Student health cover works differently in every country, and the differences are not just about price. The UK charges an upfront NHS surcharge as part of the visa. Germany requires cover from a German-recognised insurer before you can enrol. Australia requires a specific product called OSHC. A travel insurance policy bought at home satisfies almost none of these.
That last point causes the most trouble, so it comes first.
The mistake that costs students the most
Travel insurance from your home country is usually not accepted as your main health cover for a long-stay study visa.
It is designed for trips of 30 to 90 days. A study visa is not a trip. For Germany specifically, a home-country travel policy will not be accepted by your university at enrolment or by the Ausländerbehörde when you apply for your residence permit. You will be told to buy German cover, and you will have paid twice.
Where a home-country policy does have a place: covering the gap between leaving home and your destination policy activating, which can be a few days or a few weeks. Buy it for that purpose, deliberately, and not as a substitute.
Bottom line: check what your specific destination recognises before you buy anything. "Cheaper" is not the relevant test if the policy is not accepted.
United Kingdom: the Immigration Health Surcharge
You do not buy private health insurance for a UK student visa. You pay the Immigration Health Surcharge, which gives you NHS access on the same basis as a UK resident.
The student rate is £776 per year. It rose from £470 on 6 February 2024 and was unchanged in the April 2026 fee schedule.
How it works:
- Paid in full, upfront, when you submit your visa application. There is no instalment option and no visa without it
- Charged in six-month blocks, rounded up. A 16-month course is billed as 18 months. Half a year is £388
- A three-year undergraduate degree costs £2,328
- Dependants of students are charged at the same £776 student-linked rate
What it covers and does not cover: NHS treatment on resident terms, but not prescriptions, dental or optical care. Budget separately for those. Many students also buy private cover for faster specialist access, which is optional, not required.
Two refund routes worth knowing:
- Automatic refund if your visa is refused, rejected or withdrawn, usually within six to eight weeks
- EU/EEA students holding a valid EHIC who do not work in the UK can apply for full reimbursement within 12 months of arrival. Note the trade-off: this downgrades you from full NHS access to EHIC-level cover for medically necessary treatment only
Germany: statutory or private, and the age-30 cliff
Health insurance is legally mandatory. You cannot enrol at a German university, register your address, or get your residence permit without proof of valid cover.
If you are under 30 and on a degree programme, public statutory insurance (GKV) is the default. The student tariff (KVdS) costs roughly €140 to €152 per month in 2026, varying by fund because each charges a different supplementary contribution. TK is the most common choice among international students for its English-language support. Cheaper funds such as hkk can save around €100 to €130 a year with no reduction in core cover.
Two age thresholds to plan for:
- At 23, the long-term care component rises by around €5 a month for childless students
- At 30, the student rate ends entirely. You move to voluntary GKV at roughly €270 to €300 a month, calculated on a notional income of about €1,300 regardless of what you actually earn. That is close to a doubling, and it is the single largest financial surprise international students in Germany report
The age limit follows your birthday, not the semester. If you turn 30 mid-semester you can usually keep the student rate until that semester ends.
Private cover (PKV) starts far lower, from around €28 to €35 a month, but excludes or surcharges pre-existing conditions and offers narrower cover. If you have a chronic condition, need mental health treatment, or are or may become pregnant, public cover is the safer choice despite the price. Also confirm the specific private policy is accepted for university enrolment and for your visa, because not all are.
If you are over 30, or on a language or preparatory course rather than a degree, you are generally not eligible for the student tariff and need voluntary GKV or a qualifying private policy.
One procedural trap: if you were privately insured during a language course and then start a degree, statutory insurance normally applies automatically. Staying private requires an active exemption application within the first three months of the degree. That exemption is usually irreversible for the rest of your studies, so treat it as a decision rather than paperwork.
What the visa actually requires, by destination
| Destination | Requirement |
| UK | IHS at £776/year, paid with the visa application. No private policy required |
| Germany (national student visa) | Cover from a German-recognised insurer, public or an accepted private policy. A €30,000 travel policy does not satisfy this |
| Schengen short-stay visa (under 90 days) | Minimum €30,000 cover including emergencies and repatriation |
| Australia | Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for the full visa duration, from an approved provider |
| USA (F-1) | No federal standard. Universities set their own minimums, commonly a deductible at or below $500, pre-existing condition cover, and medical evacuation and repatriation |
| Canada | Varies by province. Some include international students in the public plan, others require a university or private plan |
The Schengen and Germany rows are frequently confused, including in the previous version of this page. The €30,000 figure belongs to short-stay visas. A degree in Germany is a national visa and a different requirement.
