Stanford requires that all registered students carry health insurance that meets minimum standards set by the university. This requirement can be met either through Cardinal Care, the university-sponsored student health insurance plan, or through use of an alternative health insurance plan that has comparable benefits.
Preliminary Information About Cardinal Care for 2025-2026
For the 2025-2026 year, a competitive bidding process for the Cardinal Care contract is underway. Additional information and details about the Cardinal Care and Dependent Care programs will be available later this spring; the premium has been set at $8,232 for the 2025-2026 plan year, which runs September 1 through August 31. This amount reflects an 8% increase over the current year’s published premium.
Dependents of students who choose to have health insurance coverage through the university will be eligible to enroll in the Dependent Care plan, which offers the same comprehensive benefits as Cardinal Care.
Key Points Regarding the Cardinal Care Premium
- For graduate students who have a research or teaching assistantship of at least 25%, the premium cost of Cardinal Care is fully covered.
- Many undergraduates use their family’s health insurance. Those who do not, and enroll in Cardinal Care, may be eligible for financial aid to help cover the cost of Cardinal Care. (Students who have zero expected parental tuition contribution are typically eligible for scholarship funds to cover the full cost of Cardinal Care.)
The costs associated with health care continue to rise at a pace that routinely exceeds general inflation, and the San Francisco Bay Area is a particularly high-cost area for health care. Stanford University is committed to managing Cardinal Care attentively given these circumstances and to helping students and others in our community be effective and responsible consumers of services.
