan claims are not processed immediately for new students — there is a blackout period running into late October. A student arriving in September has UHIP active but cannot yet claim prescriptions. Coverage is retroactive once it activates, so keep every receipt.

“Accepts UHIP” does not mean free, and does not mean fast

Some clinics bill Cowan directly. Some charge a co-pay UHIP will not refund. Some want an OHIP card you do not have. UHIP reimburses up to OHIP-equivalent rates, so a clinic charging above that leaves you with the difference.

Nothing pays for a medical note

A doctor’s note is an uninsured service in Ontario. OHIP does not pay for it, so UHIP does not either, and it is not a supplementary-plan benefit. If your instructor or the Registrar asks for medical documentation, that cost is yours no matter how well insured you are — and, as U of T’s own clinic list shows, paying it does not guarantee you get the note.

Medical forms and the Verification of Illness

The University of Toronto’s medical documentation form is the Verification of Illness or Injury. UTSC’s Health & Wellness Centre issues these directly; other campuses and external clinics complete the form a student brings with them.

We do not host copies of University of Toronto forms — always download the current version from your college, faculty or Registrar, because the forms are revised and a superseded version can be rejected. What we can tell you is what completing one actually requires.

What the physician has to complete

• The dates you were unable to meet your academic obligations, and the date of the assessment itself
• A statement on the severity of the impact on your academic work — not your diagnosis, which stays confidential
• The physician’s name, signature, CPSO registration number, address and contact details

What you have to bring to the consultation

• The exact dates affected, and which assessments or deadlines were missed
• The specific form your faculty requires, if it differs from the standard one
• Any deadline the Registrar has set for submitting it — many faculties require submission within a few days

Why forms get rejected

The three common reasons are a form completed after the fact for a date the physician did not assess, a missing CPSO registration number or signature, and submission past the faculty’s deadline. A physician can only attest to what they assessed — so book the consultation for the period you were actually unwell, not a week later.

Claiming your money back

1. Pay and get an itemized receipt showing the provider’s name and credentials, the date, the service, and the amount paid.
2. Ask the provider to complete the UHIP Claim Form at the visit. U of T instructs students to do this at the time, because obtaining a signature afterwards is much harder.
3. Submit to Cowan through the member portal at uhip.ca. Set up direct deposit so reimbursement reaches your bank account. Cowan’s UHIP line is 1-833-377-8447.
4. Send prescription, dental, vision and psychology receipts to Studentcare / Green Shield instead — not to Cowan. This is the most common claim error at U of T.
5. At UTSC, complete the authorization form at your first visit to a Preferred Provider Network clinic, which is what enables direct billing.

Frequently asked questions

Does UHIP cover prescriptions at the University of Toronto?

No. The University of Toronto states that prescription medication and vaccinations are not covered by UHIP. Prescriptions are covered by the UTSU Health & Dental Plan at up to 80%, to a maximum of $5,000 per policy year, and those claims go to Studentcare and Green Shield rather than to Cowan.

How much is UHIP at U of T for 2026–27?

UHIP costs $948 CAD per year, or $79 per month, tax included, for the 2026–27 policy year. That is up from $792 in 2025–26. A student plus one dependant is $1,896 and a student plus two or more is $2,844. The UTSU Health & Dental fee is separate and appears on your ACORN invoice.

Where is the U of T health centre on my campus?

St. George: Health & Wellness Centre, 700 Bay Street, 416-978-8030. UTM: Health & Counselling Centre, Room 1152, Davis Building, 905-828-5255. UTSC: Health & Wellness Centre, Sam Ibrahim Building 5th floor, Room IA5061, 416-287-7065. All three are weekday daytime services.

Where can I see a doctor near U of T after hours?

All three U of T campus health centres close evenings and weekends. Near St. George, several walk-in clinics accept UHIP, including Bay College Medical at 790 Bay Street and The Bay Centre at 76 Grenville Street. Near UTM, published uninsured rates run from $50 at Hurontario Square Medical Centre to $75 at South Common Mall, which also states that sick notes are not guaranteed. A telemedicine consultation is generally the fastest option outside clinic hours.

Can I opt out of the UTSU Health & Dental Plan?

Only with proof of equivalent private coverage, during the change-of-coverage window that runs in September for fall enrolment and January for winter starts. Provincial-style coverage on its own is not accepted as equivalent, so UHIP alone does not qualify you to opt out of the health portion. The dental portion can be opted out of without proof. Confirm the current year’s dates with Studentcare.

My UTSU plan hasn’t activated yet — am I covered?

UHIP is active from the start of your coverage period, so physician and hospital visits are covered. The UTSU plan has a blackout period for new students running into late October before claims process, but coverage is retroactive to the start of the policy year. Keep every receipt and submit once it activates.

Where do I get a sick note if the U of T health centre is closed?

A note is an uninsured service, so you pay for it under any plan. Some walk-in clinics near U of T explicitly do not guarantee notes. Outside campus hours a telemedicine consultation is usually the quickest route — a physician licensed in Ontario can assess you by phone and issue a note the same day, at the physician’s clinical discretion. See our guide to doctor’s notes in Ontario.

All figures and hours on this page were verified in August 2026 against the sources listed below. UHIP premiums reset each 1 September, campus hours change between term and summer, and clinics change their hours without notice — verify before relying on any detail here. General information only, not insurance or medical advice. In an emergency, call 911.