.webp?w=750)
What is OSHC?
Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) insurance is a type of student visa health insurance that is required for international students visiting Australia to study. OSHC pays part or all of the cost if you have to visit the doctor or go to hospital, or if you need an ambulance or pharmacy medicines.
Is OHSC required for international students in Australia?
If you are an international student planning to study in Australia, you will typically require student visa health insurance, or overseas student health cover (OSHC), for the duration of your stay. Having adequate student visa health insurance is a requirement for entering the country, and OSHC must be purchased before arriving in Australia. The only exception to this is if you are coming from a country that has a reciprocal healthcare arrangement with Australia.
Who offers OSHC in Australia?
These are the insurance providers currently listed on Canstar’s database and rated for the 2025 Overseas Student Health Cover and Working Visa Health Cover Star Ratings:
- ahm Health Insurance – a business of Medibank Private Limited
- Allianz Care
- Bupa HI Pty Ltd
- CBHS Corporate Health Pty Ltd
- Medibank Private Limited
- nib health funds limited
What is the best OSHC in Australia?
The best cover for you will be the one that suits your needs and budget. That said, the winners of Canstar’s 2025 Outstanding Value Awards – Overseas Student Health Cover were ahm Health Insurance and CBHS Corporate Health Pty Ltd.
What does OSHC insurance cover?
OSHC or insurance will help pay for necessary medical treatments while you are in Australia, such as seeing a doctor, going to hospital, pathology tests, pharmacy medicines, and riding in an ambulance to hospital.
By law, all OHSC policies are required to cover:
- out-of-hospital medical services (e.g. seeing a doctor or GP)
- 100% of Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) fee for in-hospital medical services (e.g. surgery, treatment by a doctor)
- public hospital services (e.g. shared ward accommodation, post-operative services, emergency department charges)
- private hospital services (varies depending on if prior contractual arrangements have been made with your OSHC insurance provider)
- some surgically implanted prosthetic devices (e.g. joint replacement surgery)
- pharmacy medicines up to $50 per medicine, with a minimum total benefit limit of $500/year for a single person – or $1000/year for a family (prior to July 2022, the minimum total benefit was $300/ year for a single person and $600/year for a family). This means you still pay part of the cost of most prescription medicines.
- ambulance services.
That said, each policy has a different cost, and some providers may offer different amounts of cover for certain treatments or services. Likewise, some providers also offer extra benefits such as repatriation cover to help you go home if you have a medical emergency.
Are there any exceptions to needing OSHC?
There are exceptions to the requirement for international students to have OSHC, but only for students visiting from specific countries that have reciprocal healthcare agreements with Australia that allow eligible visiting students to be treated by the Australian public health system (Medicare).
The Australian Department of Home Affairs advises that you will not need OSHC if you are a:
- Norwegian student covered by the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme.
- Swedish student covered by Kammarkollegiet.
- Belgian student covered under the Reciprocal Health Care Agreement with Australia.
This arrangement is particular to these three countries, and students visiting from elsewhere will still need OSHC.
How do you buy OSHC insurance?
You can buy your OSHC insurance through your educational institution or through migration agents and education agents acting on behalf of your institution. Otherwise, you can also buy it online on an insurance provider’s website. You can choose your own OSHC provider, even if your university or school has a preferred provider they recommend.
Can I transfer or change OSHC companies?
You can transfer to a different OSHC insurance provider at any time. If you paid in advance for your OSHC, you should be able to get a refund, but you may have to pay a refund processing fee.
If it’s a requirement that you have insurance for the whole time you are in Australia on a student visa (as it is for most international students), you should buy a new OSHC insurance policy before you can get a refund from your previous OSHC provider. You should not have to serve waiting periods again after you change OSHC providers if you switch without a gap in your cover.
If it’s a condition of your student visa that you have relevant OSHC and you allow it to lapse, this could lead to your student visa being cancelled.
How do Canstar’s OSHC Star Ratings and Awards work?
Canstar’s Overseas Student Health Cover and Working Visa Health Cover Star Ratings and Awards use a sophisticated and unique ratings methodology that compares both costs and features across health insurance policies offered to international residents who are in Australia to study or on a working visa. The highest Star Rating possible is a Five-Star Rating.
Why do you need OSHC in Australia?
Overseas students generally cannot access Australia’s public health system, and will most often require private health insurance to cover any healthcare costs. This is why Australia has made OSHC a condition of entry for most international students on a temporary student visa.
You generally must have OSHC for the whole time you are in Australia on a student visa or bridging visa, and you must prepay for OSHC for the length of your visa before you come to Australia. If you extend your visa, you generally must also renew your OSHC policy.
If your family is coming overseas with you, your spouse (husband or wife) and children must also be covered by OSHC, unless you are all covered by a separate healthcare arrangement.
What if you graduate and stay in Australia?
If you graduate from your course of study and remain in Australia, you will no longer be eligible for OSHC. Instead, you will need to purchase an Overseas Visitor Health Cover policy.
