Depending on where you go to college, there’s a good chance you shell out good money every semester for student health services. Those services and on-campus clinics include more than just quick visits with a nurse or doctor. You usually get loads of other benefits you’ll want to take advantage of.




Some colleges require a special student insurance plan and others simply roll a small health fee into your tuition, so your mileage will vary. Either way, these centers typically offer obvious stuff like free or low-cost nurse visits when you’re sick, annual checkups and wellness exams, reproductive and women’s care, and a variety of general practitioner services. Here are a few other perks you may not know your student health center offers.

Free HIV Testing and STI Screenings

Most schools have some form of free sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing, or at the very least, reduced cost testing. Lots of schools, like the University of Nebraska, offer STI screenings for free whenever you need one, but many others, like the University of South Florida do special screening events on specific dates. Be sure to pop into your student health center and look for a schedule of testing events.


Aside from standard STI screenings, nearly every school in the United States has some form of free, anonymous HIV testing available. This test is typically done at the student health services office by either drawing blood or taking a saliva swab. Like STI screenings, HIV testing is sometimes offered as a walk-in visit, but can also be a special screening event, so check in at your office’s web site to see how they do it.

Free Flu (and Other) Vaccinations

You can find cheap flu vaccinations at a lot of places, but there’s a good chance your student health center sets aside a week or two every year to give out free vaccinations to students. This varies a bit by region and school, so be on the lookout for signs around the beginning of cold and flu season.

It’s not just flu vaccines either. Many colleges, like Lehman College, require vaccinations before enrollment, and to help out many schools that require vaccinations offer cheap or free shots. You might also find other similar types of risk-based vaccination programs, like the University of California, Santa Barbara’s free Meningitis B vaccine program. If for some reason you’re not up-to-date on your vaccinations, check in at the student health center for cheap ways to get caught up before school starts.


Free (or Cheap) Over the Counter Cold Medicines

If you do end up with the flu, a lot of health service centers offer up small packs of free cold, flu, headache, and allergy medicines if you just stop in and ask for them.


Some student health centers, like the ones at Fullerton College or Oxnard College, will give you over the counter meds like aspirin, cough drops, or Ibuprofen for free. If your school doesn’t have free options, most health centers at least sell over the counter meds a little cheaper than you’ll find at the grocery store, or even any on-campus convenience stores you may have.

Free Condoms and Free (or Reduced Cost) Emergency Contraception

If there’s a single universal truth amongst student health clinics across the United States, it’s this: you can get free condoms there. This might vary a little from institution to institution, but it’s a consistent free perk at just about every public college. Heck, if you’re a student at Boston University, they’ll deliver the condoms to you.


Other forms of birth control, including birth control pills and the NuvaRing are often available for a reduced cost as well. Many schools, including Brooklyn University and University of Wisconsin, also have free or reduced-cost emergency contraception, like Plan B or ella.


Free Gum or Patches to Help You Quit Smoking

Want to quit smoking? That’s an excellent decision. Good news too, a lot of schools offer free nicotine patches and gum to help you quit, which is a pretty good deal considering how expensive those products are to buy from a pharmacy.


If your campus is smoke-free (and most are, at least implicitly,) you can guarantee there’s some type of smoking cessation program at the student health services office. For example, Oregon State University and Stony Brook University both give out gum and patches for free and also offer a variety of other support groups, therapy, and other consultation options if you need it. They may also be able to get you a discount on prescription medications like Chantix, so be sure to ask.


Free Mental Health Care To Manage Stress

College is a stressful time in your life, but you’re not alone. Mental health care, like therapy, counseling, support groups, or even peer counseling is often free at your student health center. This often includes short, crisis-based appointments with therapists on site, or vouchers to talk in deeper detail or on an ongoing basis with a therapist off campus. The breadth of services offered varies widely, but most colleges seem to have at least some type of mental health option available, and it’s almost always underutilized.


Some schools go a little further with their perks. Harvard offers individual counseling and group sessions. A lot of schools, like the University of New Mexico offer reduced cost massages, which is great around finals time. Others, like Columbia University offer reduced cost acupuncture. Depending on the type of school you’re attending, you’ll find a variety of different stress managements perks, so when things get a little hairy, it’s well worth a quick visit to the student health services office.

Illustration by Sam Woolley