Health insurance and services
Before you arrive in Australia on a student visa, you must have the correct level of health insurance.
As a condition of your student visa, the minimum level of health insurance for international students and any dependents in Australia is known as Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC).
Purchasing Overseas Student Health Cover
You have two options to purchase your OSHC:
- Through La Trobe: If you purchase your OSHC through us, you will need to pay the OSHC premium for the entire length of your course with your first tuition fees payment. This means you are covered from the day you arrive in Australia. We will also advise the Department of Home Affairs of your OSHC status on your behalf.
- On your own: You can arrange your OSHC on your own with any government-approved OSHC provider.
Our partnership with Medibank
La Trobe has a partnership with Medibank to provide health cover for our international students. If you purchase OSHC through us, Medibank will be your OSHC provider. Medibank Overseas Student Health Cover meet the requirements set out by the Australian Government and are 100% compliant for applying for or renewing a student visa.
Your Medibank OSHC coverage includes:
- 100% of ambulance callout costs or emergency transportation to a hospital
- 24/7 student health support line
- access to online consultations with medical doctors.
Learn more about Medibank’s OSHC on the Medibank website.
Activating your OSHC in Australia
Once you have arrived in Australia, you will need to activate your OSHC. You can contact your OSHC provider if you need assistance.
Exceptions to OSHC requirements
You don't need to get OSHC if you are:
- a Norwegian student covered by the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme
- a Swedish student covered by CSN International or Kammarkollegiet
- a Belgian student covered under the Reciprocal Health Care Agreement with Australia.
If you’re here on a visa other than a student visa, you aren’t eligible for OSHC and need to arrange your own health insurance.
Eligibility for reciprocal healthcare agreements
If your country has a reciprocal healthcare arrangement with Australia, you’ll be eligible to get a reciprocal healthcare card. To get your card, visit a Services Australia branch with your passport and visa. Please note visitors from reciprocal countries may be entitled to limited subsidised health services only.
Any Medicare coverage you are entitled to under a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement will be in addition to OSHC. Having reciprocal access to Medicare does not exempt you from needing to take out OSHC.
Check if your country has a reciprocal healthcare agreement with Australia.
Accessing medical services in Australia
In Australia, the local doctor is called a general practitioner, or a GP. You should contact a GP for minor medical issues such as stomach aches, coughs or fevers.
Some medical clinics in Australia are 'bulk-billed', this means you won't need to pay any fees for your appointment. If a clinic doesn’t offer bulk billing, you may need to pay a small upfront fee (known as a ‘gap’ fee).
Some La Trobe campuses have medical centres that offer bulk billing to international students, such as the La Trobe Medical Centre at the Melbourne Campus.
To access their services, please provide your OSHC card or policy, and your student ID card.
To learn more about health and wellbeing support, visit the Study Australia website.