Columbia Health provides integrated, accessible services and programs that support the well-being of the campus community and the personal and academic development of students on the Morningside Campus. Columbia Health comprises more than 130 medical providers, dietitians, disability specialists, health educators, therapists, psychiatrists, peer counselors, student personnel, support staff, and administrative professionals. All programs and services provided by Columbia Health adhere to strict standards of confidentiality in compliance with State and Federal laws.
- Departments
- Emergency Contacts
- Columbia Health Fee
- Columbia Student Medical Insurance
- Immunization Requirements
Departments
Alice! Health Promotion
Alice! Health Promotion recognizes that health is a vital part of learning and works to create and sustain a healthy campus community in which students can achieve their personal and academic goals. Alice! coordinates Stressbusters, CU Move, and Go Ask Alice!, a leading health question-and-answer Internet resource. Wien Hall, Main Floor; (212) 854-5453.
Counseling and Psychological Services
Counseling and Psychological Services supports the psychological and emotional well-being of the campus community by providing short-term individual counseling for students, couples counseling for students and their partners, student-life support groups, and medication consultations. Emergency consultations are available to the entire university community. Alfred Lerner Hall, 8th Floor; (212) 854-2878.
Disability Services
Disability Services facilitates equal access for students with disabilities by coordinating reasonable accommodations and support services, cultivating a campus culture that is sensitive and responsive to the needs of students.
Accommodations are adjustments to policies, practices, and procedures that “level the playing field” for students with disabilities and provide equal access to Columbia’s programs and activities. Examples include the administration of exams, services such as note-taking, sign language interpreters, or assistive technology, and coordination of accessible housing needs. Accommodation plans and services are specific to the disability-related needs of each student and are determined according to documented needs and the student’s program requirements.
Registration includes submission of both the Registration Form and disability documentation. The application and disability documentation guidelines are available online and at the Disability Services office. Students are encouraged to register within the first two weeks of the semester to ensure that reasonable accommodations can be made for that term. Please note that students are not eligible to receive accommodations until the registration process is complete.
Disability Services Liaisons are designated faculty or staff from each school, academic program, or campus service who work with Disability Services to coordinate accommodations for students with disabilities.
Contact: telephone: (212) 854-2388; (Voice/TTY); fax: (212) 854-3448; email: disability@columbia.edu; http://www.health.columbia.edu/ods.
The Morningside campus office is located on the 7th floor of Lerner Hall, and the Medical Center Campus office is located at 101 Bard Hall.
Medical Services
Medical Services provides comprehensive care for routine, urgent, and chronic medical needs of students. Medical Services also provides sexual health services, reproductive and gynecological services, travel medicine, LGBTQ health care, immunizations, confidential HIV testing, and referrals. Medical Services includes the Travel Medicine Program, Columbia University Emergency Medical Service (CU-EMS), and the Gay Health Advocacy Project (GHAP).
John Jay Hall, 3rd & 4th Floors; (212) 854-7426.
Sexual Violence Response
Sexual Violence Response educates students and administrators about consent and coercion, and promotes community standards for a respectful and safe campus. Through its programs and services, Sexual Violence Response fosters individual and collective action to end sexual and relationship violence. The Rape Crisis/Anti-Violence Support Center provides peer counseling, advocacy, and education to survivors and co-survivors of sexual assault, relationship violence, childhood sexual abuse, and other forms of violence. The Men's Peer Education Program provides educational events, prevention strategies, and leadership training programs to engage men to end sexual and relationship violence.
- Sexual Violence Response: Alfred Lerner Hall, 3rd Floor; (212) 854-3500
- Rape Crisis/Anti-Violence Support Center: Barnard Campus; (212) 854-HELP
- Men’s Peer Education: Alfred Lerner Hall, 3rd Floor; (212) 854-2136
For information on how to report sexual assault, or for the University's Gender-Based Misconduct Policies for Students, please contact Student Services for Gender-Based and Sexual Misconduct at (212) 854-1717, mt2738@columbia.edu, or go to Wien Hall, Suite 108C.
