Student Services

September start students: All coverages are from September 1 to August 31. Prices are for the entire coverage period and cannot be pro-rated.

You can Opt-In Here!

January opt-in new start students: All coverages are from January 1 to August 31. Prices are for the entire coverage period are pro-rated.

Winter 2026

Only if you are beginning your studies for the very first time as a graduate student are you able to opt in yourself and/or your dependants from January 5th to February 13th  (i.e  You are starting Your First Term As A Graduate Student At Carleton University in Winter 2026.)

If you are a coop student starting in the winter, part time student or full time, this is your opt in period.

Fall 2025 Prices:

Fall 2025 New Start Students – Opting In (Joining the Plan)

The Opt-In deadline will be October 10th, 2025. After this deadline, no exceptions can be made. If you are a part-time or coop student you must fill out the opt-in form on our website as you will not be automatically enrolled in the healthplan. You can opt-in as soon as September 1st, when the link on our website will be live.

 Students may also elect to add their spouse (including same-sex and common-law partners) and/or dependent children to the plan. All dependent children must be under the age of 21 unless enrolled in post-secondary school, full-time, then up to age 25.

The Opt-In timeline is from early September to October 10th 2025.

The Opt in link is available here!

To opt in dependants, students must complete the online opt-in application and pay the application fee by October 10th, 2025. The coverage period will be August 31st,  2025 to August 31, 2026. Students and applicable dependent coverage will be processed after October 10th ,2025 and will receive an email confirming plan activation. Any claims made between  August 31st- October 10th, 2025 may be subject to a temporary inactive period where claims can be submitted retroactively.  The temporary inactive period can be 1.5-2 months.  Plan activation can be submitted once coverage is activated for consideration. Students who opt-in can create a GSC Everywhere account at www.gsceverywhere.ca.

The Opt In Portal Is Open!

Make sure to opt in by October 10th, 2025.

Opting Out (Leaving the Plan)

 The Opt Out deadline is firm without any exceptions once it is passed. The deadline will be October 10th, 2025. The link will be live on September 1st and posted here. 

You can only opt out of your benefit plan when the opt-out period is open.  The form to opt-out will be opened from  Early September, 2025 to October 10th, 2025.

Please make sure that you opt-out correctly. The only way to opt out of the GSA Greenshield healthplan is through the form that is posted on our website on September 1st. 

The Opt-Out Portal Is Here!

There is no option to opt out through Carleton Central, you must come to our website!

Incorrect opt-outs cannot be processed by the GSA

Full-time students who are already covered under a comparable or better insurance plan may opt to leave the plan, and must fill out the form by October 10th, 2025. Students must opt-out of the plan on an annual basis before the opt-out deadline. Refunds will be made directly to students’ Carleton Central accounts by the end of term 2025.

Health coverage includes prescription medications, medical items, practitioners, Inkblot Therapy, vision, accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D), and travel benefits. By opting-out of the health plan, students will not have access to these benefits. The dental coverage includes dental benefits. Opting-out of the dental plan will result in a loss of these benefits. Once the opt-out application is approved, students will not be able to join the plan by opting in for the remainder of the plan year.

To opt-out, students must provide proof of comparable or better alternative insurance when completing the opt-out application. The CUPE 4600 Teaching Assistant (TA) plan and University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP) are not valid comparable or alternative insurance plans that can be used to opt-out. 

All opt-out applications must be submitted using the opt-out tool website prior to the October 10th, 2025 deadline. No other proof of opt-out will be accepted including but not limited to, opt-out forms filled out on other students’ unions websites and/or their affiliated brokers or plan providers’ websites. No exceptions will be made.

Once the opt-out period closes, all opt-out applications will be reviewed. If additional information is required, students will receive an email requesting the details. Approved applications will receive a refund directly to their university student account by the end of term 2024. Undergraduate students (Bachelors degrees) who may want to opt out or opt in of their health plan should visit the CUSA website.

