Insurance Abroad
We provide a comprehensive coverage plan chosen to best fit your needs abroad.
CISI Insurance
All students and faculty participating in study abroad programs administered, sponsored, or approved by the University of Maryland are automatically enrolled in the UMD's international health insurance plan, administered by Cultural Insurance Services International (CISI). This coverage is required, and complements students' regular U.S. primary health insurance coverage.
The UMD-CISI international insurance plan includes coverage for:
- Emergency medical expenses, medical evacuation, and repatriation
- Coverage for nervous or mental disorders
- Security evacuation services
- Travel assistance services
- Quarantine benefit
Review the UMD CISI Custom Website, including complete details of the current CISI insurance policy, links to the claim form, helpful FAQs, and the myCISI portal. All costs below are estimates.
| Program Length | Cost |
|---|---|
| 5 months or less | $250 |
| More than 5 months | $300 |
| Program Length | Cost |
|---|---|
| 10 months or less | $500 |
| 10 -11 months | $550 |
| 11-12 months | $600 |
| Program Length | Cost |
|---|---|
| 2 weeks or less | $26 |
| 3-4 weeks | $50 |
Program Length |
Cost |
|---|---|
5 months or less |
$250 |
More than 5 months |
$300 |
| Program Length | Cost |
|---|---|
| 1 week | $13 |
| 7 - 14 days | $26 |
| Program Length | Cost |
|---|---|
7-14 days |
$15 |
15 - 30 days |
$50 |
| 31 - 60 days | $100 |
| 61+ days | $200 |
How to Use Insurance Abroad
You can call or e-mail CISI's Team Assist at any time with simple medical questions or in an emergency. The TeamAssist emergency assistance provider is AXA Assistance. AXA will help you access treatment that is covered under your plan, including identifying hospitals or local providers and possibly setting up appointments or a guarantee of payment ahead of time.
In a medical emergency call AXA immediately. AXA phone number: (01-312) 935-1703. This is a U.S. number. AXA accepts all collect calls or if you make the international phone call from a mobile or fixed line they can call you back immediately. Your UMD CISI Policy number: GLMN 04965887 (you will need this when you call.) Please share this contact information with parents or other emergency contacts because they can contact AXA on your behalf.
In some cases, depending on the medical facility, direct payment of medical expenses can be arranged by AXA. You can call AXA directly or in some cases have the medical facility call AXA directly while you are present to organize direct payment on the spot. If direct payment is not available or you are unable to call AXA ahead of time, you will need to pay for services up front and make a claim to request reimbursement directly from CISI. You should plan to travel with a credit card for this purpose just in case it is necessary. If you are hospitalized, we recommend that you arrange for CISI to begin direct payments to the hospital so that you did not have to pay for these costs up front.
You should keep all receipts for medical expenses so that you can submit them with your claim form. The reimbursement process is quick and straightforward and takes about two weeks provided you submit receipts with your claim.
Be sure to contact your on-site support staff if you need assistance. If you are unable to reach your on-site contact, or need further assistance, please contact the Office of Education Abroad at +301-314-7473. After hours call UMD Campus Security at +1-301-405-3333, where an operator will be able to contact an EA staff person to assist you.
The "Emergency", "Payments", and "Receipts and Claims" information above pertains to all students except those attending programs administered by IES Abroad. These students will be enrolled in IES Abroad's CISI plan. While the procedures and contact numbers are the same, the coverage and policy number are different.
Dual Coverage and Waivers
In most cases, the UMD CISI coverage will meet host country requirements for insurance coverage. However, some countries, including Australia, Denmark, and Israel, require that students on overseas programs also purchase domestic insurance. If you attend a program in one of these countries, you will still be enrolled in the UMD-CISI plan to ensure that you have full access to evacuation, repatriation, and other essential international medical services that are not provided by foreign domestic insurance plans.
Certain study abroad provider organizations may also require that UMD students be enrolled in their respective insurance plans. Whenever possible, we will request that the provider waive its coverage and the attendant charges. However, some providers may be unable to waive coverage for participants.
Students in IES Abroad programs can waive CISI insurance coverage. This is the only exception to the requirement for insurance coverage through CISI.
Personal Belongings and Travel Disruption Insurance
The mandatory CISI student health insurance plan does not include coverage for personal belongings, lost or damaged luggage, or disrupted/canceled travel. You may consider purchasing this extra coverage, but it is not required for participation in study abroad. Coverage for personal belongings such as laptops and cameras may be obtained through home owners/renters’ insurance or an additional policy. More information on trip protection insurance is below.
Trip Protection Insurance
Including cancellation and/or interruption coverage for Education Abroad Programs
The University of Maryland strongly encourages students and their families to consider purchasing an optional trip insurance policy that includes trip cancellation or coverage for study abroad. These plans cover non-recoverable expenses, should a traveler need to cancel their travel for any reason, including those associated with unexpected Covid-19 related concerns.
Worldwide Trip Protection from CISI
CISI is UMD’s insurance provider for international health insurance and offers a Worldwide Trip Protection policy for purchase. There are different tiers of coverage available and we specifically encourage you to review insurance plans that include CFAR (Cancel for any reason) benefit. We encourage students and families to research to find a policy or provider that best meets your individual needs.
To learn more or purchase a travel insurance plan, visit the CISI website.
Calculating Non-Reimbursable Expenses for your trip: Insurance premiums are based on the total amount of non-recoverable costs associated with your program of study and can be found on your cost of attendance sheet for your individual program.