Emergency Contact Information
(See the Columbia Health website for complete contact information.)
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Columbia Health Fee
By paying the Columbia Health Fee, students enroll in the Columbia Health Program and are granted access to the programs and services provided on campus through the five Columbia Health departments. The fee also includes coverage for specific off-campus services.
The fee is mandatory and automatically billed through the Student Account Statement to all full-time students and to those who elect enrollment in the Columbia Student Medical Insurance Plan. Other students may elect enrollment in the Columbia Health Program. The fee is then added to the Student Account Statement. After paying the fee, students pay no additional charges when using services provided on campus, except for immunizations and travel assessments.
The fee provides coverage for services from September 1 to August 31 of the following year. Please visit the Columbia Health website to review the full program description and benefits under the Columbia Health Program.
Part-time students who choose not to enroll in the Columbia Health Program are eligible to receive Primary Care services for a fee of $60 per visit. Spouses and partners of Columbia students are not eligible to enroll in the Health Service Program. In urgent situations, spouses and partners may receive care at Primary Care Medical Services for a $60 fee per visit. Health Services at Columbia is unable to provide services to dependent children. For more information on fees, see the Columbia Health website.
Please note that students enrolled in programs on the Morningside Campus and students enrolled in programs at the College of Physicians and Surgeons or the Mailman School of Public Health pay the health service fee and health insurance premiums in effect at their respective campus.
Columbia Student Medical Insurance Plan
University policy requires all registered full-time students to have acceptable health insurance coverage. Columbia University offers the Columbia Student Medical Insurance Plan, which provides both Basic and Comprehensive levels of coverage. The Columbia Plan is administered by Aetna Student Health and is underwritten by Aetna. Full-time students and students living in Columbia housing are automatically enrolled in the Basic level of the plan and billed for the insurance premium in addition to the Columbia Health Fee.
Part-time students may elect enrollment in the Columbia Health Program and in the Columbia Student Medical Insurance Plan. Part-time students who have been insured under the Columbia Student Medical Insurance Plan in previous years and wish to enroll again must re-enroll by September 30 in order to avoid a break in coverage for conditions that existed in the prior policy years.
Funded graduate students who chose to enroll in the Comprehensive Plan are entitled to a scholarship that covers half of the difference between the Basic and Comprehensive Plans. Please contact the GSAS Office of Financial Aid for further information about the scholarship.
Please note: Graduate students who 1) receive a GSAS fellowship to cover the Student Medical Insurance Plan and 2) choose to waive enrollment in the Student Medical Insurance Plan are not entitled to receive a refund of that fellowship from their student account.
For detailed information about medical insurance coverage options and directions for confirming enrollment, upgrading coverage, or requesting a waiver, visit the Columbia Health website.
Dependent Coverage
Students who enroll in the Columbia Student Medical Insurance Plan may also choose to make use of the optional insurance for eligible dependents. Funded graduate students who chose to enroll their dependents in the Dependent Plan are entitled to a scholarship that covers half of the cost for the Dependent Plan.
Please contact the GSAS Office of Financial Aid for further information about the scholarship. Please contact Columbia Health for further information regarding the dependent care plan.
Immunization Requirements
Meningococcal Meningitis Vaccine Decision
New York State public health law requires that university students receive information from their institutions about meningococcal meningitis and the vaccine that protects against most strains of the disease that occur on university campuses. Columbia University students must certify their meningitis vaccination decision on the Columbia Health website. Students must use their individual University Network ID (UNI) and password to provide this certification, which must be completed before registration for classes is permitted.
Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR)
New York State public health law requires that university students taking 6 or more credits provide documentation of immunity to MMR before their first term of study. There are several ways to document immunity.
If you have any questions about these requirements, please email hs-enrollment@columbia.edu or visit the Columbia Health website.