Editor’s note: The following article contains discussion of suicide.
University Counseling Services are available at 609-258-3141, and the Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24/7 at 988. A Crisis Text Line is also available in the United States; text HOME to 741741. Students can contact residential college staff and the Office of Religious Life for other support and resources. For employees, Carebridge counseling services are available 24/7 by calling 800-437-0911.
Clinicians in the University’s mental and behavioral health Exclusive Provider Network (EPN) will see cuts to their rates for providing services to Princeton students. Starting August 1, rates will decrease by 48 percent for psychiatric diagnostic evaluations, and by 7 percent for 60-minute follow-up sessions. The reduced rates will be lower than 2019 EPN rates for most services and treatments.
This decision comes amid budget cuts driven by lower endowment return projections. Of the roughly 228 clinicians currently in the EPN, 76 percent have confirmed they will remain in the network for the upcoming year — including all 20 of the highest-volume providers — while approximately 6 percent have chosen not to return, University spokesperson Jennifer Morrill wrote in a statement to The Daily Princetonian. Morrill stated that 92 percent of students whose providers are currently in the EPN will see no change in their provider.
Morrill wrote the new fee structure was set after a review comparing EPN rates against local market data and national benchmarks found that previous rates for many mental health services were above prevailing levels. Rates for all other medical services under the plan were not adjusted, as those were already in line with benchmarks.
Psychiatric diagnostic evaluations reimbursements would drop from $334 to $173, while clinician follow-ups would decrease from $180 to $167, Princeton Alumni Weekly reported. Data provided to the ‘Prince’ by an EPN clinician indicated that reimbursement rates for other services generally decreased.
A group of 120 EPN clinicians signed a collective letter to the University and Counseling and Psychological Services criticizing the decreased reimbursement rates and decision-making process.
The providers expressed their concern that many students would lose access to affordable, available mental health services as providers leave the EPN or see fewer students. For example, following a 2026 revision to a New Jersey law, prescriptions to Schedule II drugs, such as common ADHD medications, require regular in-person mental healthcare — something the clinicians say could be threatened by the rate changes.
According to the 2026 ‘Prince’ senior survey, over 60 percent of the Class of 2026 received some form of mental health counseling. At least seven Princeton students have died by suicide since 2021.
In the letter and included anonymous statements, providers expressed concern that they were not consulted prior to the decision.
“The abrupt way this change in fee was communicated, without even the courtesy of a statement explaining the reasons for this change, is demoralizing and undignified,” one clinician wrote in their comment. “This is an emotional letter because this is emotional work. Mental health professionals represent one of the few remaining defenders of human connection in an increasingly impersonal, de-humanizing world.”
Maggie Furniss, a clinician on the EPN, wrote in a statement to the ‘Prince’ that, according to an anonymous survey she conducted of over 60 providers, 40 percent planned on reducing the number of students they see. The survey also found that approximately 80 percent of respondents would have wanted a formal consultation with the University and CPS before any decisions were made.
“Such a consultation involving EPN clinicians, CPS staff, and University administrators could have created an opportunity for collaborative problem-solving around student access, quality of care, and program sustainability, particularly if there had also been transparency regarding financial constraints and competing priorities,” Furniss wrote.
Furniss stated that University administrators had told EPN providers that they had even considered shutting down the EPN. “For me, the most disappointing aspect of this situation has been the lack of communication and transparency throughout the process. EPN clinicians are not simply vendors providing a service,” Furniss continued.
One psychologist, Hue-Sun Ahn, considered leaving the EPN, but was worried about the effect this would have on her current Princeton University clients — many of whom would either have to look for a new therapist or pay a higher coinsurance rate through their out-of-network benefits with the University Student Health Plan (SHP).
“Because I do not want to penalize them for something that they had no say in, I will likely stay in the EPN in order to continue working with them but limit the number of any new Princeton students I take on in my caseload in the future,” Ahn wrote in a statement to the ‘Prince.’
Similarly, clinician Claire Brown ’94 chose to stay on the EPN out of a sense of service to the students, but will have to find more outside clients to cover the income shortfall.
USG and Graduate Student Government leaders were also not consulted or informed about the reductions until after providers were notified.
“That lag is a consistent and central problem,” USG Mental Health Committee Chair Aakansh Yerpude ’27 wrote in a statement to the ‘Prince,’ referring to the delay before USG was made aware of the decision. “Mental health has been a serious and growing concern on this campus for several years now, and it is a shame that it continues to not be treated with the transparency and urgency it deserves.”
GSG Health and Life Officer Ananya Chakravarti GS wrote in an email to the ‘Prince’ that the change could “make it challenging for graduate students to focus on academic progress and mental health” if they were to lose access to current EPN clinicians. “Especially in the case of students who have been seeing a specific provider for a few years/months, this is a jarring and sudden change.”
“I used to think we had a good sense of community and could meet our mutual goals of providing the best possible treatment for students in the past, but I suddenly felt I was not appreciated,” Yuko Inzana, an EPN clinician, wrote in a comment to the ‘Prince.’ “What else will they change about the students’ health care coverage like this in the future?”
Students were previously required to pay a $20 copay for each outpatient EPN visit after the initial intake consultation, but the amount was reduced to $10 in fall 2024 following concerns over student cost burdens. According to Morrill, students will continue to pay $10 per ongoing visit, and initial evaluation visits remain at $0.
EPN clinicians work with students who need higher, more regular levels of care than CPS can provide; connect them to local mental health treatment centers; coordinate their transition back to school; and provide services that CPS does not, such as prescribing ADHD medication.
Furniss added that building strong therapeutic relationships with students sometimes requires going beyond standard business hours or scheduling multiple shorter sessions within a single week to provide urgent support and stabilization, a practice she described as common among EPN clinicians.
The experience and training of EPN clinicians also sets them apart, according to Brown. “When you’re a new clinician, perhaps doing your licensing hours at a clinic, a suicidal client is, honestly, really frightening and you just don’t have the experience to safely handle this situation,” Brown wrote. “Those of us in practice for longer not only have the training but also, crucially, the experience in working with clients in such a state of distress.”
Kani Ilangovan, a provider on the EPN who has treated multiple students with suicidal ideation, wrote in a statement to the ‘Prince’ that these patients needed a lot of support, sometimes daily. In a statement to the University, Ilangovan also wrote, “I have seen the tremendous, positive, life-sustaining impact treating mental health can have and also the terrible consequences of not receiving care or receiving suboptimal care.”
“The EPN has been a meaningful part of the ecosystem of resources precisely because it offered continuity: real, ongoing relationships with providers that aren’t transferable on short notice,” Yerpude wrote. “Some students most at risk are those with complex conditions who have built trust with a specific provider over months or years; for them, a disruption in care can mean serious setbacks, and I’m also concerned about students disengaging entirely rather than restarting the process.”
Universities across the country have taken steps to mitigate the effects of mental health issues. At MIT, where six students died by suicide over 14 months from 2014–2015, all student mental health and counseling services are included in tuition and institute fees, and students have $0 copays. Students on the MIT Student Health Insurance Plan can have up to 52 mental health outpatient visits per calendar year for free, after which students pay $5 for in-network services and $20 for out-of-network services.
“Receiving psychotherapy is not something that students often announce to others and many Princeton students do not share with others when they are struggling or are in crisis,” Ahn wrote. “However … we are the first ones to recognize when students are in crisis … Although not all suicides may be preventable, we may never know how many were prevented by the additional support students were receiving from EPN providers.”
Elizabeth Hu is a senior News writer, assistant head Copy editor, associate Data editor, staff Podcast producer, and contributing Features writer from Houston. She can be reached at exh[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
