Free condoms and other health care at Columbia?

Welcome to Columbia! 

To begin, yes, free condoms and other safer sex supplies are available on both the Morningside and Medical Center campuses, such as at Alice!, Medical Services, the Student Wellness Office, and many other places. You can also check out the map of safer sex supplies campus  to get a visual display of locations on the Morningside campus. Many Resident Advisors (RAs) also stock their floors with safer sex materials.

In addition to free safer sex supplies (female and male condoms, lube, dental dams, and more), Columbia offers a wide range of health-related services to students. Columbia Health on the Morningside Campus and Student Health Services on the CUMC campus provide extensive on-campus services, supported by a fee that all full-time students are required to pay. By paying this fee, students are able to access most campus-based health services and programs at no additional charge (the exceptions being for travel medicine appointments and some vaccinations). Columbia also requires all full-time students to carry adequate health insurance to cover any off-campus services (emergencies, prescriptions, visits to specialist providers, surgery, etc.). The Columbia Student Health Insurance Plan  for both Morningside and Medical Center students is designed specifically for students living in New York to provide local resources for health care and to help cover the cost of off-campus services.

Columbia students can make appointments at Medical Services (Morningside) or the Student Health Services (CUMC) to receive prescriptions for birth control and any other health needs. Prior to meeting with a health care provider, some students prefer to talk about the many contraceptive options available and choose the one(s) that best match their goals, medical history, budget, and style. To speak with a health educator about contraception options, contact  Alice! Health Promotion (Morningside) to schedule an appointment.

It’s good to note that prescription contraception, such as the birth control pill, may not dispensed on campus. However, Columbia students may receive a prescription from Medical Services or Student Health Services (depending on your campus) and fill it at any number of local pharmacies. With changes to health insurance laws and requirements, a number of contraception options are available to students covered by health insurance with no co-pay (basically no out of pocket expense for the prescription). In addition, you can find plenty of additional information about contraception and safer sex in Go Ask Alice!’s Sexual & Reproductive Health archive. Again, welcome to Columbia and we wish you success in your studies.