Note: all fees are subject to change.
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The Campus Health Service Fee ("Health Fee") is a quarterly fee that is mandatory for all undergraduate and graduate students enrolled (and, for 2020-2021 living ) on the Stanford main campus, including visiting student researchers and students who participate in high school summer programs that result in course credit at Stanford. This fee, which is charged on the student bill each quarter that tuition is charged, covers many of the services provided at Vaden Health Center including primary care visits, CAPS evaluation and short-term therapy, and health and wellness programs. It is similar to fees found at many of Stanford’s peer institutions, and it allows the university to maintain valuable health services for students.
Students are also required to maintain health insurance to cover the costs of specialty care, prescriptions, emergency care, inpatient care, and off-campus health services. This requirement can be met either by purchasing Cardinal Care (Stanford’s student health insurance plan) or an alternative insurance plan that has comparable benefits to Cardinal Care.
For the 2020-2021 academic year, the Health Fee is $232 per quarter.
The charge is included in the student's bill for each quarter that tuition is charged, and (for 2020-2021) that the student is living on campus.
The amount of the fee is subject to annual review and adjustment.
Vaden Health Center offers a wide array of medical, mental health, and health promotion services on site, many of which are covered under the Health Fee. These include
The following services are provided at Vaden Health Center, but are not covered under the Health Fee. We offer these services on site as a convenience to our students, but in most instances, charges will apply. The charge that is applicable will depend on the type of health insurance coverage the student has; the payment due at the time of service will typically range from the amount of an insurance copay to the full cost of the service. In some instances, the student might be able to recapture some or all of the cost if the service is covered by his/her private health insurance.
* some exceptions apply
For the 2020-2021 year, any student living on campus in campus housing is required to pay the Health Fee and is eligible to access care at Vaden Health Center. The following general groupings of students (who are living on campus) are assessed the fee:
If you fall into one of the categories that is not assessed the Health Fee, you may access care at Vaden Health Center. In order to have care at Vaden, you will be assessed an Access Fee in the same amount, for the quarter.
For routine, non-urgent care, Vaden Health Center hosts an online portal called VadenPatient that allows you to
To access the VadenPatient online portal you will need your SUNet ID and your student ID. Once you’ve made your appointment
For an urgent need that cannot wait for an appointment, you may come directly to Vaden Health Center during weekday business hours, evening business hours, or weekend business hours.
You never know when you might need care, and, to be equitable, the university applies the fee to all students who are on campus. This approach is preferable to charging a fee at the time of service, which could deter students from seeking care when they really need it.
For 2020-2021, the Campus Health Service Fee is mandatory for all students enrolled and living on the main Stanford campus (see list above).
(In other years, a Campus Health Service Fee exemption may be requested by enrolled students who are living outside the nine-county Bay Area for the entire quarter and who therefore cannot easily access Vaden Health Center. The Bay Area is defined as Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma counties. To request an exemption, you must complete and submit a ServiceNow Support Request. The ticket will require that you answer several questions to confirm eligibility for the exemption.) Make sure to log in to the Service & Support request website, and please note that exemption requests will be considered for the current academic year only. Exemption requests for previous academic years will not be granted for any reason.)
The Campus Health Service Fee is charged to students enrolled on the main Stanford campus. While you are enrolled at another Stanford campus, you will not be assessed the Health Fee, even though you may be paying other Stanford charges, such as tuition. This is true of students enrolled in Bing Overseas Studies Program and Bing Stanford in Washington, and of those studying at the Hopkins Marine Station.
In 2020-2021, the Health Fee is only being assessed to students who are living on campus in campus housing. It is mandatory for this group.
(In other years, a Campus Health Service Fee exemption may be requested by enrolled students who are living outside the nine-county Bay Area for the entire quarter and who therefore cannot easily access Vaden Health Center. The Bay Area is defined as Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma counties. To request an exemption, you must complete and submit a ServiceNow Support Request. The ticket will require that you answer several questions to confirm eligibility for the exemption.) Make sure to log in to the Service & Support request website, and please note that exemption requests will be considered for the current academic year only. Exemption requests for previous academic years will not be granted for any reason.)
A Graduate Student Aid Fund has been established to assist graduate students with university fees, such as the Campus Health Service Fee and Cardinal Care Insurance costs, when those fees cause significant hardship. Interested students are asked to complete the loan application process with the Financial Aid Office to establish financial need.
In addition, the Emergency Grant-in-Aid Fund is available for students experiencing financial hardship due to unanticipated expenses or a financial emergency (medical, dental, legal, etc.). Find more information about both programs.
It depends on the source and type of support you receive. Some departments and some sources of funding will cover the fee, but many will not. Please consult with your department's student services administrator.
It's probably good to check with the Financial Aid Office on this question. In most instances, if the fee is a mandatory fee, the costs are included in the calculation of your eligibility for loans. (Note, for 2020-2021, this fee is only mandatory for students who are on campus in campus housing.)
Yes. The Campus Health Service Fee will be included in your Cost of Attendance used to calculate financial aid eligibility.
No. Cardinal Care and the Campus Health Service Fee cover two distinct sets of services, and they do not overlap. Cardinal Care was designed to meet students’ needs beyond the core services provided at Vaden Health Center under the Health Fee, such as specialty care, prescriptions, emergency and inpatient care, to name a few.
No, you do not need to pay the fee if you are unregistered for classes in summer quarter unless you present at Vaden for care in the summer. (If you are unregistered for summer, a Summer Access Charge, equal to the amount of the Health Fee, will be charged if you come to Vaden for care.)
Yes. The Campus Health Service Fee covers the cost of most services at Vaden Health Center, regardless of the type of coverage a student may have. Students need private insurance (or Cardinal Care, the university-sponsored insurance plan) to cover the cost of services offered at Vaden but not covered by the Health Fee (e.g., pharmacy, physical therapy, etc.) and other services, such as hospitalization, that Vaden does not provide.
I have my own insurance plan. Does Vaden Health Center bill my private insurance for primary medical care visits?
No. Vaden Health Center does not bill private insurance carriers for primary care visits, CAPS evaluation and short-term therapy, or the health and wellness programs that are covered under the Health Fee.
The Campus Health Service Fee is billed quarterly and is not prorated.
Yes. Students who are not required to pay the Campus Health Service Fee may use services at Vaden Health Center through assessment of an Access Charge (same amount as the Health Fee). A request to have the Access Fee added for in-person or telehealth services can be submitted through the Service-Now ticketing system. (Note - Vaden providers are not licensed to provide telehealth care outside of California.)
Yes. Pharmacy services are not covered by the Campus Health Service Fee. Pharmacy charges, like some other services at Vaden, are the student’s responsibility. Walgreens at Vaden, the on-site vaden pharmacy, will charge in network insurances.
No. Spouses and other dependents are not charged the fee and are not eligble for services at Vaden. Dependents who have coverage through the Stanford Student Dependent Health Insurance Plan should access care through a networked provider to minimize out-of-pocket costs.
If you have additional questions about the Campus Health Service Fee, please submit a ServiceNow ticket.