Ensure that you are opting out of the right healthplan. Carleton University may have placed only a studentcare link at Carleton Central. Studentcare is not the healthplan of graduate students only undergraduates. Your graduate healthplan is from Greenshield Canada and only opt-outs from Greenshield Canada can be processed by the GSA. 

The GSA provides travel insurance automatically and at no additional cost to health plan members. Coverage is for a maximum of 60 days per trip, and for a maximum of $5,000,000 per student for emergency medical care. This coverage is for emergency medical only, not for flight cancellations, or for lost luggage. Students who have opted out of the health portion of the health and dental plan are not covered by travel insurance.

For assistance dial 1.800.936.6226 within Canada and the United States or call collect 0.519.742.3556 when traveling outside Canada and the United States. These numbers appear on your GSC Identification Card.

Quote your GSC Identification Number, found on your Identification Card, and explain your medical emergency. You must always be able to provide your GSC Identification Number and your provincial/territorial health insurance plan number.
A multilingual Assistance Specialist will provide direction to the best available medical facility or legally qualified physician able to provide the appropriate care.

Upon admission to a hospital or when consulting a legally qualified physician or surgeon for major emergency treatment, we will guarantee the provider (hospital, clinic or physician), that you have the required provincial/territorial health insurance plan coverage and GSC travel benefits as detailed above.

GSC Travel Assistance will follow your progress to ensure that you are receiving the best available medical treatment. GSC Travel Assistance also keeps in constant communication with your family physician and your family, depending on the severity of your condition.

When calling collect while travelling outside Canada and the United States, you may require a Canada Direct Calling Code. In the event that a collect call is not possible, keep your receipts for phone calls made to GSC Travel Assistance and submit them for reimbursement upon your return to Canada.

Read the full benefits booklet to learn all the details, which can be found here:

https://www.greenshield.ca/en-ca/student-centre/carleton-grads-home-car

Inkblot Therapy program featuring 5 hours of included counselling, 5 hours of couple counselling, and student assistance program.

Health and Counselling Services. Carleton has a graduate counsellor racialized counsellor and 2SLGBTQAI counsellor as well as can prioritize students within 48 hours for intake. For students who are in need of urgent intake please indicate this at health and counselling services

(613) 520-6674 For short-term counselling services.

Inkblot services are eligible for students through their Greenshield Plan. Please remember that your policy number is CAR-(Carleton Student Number)-00. Students are provided five hours of free virtual counselling.  Students are eligible for 500 free minutes of counselling.

Mental health practitioners coverage at $50/visit, $500 per benefit year including Psychologist, Social Worker/Counsellor, Master of Social Work, or Psychotherapist is covered under the Greenshield plan.

Mental Health Resources/ Support Lines

A variety of common questions and their associated answers are available below.

ENROLLMENT 

Who is automatically enrolled?

• All full-time graduate students at Carleton University are automatically enrolled in the GSA health and dental plan. Students can confirm if they are enrolled by logging in to Carleton Central and checking for the “Health Insurance (Grad)” charge for to your student account. All other graduate students, including part-time and co-op students may elect to opt-in to the plan. If you are not a fall program start student, are a coop student, switch your student status to part-time or are a part-time student, you are not automatically enrolled in the healthplan and are responsible for doing so by the deadline if you are interested in health insurance. 

When can I begin using my benefits?

• For students enrolled in September, benefits are effective September 1. However,  depending on when you enrolled to your program or if you recently changed student status, you may experience a waiting period before being able to access your benefits. This waiting period is usually between 1.5 to 2 months. If by November you still are not able to submit claims to your healthplan please email gsacarleton@studenthealth.ca

What is a waiting period?

• The University provides the GSA with a list of all eligible graduate students who have been charged the health and dental plan fee at the end of August. This file is activated so that students who enrolled prior to the file date can begin accessing benefits on September 1. The University provides the GSA with additional files throughout September and a final file after the add/drop deadline. Therefore, if you changed your student status within this period, your coverage may not be activated immediately. This period is referred to as the waiting period. Regardless of when your coverage is activated, September start students’ benefits are retroactively effective to September 1. This means if you used any of your benefits beginning September 1, you can submit them to GSC once your enrolment is activated for consideration. The waiting period is about two months to be activated. You can submit claims retroactively. 

