Health and Safety
Melbourne Global Mobility staff take every reasonable step to ensure students:
- receive comprehensive information on their destination
- receive contact/liaison person details at their host institution before departure
- receive help with accommodation at the host institution
- receive information on medical requirements, including health insurance
- are aware of the need to have travel insurance
Pre-departure session and literature
All exchange students are required to attend a compulsory Melbourne Global Mobility pre-departure session. The Pre-depature Session is an opportunity for students to ask questions, voice their concerns and gather all kinds of information from people with first-hand knowledge. This is also the place to meet fellow exchange students who may be bound for the same destination and to collect emergency contact cards and material about Australia to use abroad.
At the Pre-departure Session a booklet, containing information for travel and studying overseas, will be distributed.
Health and travel insurance
Health and travel insurance are essential components of a student exchange. It is imperative that you obtain health and travel insurance for the duration of your participation in the Melbourne Global Mobility Exchange Program.
The University of Melbourne has a free insurance policy available to exchange students. For more information see the insurance webpage.
Health and safety tips
We recognise that all travellers may face some level of risk in unfamiliar environments or cultures and we have prepared some tips to encourage you to be more aware while travelling. For more information see the medical matters webpage
Legal issues
Laws vary between countries, and behaviour which is legal in Australia may be a punishable offence elsewhere. Ignorance of local laws is no excuse, and problems may result if you fail to observe, for example, the legal drinking age in the United States (21 years old!), or basic road rules (in most countries, people drive on the right-hand side!). As an exchange student you are responsible for ensuring you know and observe the law in your host country. The helpful links and addresses page is a good place to start your research.
Travel warnings
If you intend to go on exchange to a country that is considered unstable or unsafe, you will be informed by the Melbourne Global Mobility staff during the nomination process of the continuing possibility of your exchange. Melbourne Global Mobility staff rely on advice from the Australian Government's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on such matters. If the Australian Government recommends that all travel to the host country be deferred or that all non-essential travel be deferred, your exchange will be suspended until such time as the recommendation is improved. If you are in the country at the time that the warning is issued you will need to leave as soon as possible. Melbourne Global Mobility staff will liaise with you and your host institution. Alternative arrangements will be made for your assessment.
Up-to-date information and guidelines on foreign travel to designated 'risk areas' are available from the Department's website Smartraveller. If you are already in a country where a crisis is developing, refer to this page regularly.
All exchange students are asked to complete the on-line "Register of Australian Citizens" when they have finalised their travel plans, and when they are settled at their term address overseas. Please consult the while overseas section of this website for more information about how to do this. Non-Australian citizens should register with consular officials at the nearest appropriate diplomatic mission.