Student Wellness and Wellbeing
Student Health on Haven is the primary resource for students’ health care needs while in graduate studies at VP&S at Columbia University. There are dedicated teams that provide medical services, counseling services and range of resources and support for supporting students wellness and wellbeing throughout the course of their graduate careers. Students enrolled in the Columbia University Student Health Insurance Plan also have access to dental benefits and vision benefits.
50 Haven Athletic Center
50 Haven Athletic Center is Columbia University Irving Medical Center's go-to resource for fitness activities and programs. Conveniently located on levels 2B and 3B of 50 Haven Avenue, T A range of fitness equipment, a pool, and personalized workouts and fitness classes are available.
iGrad: financial education and wellness tools
Having a clear handle on your money matters can vastly improve your well-being. That's why Columbia has partner with iGrad. Provided free to students, this site provides interactive financial education and wellness tools, scholarship information, student loan management resources, plus webinars, videos and more. Columbia.iGrad.com can help you get on the path to financial wellness.
Student Emergency/Hardship Fund
The Student Emergency/Hardship Fund is intended to mitigate financial hardship that results from sudden, extreme, and unanticipated circumstances, and which may preclude the student from completing their studies. The fund reimburses one-time expenses up to $5,000 for students who demonstrate that expenses cannot be covered by current sources of income or other personal resources. Students must be currently registered in a VIBRE supported doctoral program. Expenses must be for immediate circumstances and directly related to the student. Expenses must be for new and unanticipated, non-recurring circumstance.
Applicants must provide a brief description (300 words or less) of their unanticipated hardship. The description should include details about the circumstances that present the hardship. Applicants must submit all required application materials and related receipts to the Office of Graduate Affairs Email : Biomedicalsciences@cumc.columbia.edu.
Accommodations for Pregnant Students
The University’s Title IX Coordinator works to ensure that Columbia’s programs and classrooms are accessible to students experiencing any pregnancy-related condition for which they may need accommodations, including pregnancy, fertility treatments, and medical conditions related to miscarriage.
Lactation Rooms
The university provides lactation rooms on all three of its Manhattan-based campuses.
Child-Care Subsidy
Parents who are PhD candidates enrolled in VIBRE are eligible to receive a $5,000 subsidy for each child who qualifies by being under the age of 6 and not yet attending kindergarten for FY23-24. If both parents are PhD students in VIBRE, each of them can apply individually for the child-care subsidy. The Application for Child-Care Subsidy must be submitted each academic year to the OGA (Biomedicalsciences@cumc.columbia.edu). For each eligible child, a copy of his/her birth certificate or adoption documents must be attached.