I changed my student status after September 30, am I enrolled?

• Students can add or withdraw from courses during the month of September. In special circumstances, the University may allow exceptions to this rule after the specific deadlines. In the event of these special exceptions, students should consult their Carleton Central account to verify if the “Health Insurance (Grad)” charge for has been applied.

How much does it cost?

• Please consult the plan pricing available on our Opt in and Opt Out Tab.

How am I charged for the plan?

• Full-time graduate students are automatically enrolled and charged for the plan. The charge is made to students’ accounts. Students who elect to opt-in to the plan, or who opt-in dependents, will make payment by credit card via the GSA’s Opt-In tool. For more details on opting-in, please visit our Cost of Opt In and Opt Out Tab.

I am trying to use the plan but am told I am not enrolled, what now?

• If you are trying to use your plan, ensure you are using your correct GSC member ID. This is the prefix CAR followed by your Carleton University student number and -00. For example, CAR101234567-00. If you enroll a spouse/common-law partner to the plan, their GSC member ID is the same as yours with the exception that the last two digits following the dash is -01. Dependent children will be -02, -03, -04, etc from oldest to youngest in age.
• If you are using the correct GSC member ID, please consult your Carleton Central account and verify you have been assessed the “Health Insurance (Grad)” charge for  If this charge is not present, or you have been refunded for this amount, it means you are not enrolled as you are not eligible for the plan or opted-out.
• If you are using the correct GSC member ID and have verified that you have been charged for the plan, please email gsacarleton@studenthealth.ca and include a screenshot of your Carleton Central fees statement.

OPTING-IN / OPTING-OUT

Can I opt out of the plan?

• Full-time students who are already covered under a comparable or better insurance plan may opt to leave the plan, with a refund. An application to opt-out must be submitted to GSC before the opt-out deadline.  No exceptions can be made if these steps are not completed by the deadline. After completing the opt-out application, students will receive a confirmation email that their application to opt-out has been received. If this email is not received, the application to opt-out was not successfully submitted.
• Applications to opt-out are assessed for eligibility and comparable alternative coverage is verified. Once approved, students will receive an email notification notifying them of a successful opt-out and a refund will be applied to the student account via Carleton Central by the start of November. If you have not received your opt out by then please contact gsahealth@studenthealth.ca and gsa@gsacarleton.ca
• Please remember that having UHIP or OHIP is not equal or comparable coverage and will not qualify as alternative coverage for an opt out.
• For more information on opting-out, please visit Costs, Opt-in, Opt-Out page.

I am an international student. Can I opt-out of the GSA plan using UHIP?

• No, the University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP) is not comparable coverage to the GSA health and dental plan and cannot be used to opt-out of the GSA plan. UHIP provides students with access to primary care, such as visiting a doctor, hospital coverage, and emergencies. The GSA health and dental plan provides students with supplemental benefits, such as prescription medications, practitioners, vision, dental, travel, and more.

I opted out of the wrong plan, what now?

• Students must opt-out using the GSC opt-out tool before the opt-out deadline. More information on opting-out can be found on our healthplan tab. Students who have opted-out of the wrong plan, which is discovered after the opt-out deadline, will not be opted-out of the GSA health and dental plan. Make sure you opt out correctly as we wuill be unable to support you if you opted out of CUSA instead of the GSA.

Can I enroll my family?

• Students who are enrolled to the GSA health and dental plan choose to opt-in their family – specifically their spouse/common-law partner and/or dependent children. All dependent children must be under the age of 21 unless enrolled in post-secondary school, full-time, then up to age 25. Students must submit an application to opt-in family by the opt-in deadline. For more information, visit our healthplan tab.

BENEFITS

What are my benefits?

