Student Health

MyChart is the University of Iowa Health Care's patient portal that contains your medical record. We recommend all students sign up for MyChart when they arrive on campus. With a MyChart account, you can:

• Access test results
• Manage your appointments
• Send a message to your healthcare team
• Request prescription refills.  

MyChart is also used for video visits with our providers, which are used for most respiratory symptom appointments and many of our mental health appointments during COVID-19. For more information or to view video tutorials on how to log in for a video appointment, visit the UIHC MyChart website. There is also an app available to download for your phone.  

If you have experience issues when attempting to access your MyChart account, call 800-777-8442. 

All students entering the university are required to show proof of two MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) vaccinations. Health science and international students have additional requirements. 

Visit our immunization page for more information, or visit our forms page to submit your vaccination records.

The University of Iowa strongly encourages students, faculty, and staff to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccination will help protect you from getting COVID-19 and is a safer way to build protection than through natural immunity. The vaccine will be provided free of charge no matter where you are vaccinated. 

For more information on where to get a vaccine, or what to do if you test positive or are exposed, please visit our COVID-19 webpage.

Students enrolled for more than four semester hours are automatically assessed a health fee with their tuition. This fee supports many of our services to students at no cost, including unlimited office visits, and subsidizes the costs associated with other services.

Students are required to have health insurance to cover other charges accrued during health visits at Student Health, such as immunizations, lab tests, physicals, or procedures. Charges may be placed on your U-Bill.

For more information about what your health fee covers, visit our Health Fee/Costs page. For information on all assessed fees, visit the Office of the Registrar's Tuition and Fees website.

The University of Iowa supports your compliance with public health measures recommended to control the spread of communicable illnesses. Student Health does not routinely provide medical documentation of illnesses, however the university provides guidance on class absences on the Office of the Registrar website, including a form that can be submitted to your instructor. Information for students missing class due to COVID-19 can also be found on this page. 

Contact your instructor(s) as soon as possible regarding make-up work. You may use your MyChart to acquire documents regarding medical visits. If you need additional help with this process, please contact the Office of the Dean of Students Student Care and Assistance team.

Our team takes care of more than just illnesses and injuries. We conduct preventive health visits (like physicals or annual exams), chronic disease management (like diabetes or asthma), and women's health care (pap smears, contraceptive management, and procedures). Check out all our available services or call our Nurseline with questions. 

The rapid antigen test looks for specific proteins on the surface of the virus. It is a good self-test if you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19.

• The biggest advantage is that it is fast and easy (do follow all directions carefully). 
• One disadvantage is that it can miss COVID-19 in the early stages of illness.
  • If you test negative, but your symptoms are consistent with COVID-19, we recommend you continue to isolate, mask around others, and re-test with a home test 24 hours after your first test. When re-testing, you can do so with another rapid test or use the Test Iowa saliva test kit. 
  • If you test positive, you should consider yourself infected and follow these guidelines. 
• You can get a free rapid antigen test at the IMU Welcome Center, at your residence hall front desk, or you can order (up to four) from COVIDtests.gov. These are also sold at local drugstores (when available).

The Test Iowa saliva test is a PCR test that works to detect the genetic material of the virus. PCR tests are the gold standard, and are very accurate when properly collected, as analysis is performed in a laboratory ensuring the results are very reliable. 

• The advantage of this test is that it can pick up infection in the very early stages, so it is good to use following an exposure, or for travel or events. The test is so sensitive that it can detect fragments of the COVID-19 virus even after you have recovered and are no longer infectious.
• One disadvantage is that it takes longer to get a result; approximately 12 to 48 hours, possibly longer if the lab is busy with many samples. 
  • If you test negative with the PCR, you most likely did not have COVID-19 at the time of the test. 
  • A positive test means it is highly likely you are infected. 
• The Test Iowa test kit is also free. You can order from Test Iowa or pickup/drop off at the IMU Nurse Care location.