FAQ's

The Student Health Center (SHC I) is located on campus at the corner of East Peltason and Pereira Drive. We are building #5 on the campus map. Student Health Center II (building #6 on the campus map) is located across the street and houses the Dental Clinic and certain administrative offices.

You are welcome to make an appointment by: 1) Calling our appointment desk at (949) 824‑5304; or 2) visiting the SHC in person during regular hours of operation; or 3) Scheduling a primary care appointment online via the Wellness, Health & Counseling Services Student Health Patient Portal. Same day appointments are available. Walk-in appointments are available but are limited and restricted to more urgent problems.

We are open from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.  We are open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on Wednesday.  We are closed on the weekends and during University Holidays. Check the SHC website for current hours of operation since expanded hours of operation may be offered during the academic year.”

The primary mission of Student Health is to serve students registered in academic degree programs.  If you are not registered in a degree program, please check below to determine your eligibility for services at the Student Health Center:

• ESL/Extension students - you are eligible to be seen at Student Health Center on a "fee-for-service" basis for all medical, mental health or dental services. You will need to pay for services at time of visit and then submit a claim to your insurance company for reimbursement.
• Staff/Faculty (including post-doctoral students) - you are eligible to be seen at Student Health Center for first aid, basic triage and/or urgent care that occur while you are on campus. However, it will be fee-for-service. We do not directly bill your insurance company. Due to limited resources, Student Health Center does not ordinarily see staff or faculty for medical visits. You are eligible for service at the Dental Clinic and Pharmacy.
• Spouses of students, faculty, and staff are not eligible to be seen at Student Health for medical, mental health or dental visits. You are eligible for service at the Pharmacy.
• Dependents of students, faculty, and staff are not eligible to be seen at Student Health for medical, mental health or dental visits. You are eligible for service at the Pharmacy.
• Other Registered UC Campus Students who waive out of the UC Student Health Insurance Program (UCSHIP) are eligible for full medical, mental health and dental services provided at UCI-SHC’s fee schedule.

The health services at Student Health Center are not free. The Student Health Center is largely self-supported by fees charged for medical, mental health and ancillary services. However, in order to make the medical care affordable to our students, we have set our fees lower than the community's usual and customary fees (please refer to Cost of Care). Students enrolled in UC SHIP are required to pay office visit copays and coinsurance payments for certain procedures, X-ray studies and Lab tests. All payments are made through the student's campus billing account. Copays and coinsurance payments do not apply to preventive care services. Students who are enrolled in health insurance plans other than UC SHIP are required to pay the fees in full through their campus billing account and then seek reimbursement from their health insurance carrier.

The UC Student Health Insurance Plan (UC SHIP) is the insurance plan that all registered students are automatically enrolled in, unless they opt out of the plan by demonstrating verifiable proof of comparable insurance coverage by another health plan. Under UC SHIP, comprehensive primary care and most specialty services and hospital care are included benefits that meet or exceed the minimum standards established by the Affordable Care Act and set by the Office of the President of the University. In order to take advantage of this insurance plan, all medical care must begin at Student Health Center. If you need a medical service that is not offered at Student Health, or you are located more than 50 miles from campus at the time of care, you will be referred to a qualified specialist in the community. If you enroll in this plan, medical services at Student Health will be directly billed to UC SHIP for you after the annual deductible is met. For additional information visit UC SHIP.

The Regents of the University of California require all students on UC campuses to carry health insurance as a non-academic condition of enrollment. Years of experience and demographic data have shown that students who fell ill and were unable to meet the costs of their medical needs often dropped out of the University.  Requiring adequate coverage under a health insurance plan enables students to seek medical attention and treatment promptly, complete their coursework and achieve their academic goals.

Student Health Center is the primary care provider and specialty care coordinator for all UC SHIP members. After paying the applicable co-payment for the plan, all eligible covered medical services will be directly billed to UC SHIP for you. See UC SHIP for more information.

While we welcome all registered students to use our health services, Student Health Center does not provide direct medical billing for health insurance other than UC SHIP. Non UC SHIP members will be asked to pay at the time of service and given an itemized receipt to submit to their private insurance.

Student Health Center is currently not affiliated with any Health Maintenance Organizations. If you have health insurance with an HMO, you can still be seen at Student Health Center.  You will be charged the full fees for services rendered through your campus billing account and then you will need to seek reimbursement from your HMO.  Like all private insurers, your reimbursement rate will be subject to your HMO coverage. For routine, non-urgent and preventive care services, it is highly unlikely that an HMO, including Medi-Cal HMO plans (e.g., Cal Optima), would reimburse you for these services. Please check with your HMO plan for guidance.

Flexible payment plans are available at the Student Health Center. Be sure to talk with a cashier before you leave if you would like to set up a payment plan.

The Student Health Center is staffed by licensed Physicians, Dentists, Physician Assistant, Nurse Practitioners, and Nurses. Our mission is to provide quality health care for our students and to prevent the outbreak of disease on campus. Therefore, you can be sure that you will receive quality health care at Student Health Center. The Student Health Center is accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, Inc.