• The GSA health and dental plan covers supplementary benefits, including prescription medications, medical items, practitioner visits, the Inkblot Therapy student assistance program, eye exams, glasses and/or contacts, teeth cleanings and dental visits, emergency  travel coverage, AD&D, and more. Visit the GSC Student Centre to review all of your benefits.

What if I have another benefit plan?

• If you are enrolled in benefits under another benefits plan, you can remain on the GSA health and dental plan and use both plans to your benefit. This is called coordinating benefits. Depending on the plan that you are enrolled in, one plan becomes the primary plan payer and the other plan becomes the secondary plan payer. Please contact your other plan provider or GSC at GSC Everywhere online portal (gsceverywhere.ca) or the GSC Customer Service Centre at 1.888.711.1119 or customer.service@greenshield.ca to ask more information on how to coordinate your benefits.

How do I submit claims?

• Direct Billing – Payment Direct to Provider: many providers, like pharmacies, dentists, and more will offer direct billing payment direct to provider. This means that GSC will pay the available benefit claim amount directly to the provider, leaving you with less out of pocket expenses. Ask your provider before seeking service if this type of payment is offered.
• Provider Submission of Claim: some providers will offer to submit the claim directly to GSC on behalf of the student. The claim will then be processed and paid directly to the student. This is an excellent reason to sign up for GSC Everywhere and enter your direct deposit information as claims reimbursement is often deposited within 72 hours of claim submission. The type of claim submission requires the student to pay out of pocket the full cost to the provider and be reimbursed by GSC.
• Student Pays Provider and Submits Claim: this method of claim submission requires the student to submit their details of their claim to GSC directly. This can be done by creating a GSC Everywhere account and submitting the claim on your computer or using the GSC Everywhere mobile app.

I am a student living in another province outside of Ontario, will my GSA health and dental plan work?

• Yes, claims made out of province will be considered for reimbursement. All practitioners providing the services must be licensed by their respective provincial licensing body in order for claims to be processed.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

I am an international student. What is UHIP?

• The University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP) provides students with access to primary care, such as visiting a doctor, hospital coverage, and emergencies. This UHIP plan is administered by the International Student Services Office. International Students with questions about the plan should contact the International Student Services Office.

I am an international student. Am I enrolled in the GSA health and dental plan?

• Yes, international students enrolled in full-time study are automatically enrolled to the GSA health and dental plan if they are a Fall start student. International students may choose to opt-in their spouse/common-law partner and/or dependent children to the plan. All dependent children must be under the age of 21 unless enrolled in post-secondary school, full-time, then up to age 25. Visit our healthplan tab for more information.

I am an international student. Can I opt-out of the GSA plan using UHIP?

• No, the University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP) is not comparable coverage to the GSA health and dental plan and cannot be used to opt-out of the GSA plan. UHIP provides students with access to primary care, such as visiting a doctor, hospital coverage, and emergencies. The GSA health and dental plan provides students with supplemental benefits, such as prescription medications, practitioners, vision, dental, travel, and more.

I received a late fee charge and/or see miscellaneous fees related to the health and dental plan on my student account?

Late Charges and Miscellaneous Fees From Carleton University

As a registered student at Carleton University you’re responsible for paying all university fees within the prescribed deadlines. If you don’t pay the GSA Greenshield Canada Plan fee, you may be assessed late fees and interest. We recommend that you pay all university fees even if you are opting out of the GSA Greenshield Canada Health & Dental Plan. If you do opt out of the Plan, you'll receive a credit to your student account for the amount of the Plan.

SUPPORT

I have more questions. Where can I receive help?

• Questions about enrolment, opting-in, or opting-out can be emailed to gsa@gsacarleton.ca or by visiting the GSA office at 600 Nideyinàn (Former UC)
• Questions about benefits, making claims, claims reimbursement, or providers can be made to GSC directly at GSC Everywhere online portal (gsceverywhere.ca) or the GSC Customer Service Centre at 1-888-525-7587 from 8am-8pm or customer.service@greenshield.ca.
• For a more detailed inquiry please direct those to gsacarleton@studenthealth.ca