Graduate Assistant (GA) Health
Michigan State University (MSU) provides health coverage for Graduate Assistants and their eligible dependents through Aetna. As a graduate assistant (GA), you are automatically enrolled in the health plan at no cost to you. MSU pays the premium for your health coverage. Through the health plan, you have access to quality health care through hospitals, physicians, and affiliated health care professionals in the Aetna provider network. Locate a provider through the Aetna website.
Eligibility and Enrollment Information
Graduate Assistants automatically enrolled in the MSU GA Health Insurance Plan will receive information via email to access the enrollment and waiver portal through Academic HealthPlans (AHP).
Graduate Assistants are eligible for and automatically enrolled in the Graduate Assistant health plan if the following criteria are met:
- 1/4, 1/2, or 3/4 appointments (eligible for tuition waiver); AND
- Who have worked at least 53 calendar days during their Fall or Spring appointment, or 46 calendar days during their Summer appointment
- Appropriate number of enrolled credits per semester as noted in the FAQ sheet below
For further details regarding GA appointments, review Assistantships FAQs.
Graduate Assistants may cover the following eligible dependents on their health insurance plan.
- Spouse/Other Eligible Individual (OEI)
- Children (must be under the age of 26)
- Stepchildren (must be under the age of 26)
Access the enrollment system on the AHP website.
Eligible Dependents must be enrolled in the same period as the primary policy holder (Graduate Assistant).
For details regarding optional dental and vision enrollment, visit the pages below:
Please review plan design details for the Aetna GA Health plan and the Academic HealthPlans (AHP) administration details on the Health Plan Design and Administration page.
Fall 2025 GA tuition waiver and insurance processing began on 07/28/2025. After this date, GAs with a fully approved hiring record and credit enrollment will be updated to have an applied tuition waiver and enrollment in the GA insurance plan.
Please note: Fall GA hiring is extremely high volume. Hiring forms will be approved by MSU HR in the order recieved and tution waiver/GA health insurance will be added accordingly for the semester. If there are concerns regarding the processing timeline and securing a GA insurance record sooner, hiring departments may follow the GA Residency Exception process.
All international students are automatically enrolled in the Student Health Insurance Plan. If an international student has obtained an assistantship, the Student Health Insurance record will update to the Gradaute Assistant Health Insurance Plan in accordance with GA hiring noted above.
- Assistantship FAQ (including credit requirements and days worked to qualify for GA tuition waiver and health insurance)
- Stipend Ranges and Specific Identification Charges
- Hiring a Gradaute Assistant Toolkit
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Student Information System Job Aids
- GA Residency Exception: the information in this job aid will assist staff in completing a GA Residency Exception in SIS, so graduate assistants can receive their tuition waiver and benefits while HR information is processed.
