Purdue graduate student health plan costs will remain at current levels for upcoming 2023-24 school year despite rising medical costs

Purdue graduate student health care premiums will remain unchanged for fiscal year 2024.

Purdue will waive any increase for eligible graduate students and not pass on the projected annual 6% hike in health care costs from provider UnitedHealthcare Student Resources Network in the coming school year.

The announcement was made jointly by Patrick Wolfe, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs and diversity; Christopher A. Ruhl, executive vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer; Eric Barker, acting associate provost for graduate programs; and Candace Shaffer, senior director of benefits for human resources.

As part of the university’s ongoing commitment to student affordability, the graduate staff medical plan with UnitedHealthcare Student Resources Network for fiscal year 2024 will include:

• No premium increase for eligible graduate students, a savings of $41 annually for graduate student-only enrollment.
• No premium increases for dependents, a $177 savings for each dependent.
• No changes to medical plan offerings such as coverage, deductible and out-of-pocket costs.

“We recognize that graduate students are the engine that powers Purdue’s research and teaching missions, knowing the essential role they play in reaching the goal we all share of being recognized as a top five U.S. public research university,” Wolfe says.

“To continue to recruit the best and brightest and to enable their success as we once again anticipate record numbers of students this fall, we also recognize that we must not only be competitive with our benefits but be a leader to maintain excellence at scale and enhance our scholarly excellence and impact.”

Enrollment for medical and dental insurance for eligible graduate students via Academic HealthPlans (AHP) and voluntary insurance via Benefitfocus is a two-step process. Additional details on benefit enrollment for the coming school year will be shared June 29.

The enrollment period for the 2023-24 plan year for graduate staff opens on Saturday, July 1, and ends at 5 p.m. (ET) Tuesday, Sept 5.

UnitedHealthcare Student Resources is a national carrier with additional resources in mental health that will be available to the Purdue graduate student body.

Graduate student enrollment at Purdue has surged 43% the past decade from 8,407 students in fall 2013 to 12,017 students in fall 2022.

The commitment not to pass on to Purdue graduate students the rising health care costs aligns with plans announced in April to make major new investments in graduate student stipends for a second straight year.

This effort consists of five actions – two concerning top awards and three elevating minima – designed to enhance the experience of the growing number of Boilermaker graduate students and remain competitive among peer institutions in benefits and compensation.

These actions followed Purdue’s record investment in graduate stipends in 2022, elevating the two-year combined investment to nearly $20 million. In fiscal year 2023, university-wide minimum stipends were increased 26% for fiscal-year appointments. Nearly one-half of graduate students received at least an 8% increase, with overall stipends rising 7.7% on average.

As Purdue continues to enhance support for all our graduate students, current and new degree programs will be provided. Key courses such as GRAD 612 will continue, and we can expect an upgrade of course structures to help Purdue recruit and retain the strongest graduate students in the nation. Acting Associate Provost Barker will provide updates and work to streamline and make systems more efficient to better support students to thrive.

Writer/media contact: Phillip Fiorini, pfiorini@purdue.edu, 765-430-6189