No. Student Health Center cannot provide or administer allergy shots, but we can refer you to a local specialist to continue your treatment.

Student Health Center provides the following specialty services on-site by appointment:

• Psychiatry
• Dental Clinic
• Internal Medicine
• Gynecology
• Dermatology
• Gastroenterology
• Orthopedics/Sports Medicine
• ENT (Ear, Nose, Throat)
• Nutrition Services
• Chiropractor Services

We can also refer you to other specialists within the local community if needed.

A positive skin test for TB means you may have been exposed to the TB bacteria in the past. A medication called INH, taken for 6 months, is recommended for those with a positive PPD reading (10mm of induration or greater) unless contraindication exists. The purpose is to treat the infection in its dormancy because there is a chance for disease reactivation in the future. For further information you can visit http://www.cdc.gov.

A Physical Examination is a good tool to establish your baseline health status. Serious illness can be discovered during a routine Physical Examination. In addition, during your Physical Examination your medical provider can answer any questions that you may have regarding your health. If you would like to have a Physical Examination with us, you can call our appointment desk at (949) 824-5304.

No. You do not need to have a Physical Examination before you can be seen at Student Health Center. However, we strongly encourage you to submit a completed Physical Examination form from your primary care physician or other licensed medical provider in order to establish a record of your baseline health status.

A PAP smear is the most economical tool that we have for the early detection of cervical cancer. It is recommended as a yearly exam for most women. To schedule a PAP smear/Woman's Health Examination, please call our appointment desk at (949) 824-5304.

For help in completing authorization forms or any other questions pertaining to medical records, please contact the Student Health Center Medical Correspondence Desk at (949) 824-2021.

California state law and the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accounting Act of 1996 (HIPAA) protect the confidentiality of communications between health professionals and their patients. At the Student Health Center, we will not discuss information about you with others without your written consent except as required by law.

No. If you are 18 years or older, we must have your permission to release your medical information to your parent(s).

Yes. Records can be faxed, picked up in person during normal business hours or mailed to the address provided on the request form.

All requests for records and authorizations to release health information must include your written signature. Therefore, we require that the authorization forms be used and returned in person, by fax or by mail. If, however, you have the capability of scanning the signed authorization form, we will accept the scanned document as an attachment to an email.

Payment may be made in person at Student Health Center by check, or credit card. If you are not able to pay in person, payment may be sent by check with your record request.  Copies of records will not be released, nor will inactive records be requested from off-site storage, until payment has been confirmed.

All requests for copies of medical records are processed in the order that they are received. Most requests for active records are completed within 1-2 days of receipt. Requests for inactive records will take longer as they must be retrieved from our off-site storage facility.

Please submit your requests well in advance of when needed as a completion date/time cannot be guaranteed.

Medical records are strictly confidential. Employees, both student and professional, are not allowed to open or read your medical charts without a specific need to do so.  Access to patient information is limited by restricting permissions for employees in our electronic medical records system to those records or portions of records that the employees’ duties require them to see.

The policy of the University of California does not permit an exemption from the immunization requirements for religious or personal beliefs.

Yes. If your doctor has advised you that you should not receive a certain vaccine for medical reasons, then please have your doctor complete and sign a UCI Medical Exemption Request Form to include his/her name, signature, medical license number and state of licensure, office address and phone number. Once completed, you will upload your form to your Student Health Patient Portal.

You can try to obtain a copy of your immunization record from your high school or your pediatrician's office. If you still cannot find your immunization record, you may need to start the adult series of the vaccination over prior to matriculation, or elect to be tested for immunity against Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR); Varicella (chicken pox); Meningitis; and Tetanus-Diphtheria-Pertussis by a simple blood test. You can make a nurse appointment to discuss your questions, needs and options regarding immunization or visit UC Immunization and TB Requirements page on how to obtain copies of your immunization and/or TB Testing records.

It is the policy of the University of California that all new, incoming students obtain and/or provide documentation of receiving four (4) immunizations and complete a TB Risk Screening Form. In order to comply with these requirements, students must enter their immunization dates; upload their immunization records and complete the TB Risk Screening Form online through their Student Health Patient Portal. For additional information and instructions on how to comply with these requirements, please visit SHC's TB and Immunization Requirements webpage. To obtain all or some of the immunizations and/or to obtain TB testing, if necessary, you may make an appointment with our Nurse Clinic by calling SHC's appointment line at 949-824-5304. For general information regarding these requirements and/or for questions regarding your compliance status, please call SHC's Immunizations Hotline at 949-824-4348; or email shc-immunization@uci.edu; or send a secure message through your SHC Patient Portal by selecting "New Student Immunization Question" and follow the prompts.

Please refer to the New Student Information page for information and instructions regarding the submission of your immunization records.

Every incoming student is required to comply with the health requirements. If you do not complete the health requirements by the 1st day of instructions for your incoming term, then an academic hold will be placed on your registration for classes until you have completed and satisfied your health requirements.

Full compliance with the health requirements is a non-academic condition for enrollment. Please see the Admission Health Requirements page.