Health and Money Matters

Required Health Immunizations

You will be required to have certain Health Immunizations either prior to your arrival or upon your arrival. The Campus Health Center will be sending you information about these requirements separately. Below is a short summary of some of the requirements.

  • Tuberculosis (TB) test (administered no more than 3 months before arriving in Riverside
  • Hepatitis B series must be started for students 19 years of age and younger.

Questions? Contact Marilyn Grassman at the Campus Health Center (951) 827-3968. You may also e-mail Marilyn at mgrassman@ucr.edu.


Medical Insurance

All foreign students are required to have medical insurance. You will be enrolled in a UCR policy, and the fee for the insurance is included in your quarterly fee statement. UCR may accept medical insurance coverage from an outside agency if the coverage meets UCR requirements and has a claims paying agency in the United States. However, you must apply for a waiver immediately. Do not purchase health insurance in your home country without first contacting the Student Health Office. For any questions regarding the waiver policy, please contact the Student Insurance Office at (951) 827-5683. You may also obtain more information by e-mailing Carla Short at carla.short@ucr.edu, or by visiting the campus heath center website.

  •  It is a United States federal government requirement that dependents have adequate medical insurance coverage for the period of their stay in the U.S.  Specific insurance coverage requirements are available at the IEC.  Medical insurance brochures are available as well.

IMPORTANT: Your insurance coverage at UCR will not begin until the first day of the quarter, March 26, 2008. Please purchase temporary travel insurance to ensure that you have coverage from the time you enter the United States until the beginning of the quarter.


Money and Expenses


You must bring enough money to pay University fees (tuition, fees, and health insurance) and move-in costs for housing. Remember to consider your own personal expenses as well.  Estimated fees are available at http://registrar.ucr.edu under Fees and Tuition. We estimate that your initial move-in expenses will be about $1,500-$2,500. You may pay your University fees with a credit card but keep in mind that the University only accepts certain types of credit cards. You may also bring traveler's checks in U.S. dollars. For other expenses, credit cards will be very useful. Do not bring a check or draft in foreign currency, or even from a non-California bank since access to your money will be restricted for up to one month until the check is cleared. If you are on a fellowship, the money you need to bring is going to be less than the estimated costs for students not on a fellowship.

Please see our international student handbook for general information about banking in the USA.