Parents and Families

Dear Parents and Families:

Welcome to the Terrapin Family!  As your student prepares to join our campus community, we want to provide you with important information about necessary items that must be completed before the start of the semester, including:

• mandatory health insurance,
• required up-to-date immunizations, and
• required online wellness training.

Learn more about these requirements on this web page. These requirements represent our community values regarding the health and wellness of all Terps and are designed to keep your student and our community healthy and safe. 

Office of Family Engagement

As a reminder, the Office of Family Engagement is here to educate and engage parents and families in becoming informed partners in your student’s education, personal development, and success. You should already be registered to receive communications with important University information and updates from the Terp Family eConnection portal. If you haven't received any communications, please register for the Terp Family eConnection portal at terpfamily.campusesp.com. Should you have questions or need assistance in supporting your student at UMD, please contact the Family Engagement team, located in the Dean of Students office, at 301.314.8429 or email terpfamily@umd.edu.   

 Thank you for encouraging your student to attend to these important matters. We look forward to supporting you and your student this upcoming academic year. 

Submitting Immunization Information

To ensure the health and safety of all students on our campus, the University requires that all students submit proof of immunizations by the first day of fall classes for students admitted in the fall and by the first day of spring classes for students admitted in the spring.  For more information about required vaccines, please visit health.umd.edu/immunizations.

The Immunization Record form can be found at health.umd.edu/home/forms. Your student can scan and upload the completed form and enter their immunization information by going to myuhc.umd.edu, using their Directory ID and password to log in, and clicking “Forms” on the left-hand side. Use of the UMD Immunization Record form is preferred, but immunization documentation from a medical provider is also acceptable. If they experience difficulty submitting the form through myuhc.umd.edu, they may fax the completed Immunization Record form to the Immunization Clinic at 301.314.5234. 

Once a student’s immunization record is reviewed, they will receive an email about its status and whether additional information is required.  Incomplete immunization submissions may affect the student’s registration status. For assistance or more information, please call the Immunization Clinic at 301.314.8114.

Annual Submission Requirement and Important Deadline

Providing proof of health insurance is an annual process. Students must provide proof each academic year. 

All undergraduate students taking six or more credits are required to have health insurance.  You can show proof of health insurance by completing an online “hard waiver” found at umd.myahpcare.com, or you can purchase the University’s Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP).  SHIP is an affordable, high-quality plan that covers students at the University Health Center and across the country. Please visit the University Health Center website at health.umd.edu/mandatory-insurance for more information. 

Unless you have already submitted an approved health insurance waiver, SHIP will be charged to your student's financial services account once they register for classes at orientation.  For students admitted in the fall semester you must complete the waiver by September 19 to remove this charge from the tuition account.   After September 19, no refunds are possible for this charge. For students admitted in the spring semester you must complete the waiver by February 15 to remove this charge from the tuition account.   After February 15, no refunds are possible for this charge.  Please visit health.umd.edu/mandatory-insurance if you have questions about the process or contact the University Health Center Insurance & Billing Office at uhc-insurance@umd.edu or 301.314.8165.

All incoming undergraduate students must complete two online health education programs prior to arrival on campus. These requirements are designed to keep your student and members of their community as healthy and safe as possible.

The Campus Sexual Violence Elimination (Campus SaVE) Act (2013) requires institutions to provide education and awareness programs to enrolled students, including sexual violence prevention education. The Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1989 requires institutions of higher education across the country to provide alcohol prevention education to all incoming college students, and the “Start Talking Maryland Act” of 2017 requires similar training, but for opioid misuse, to be provided to all college students in Maryland. 

Your student must complete all sections of both trainings to be in compliance with this requirement. The courses will be accessible around the clock, and your student will be able to stop, save their work, and return to the courses to complete them at their own pace. These programs equip them with knowledge and skills that will help them make responsible decisions regarding alcohol, avoid drug misuse and addiction, and recognize and respond to sexual assault and harassment.

We strongly encourage you to talk openly and often with your student about the complex issues addressed in these training sessions. If you have questions about the required training, please contact wellnesstraining@umd.edu. Additional resources are available at studentaffairs.umd.edu/student-life/wellness-training. 

Click below to learn more about how to access wellness trainings:

Students are developing adults who are learning to make their own health decisions.  As such, it is important that we offer the opportunity for students to make these decisions with assurance that their confidentiality will be respected.

All services provided to students and communication with clinicians are confidential. With a student’s permission, we will share health information with families, friends or other health care providers.  This permission is encounter specific; we generally do not permit blanket permission to be signed for an extended period of time. The University Health Center is compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) regulations. Please see our Notice of Privacy Practices (link) for details regarding privacy and confidentiality.   

For questions concerning confidentiality, email health@umd.edu

The University Health Center Behavioral Health Service offers confidential, high quality and convenient services for University of Maryland students. Our staff are licensed and board certified, trainees are closely supervised by our professional staff, records are peer reviewed and staff are evaluated regularly. Learn more about how we protect your confidentiality.

CARE to Stop Violence has trained and professional advocates who can provide resources, support and assistance to persons via email, telephone, or in person.  We can assist individuals in several ways including:

• Provide crisis intervention and crisis de-escalation
• Helping you understand options that may exist and the pros and cons of choices
• Helping you access medical care, both on and off campus
• Maintaining confidentiality
• Providing short term counseling and/or referrals to community resources as necessary
• Help with academic support letters
• Support for friends, family and people who care about you
• Providing transportation
• Providing alternative housing
• Providing financial assistance
• Helping you find faith-based services
• Helping you find legal assistance
• Assistance in filing claim with the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board
• Acting as liaison between you and other campus offices and off campus service providers including Office on Student Conduct, Rights and Responsibilities, and Title IX

click here or the image below to view the College Parents Matter Newsletter