Editorial note for Acolyte: I have not independently verified current OSHC premiums or the province-by-province Canadian position, and the previous version quoted AUD 40 to 60 per month for OSHC and CAD 75+ per month for Canada. Both need checking against Services Australia and the individual provincial health authorities before you publish figures. Given this is a YMYL page, publish a range with a source and a date, or publish no number.
Costs at a glance
Monthly or annual cover cost, excluding the UK where the charge is a visa surcharge rather than insurance:
| Destination | Cost | Note |
| Germany, public student tariff | €140 to €152/month | Under 30, degree programme |
| Germany, over 30 or non-degree | €270 to €300/month | Voluntary GKV |
| Germany, private | From €28 to €35/month | Exclusions apply; confirm acceptance |
| UK | £776/year | IHS, paid upfront with the visa |
I have deliberately not converted these to rupees. Exchange rates move enough that a fixed conversion published once becomes wrong within months, and every rupee figure on the previous version of this page was understated for that reason. If you want conversions, generate them at page-render time or state the rate and date used.
What good student cover includes
The components that matter, roughly in order of how likely you are to use them:
- Outpatient care. Doctor visits, tests, prescriptions. This is what you will actually claim on
- Inpatient hospitalisation. Room, surgery, intensive care
- Mental health support. Counselling and therapy. Increasingly included, still not universal, and worth checking specifically rather than assuming
- Emergency dental. Usually pain relief and medically necessary treatment only, not routine cleaning
- Medical evacuation and repatriation. Rarely used, expensive if needed, and required by many US universities
- Liability cover. Separate from health cover. Several European countries expect students in shared housing or dormitories to hold it
Common exclusions: cosmetic treatment, over-the-counter medication without a prescription, injuries sustained while intoxicated, routine dental work, and in most policies any treatment in your home country.
Why claims get rejected
This was the most useful section on the previous version and it is worth keeping. The recurring causes:
- Not disclosing a pre-existing condition. The most common single reason. Disclosure may raise your premium; non-disclosure can void the policy entirely
- Claiming during a waiting period. Check when cover actually starts, which is often not the day you pay
- Using a provider outside the approved network
- Missing receipts or documentation
- Late submission. Most insurers allow 30 to 90 days from treatment
- Claiming for something excluded
Practical habit: photograph every receipt, prescription and discharge summary on the day you get it. Claims fail on missing paper far more often than on disputed medicine.
How to file a claim
- Keep bills, prescriptions, diagnosis reports and payment receipts
- Submit within your insurer's window, typically 30 to 90 days
- Complete the claim form with treatment dates and itemised costs
- Attach medical certificates for hospitalisation or specialist treatment
- Use the online portal where one exists; digital submissions are faster and leave a record
- Track it, and keep your reference number
Processing typically takes two to four weeks. If a claim is refused, ask for the specific reason in writing, then appeal with the documentation that addresses it.
FAQs
Q: How much is the UK Immigration Health Surcharge for students?
A: £776 per year for students and their dependants, paid in full upfront with your visa application. It rose from £470 in February 2024. A three-year course costs £2,328. It is charged in six-month blocks rounded up, so a 16-month course bills as 18.
Q: Does the IHS cover everything on the NHS?
A: It gives you NHS access on the same terms as a UK resident, but does not cover prescriptions, dental or optical care. Budget separately for those. Private insurance is optional and buys faster specialist access, not broader entitlement.
Q: How much is student health insurance in Germany?
A: Public student insurance costs roughly €140 to €152 a month in 2026, depending on your fund. Private policies start around €28 to €35 but exclude or surcharge pre-existing conditions. Cover is mandatory before you can enrol or register your address.
Q: What happens to my German insurance when I turn 30?
A: The discounted student tariff ends. You move to voluntary statutory insurance at roughly €270 to €300 a month, calculated on a notional income regardless of your actual earnings. The limit follows your birthday, though you can usually finish the current semester on the student rate.
Q: Can I use travel insurance from my home country instead?
A: Usually not as your main cover. It is built for trips of 30 to 90 days and will not be accepted by German universities or immigration authorities. It is useful only for the gap between leaving home and your destination policy starting.
Q: Is €30,000 of cover enough for Germany?
A: That figure applies to short-stay Schengen visas, not to a national student visa. For a degree in Germany you need cover from a German-recognised insurer, public or an accepted private policy.
Q: Can I get an IHS refund?A: Yes, automatically if your visa is refused, rejected or withdrawn, usually within six to eight weeks. EU/EEA students with a valid EHIC who do not work in the UK can also apply for reimbursement within 12 months, though this reduces their cover to EHIC level.
Q: Do I need to declare pre-existing conditions?
A: Yes. Non-disclosure is the most common reason claims are rejected and can void a policy. Disclosure may increase your premium, but public insurance in Germany covers pre-existing conditions regardless of health history, which is one of its main advantages over private cover.
