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Postdoctoral and Graduate Student Fellows Insurance Enrollment Process

According to Section 1601.1021 of the Texas Insurance Code, postdoctoral fellows and graduate student fellows who meet the following criteria are eligible to participate in the Texas A&M University System insurance programs.

  • Hold a postdoctoral fellowship, or
  • Have one or more graduate student fellowships awarded to the individual on a competitive basis that, either singly or in combination, are valued at not less than $10,000 per year, and
  • are currently receiving a stipend from an applicable fellowship.

Insurance Options

Eligible fellows may enroll in health, dental, and vision insurance through Texas A&M.

Enrollment Scenarios

Graduate Assistant to Graduate Fellow (fellowship less than one year, returning to assistantship)

  • Submit a Fellowship Notice of Intent or fellowship award letter to benefits@tamu.edu within the month the fellowship begins.
  • The HR Generalist will place the student on leave of absence or leave without pay (LWOP).
  • The student must elect to maintain or drop insurance coverage in Workday within two weeks. No changes are allowed after this window.
  • International students are automatically enrolled in health insurance via the International Student Insurance fee. No action is needed for health coverage, but other benefits may be maintained through Workday.

Note: The student must have held a benefit-eligible assistantship for at least 4.5 months before the fellowship start date and may not be employed by the Texas A&M System while on LWOP.

Graduate Fellows

  • Fellows enrolled in 5 or more credit hours may enroll directly through Academic Health Plans at the start of each semester.
  • Fellows enrolled in fewer than 5 credit hours or those wishing to enroll in employee insurance plans must:
  • International students are automatically enrolled in health insurance via the International Student Insurance fee.

Postdoctoral Fellows

Workday Enrollment Steps

  1. Certification:
    • The appropriate office completes the Fellow Certification Form:
      • Academic Department - Department Head identifies individuals within the department that meet the criteria and completes the certification form.
      • The Office of Graduate and Professional Studies - completes the forms for all Texas A&M University and National graduate fellowships administered by their office.
      • Vice President for Research Office - For postdoctoral fellows, send the completed Certification Form along with stipend verification from the external sponsor to Katherine Kissmann. The Division of Research will confirm that the individual is a current Postdoctoral Fellow.
  2. Submission Deadline:
    • The fellow must enroll in benefits in Workday by the end of the month in which the fellowship begins.
    • The appropriate office must complete and submit the Certification Form in a timely manner to ensure compliance with the enrollment deadline. If enrolling with an effective date of the fellowship start date, the form must be returned within 7 days of the fellowship start date.
  3. Processing:
    • Human Resources receives the form at benefits@tamu.edu.
    • Benefit Services notifies the fellow of insurance options and enrollment instructions.
    • Benefit Services creates or updates a Workday record to trigger benefit eligibility.
    • The fellow receives a benefit event and must enroll in coverage within the designated enrollment window.
  4. Payment:
    • Fellows are responsible for the full insurance premium, paid through In-House Billing.
    • Payment arrangements (bank draft, check, or money order) are coordinated via email from System Insurance Billing.
  5. Termination:
    • Department heads must notify Benefit Services when a fellow leaves the university or no longer meets the eligibility criteria.

For more information, visit the Postdoctoral and Graduate Student Fellow Benefits page.