Seeking higher education abroad is quite a task. There are multiple things that you need to consider and ensure that all the documents are up to date before you fly. In fact, when you are in a foreign land, your well-being is your sole responsibility. Hence, an adequate student travel insurance plan should be your top priority.
All international students need to have an active student travel insurance under their name when seeking university admissions. But with multiple student insurance plans available in the market, choosing the one that is right for you can be overwhelming.
This article will help you determine which travel insurance plan should you opt for when seeking higher education abroad. Let us begin by understanding what student travel insurance is.
Student Travel Insurance – Overview
Student travel insurance is specifically for people travelling abroad for higher education. It takes into consideration all the risks involved during their time away from home. In simple terms, it covers travel and health-related emergencies for students in a foreign land. Moreover, it offers additional coverage for the student’s family members in case of unfortunate events involving the student (the insured individual).
How is it different from travel insurance?
A simple way to differentiate student travel insurance from ordinarytravel insurance is that the latter is mostly offered for a stipulated period. In contrast, the former covers the individual for months/years.
Also, another noticeable difference between the two is that travel insurance only covers travel-related issues, while student travel insurance financially covers you for travel, health, and academic-related issues. So, if you are seeking education abroad and have student travel insurance under your name, you can make a claim in case of any unfortunate event.
We understand that medical treatment abroad is expensive. Student travel insurance also financially covers you for any medical emergency that you may incur during your time in a foreign country.
What makes for an ideal student travel insurance?
Any adequate student travel insurance should cover you for the following things –
- Medical costs
- Evacuation and repatriation
- Personal accident coverage
- Reimbursement of tuition fees in case of missing a semester due to medical emergency
- Loss of checked baggage
- Bail bond insurance
- Family member visit
Many insurers also offer add-ons over the existing policy which provides coverage such as –
- Pre-existing conditions
- Mental illness
- Alcohol-related disorders
- Maternity and newborn cover
- Cancer screening
- Mammography
How to claim on your student travel insurance?
Most insurers offer hassle-free claim settlements with cashless claims. Here, the settlement is directly made to the hospital for the medical expenses incurred by you. However, you should submit all the claim documents to the insurer, either during your stay abroad or when returning home.
Over to You!
Know that student travel insurance is a mandatory document when flying abroad for higher education.
Ensure that you are conducting intensive research on different student travel plans available in the market. You can then choose the one that offers adequate coverage during your time abroad.
Also, check for the things covered and exclusions mentioned in your selected policy before buying it.