Getting tested for STIs can feel a little overwhelming or even scary. Many people think they would know if they had an STI, but the truth is that many STIs show no signs or symptoms. The only way to know for sure if you or your partner(s), have an STI is to get tested.
The Student Health Center offers on-demand STI testing, where IUB students (who have no symptoms) can be screened for chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and HIV without making an appointment with a health care provider. If test results are positive, a follow-up appointment with a medical provider will be scheduled.
How do I get tested?
Make an appointment for an "On-Demand STI test" using our online scheduler
Arrive 15 minutes before your appointment time and head to the third floor to check-in
After your appointment pay for the test by visiting a cashier on the second floor. These visits will automatically be self-pay and not billed to insurance. If you would like your insurance billed, please let your provider know when you check-in.
Check your test results by logging into the Student Health Center Patient Portal. If your results are positive, you will receive a call from one of our nurses who will schedule a follow-up appointment with one of our providers.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
As long as you’re sexually active, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends you should get tested for STIs at least once a year. If you have a new partner, or more than one partner, have anonymous sex partners, share intravenous needles or infrequently use barrier methods such as condoms or dental dams, you should consider getting tested every three to six months.
After you return your sample, your results will be available in three to five business days. You will only receive a call from one of our nurses if your result is positive. However, you can view your results - negative or positive - in the online patient portal once they become available. No worries - your result will remain confidential.
If your test is positive, a Student Health Center nurse will call you and talk to you about what to do next.
You might feel a little embarrassed, or even afraid, if you receive a positive result, but we promise, you’re not alone. People with STIs can have sex, be in healthy relationships, and live happy and healthy lives. It just means you’re a human who happened to get an infection. The sooner you get tested and treated for an STI, the better. Some STIs have a high reinfection rate, so its important that all partners get tested and treated.
The best thing to do when you find out you have an STI is to follow your health provider’s direction for treating it by taking all your medication as prescribed, and refrain from any sexual contact for a week following the finishing of the medication.
Be sure you are not requesting a test too soon. The results from this screening may not be accurate if you have had sex with a new partner recently.
Chlamydia/gonorrhea can take up to 48-72 hours to detect
HIV antibody and syphilis results take up to four weeks to detect
All health records are strictly confidential and are considered protected health information. In compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and the university’s HIPAA Compliance Program, only the appropriate Student Health Center personnel shall have access to protected health information. Learn more about confidentiality at the Student Health Center.
No. If you are experiencing symptoms (i.e., unusual discharge, pain on urination, lumps or rash, itchy genitals, warts, blisters, unusual bleeding) or have concerns that you may have been exposed to an STI in the past week (condom broke) or have been a victim of a sexual assault you may require additional testing and treatment, do not use the drop-off STI testing screening program instead, make an appointment to see one of our medical providers.
Drop-off STI testing for Gonorrhea and Chlamydia is $50. This program is supported (in part) by the Student Health Fee.
Students can choose to either self-pay or bill their insurance.
Self-pay: Charge your student account or pay by cash or card by visiting a cashier on the second floor when checking out.
Bill insurance: Some insurance companies will cover the cost of this screening as a preventative care service, others will not. Please check with your insurance company for more details. Learn more about insurance at the Student Health Center. If you are on your parent’s insurance, we cannot guarantee the amount of detail the Explanation of Benefits will provide. Therefore, if you are worried about a parent or guardian finding out about the lab test, self-pay might be a better option for you to choose.
Yes! The Student Health Center offers Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), a medication that can reduce a person's HIV risk from sex by 99% and within those who inject drugs by 74%. If you feel you are at risk for HIV/AIDS. Learn more about PrEP.
Have questions? Make an appointment to discuss PrEP with a medical provider.
