Insurance

Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC)

All students must have and maintain adequate health insurance for the whole of your stay in Australia. You must be covered by Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) from an approved Australian health insurance provider, unless an 'Exception' applies. You will be required to show that you have met this requirement before being issued your Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE), which you will need to apply for your visa.

Your cover must start from the day you arrive in Australia, not the day your course starts and you may be refused entry to Australia if you cannot prove you have health insurance in place when you arrive.

Exceptions

You do not need to purchase OSHC if you are:

  • a Norwegian student who is a member of the Norwegian Health Economics Administration (HELFO);
  • a Swedish student who is a member of CSN International (the Swedish National Board of Student Aid) or Kammarkollegiet (the Swedish Legal, Financial and Administration Agency); or
  • a Belgian student who has a Europese ziekteverzekeringskaart (EZVK) - Carte Européenne d'Assurance Maladie (CEAM) from your mutualiteit – mutualité in Belgium.

If you are attending Monash as part of a Study Abroad cohort where OSHC is included in your package you will not be exempt, but Monash University will arrange your cover through our preferred provider automatically when you accept your offer.

How to apply for Overseas Student Health Cover

There are two options for getting OSHC cover. You can either:

  • organise it yourself when you accept your offer; or
  • ask us to do it for you with our preferred provider.

Please note that only a small number of health insurers are registered to offer OSHC, and you will need to go through an approved provider.

The Monash-preferred OSHC provider is Allianz Care Australia and as your education provider we can arrange OSHC for you, with the cost to be paid when you accept your offer. The main benefits of this policy are access to a 24/7 safety and support service via the Sonder safety app, on-campus Allianz support staff and waived waiting periods for pre-existing mental health or pregnancy-related claims. As a Monash student, you also have access to all the health services the University provides, including doctor's appointments and counselling support.

If you have arranged your OSHC through Monash, or via our preferred provider Allianz directly, we recommend that you download the MyHealth App which gives you access to your digital membership card. If you purchased your cover through Monash, you also have free access to the Sonder Safety app. If you purchased OSHC with an alternative provider, contact them to get your membership card, which you will require if you need medical assistance while in Australia.

I have insurance through my home institution

OSHC assists international students to meet the costs of medical and hospital care they may need while in Australia and is not the same as travel insurance. Some students might be covered by insurance by their home institution. It is an Australian Government requirement, however, that you must purchase OSHC from an approved provider when coming to study in Australia regardless of the coverage you may have at home.

Making a claim with your health insurance

Some doctors will require you to pay up-front for medical services and then seek a refund via your OSHC provider, and others will send the bill directly to your OSHC provider (we call this being ‘bulk-billed’). Monash University Health Services, located on all Monash Campuses, bulk bills students who are covered by Allianz Care, AHM by Medibank, or Medibank.

OSHC refunds

If you leave Australia prior to the end date of your OHSC, then you will be able to apply for a refund of any unused portion. Please contact Monash Abroad at the time for further instructions.