Melbourne Global Mobility For Outgoing Students

Insurance for Your Exchange

Health and travel insurance are essential when travelling overseas. You must obtain health and travel insurance for the duration of your participation in the Melbourne Global Mobility Exchange Program.

 

Compulsory insurance

Some host institutions offer their own health insurance policy, which will cover the period spent at their institution, and in some cases it is mandatory that you purchase this insurance. This is the case at Canadian exchange partners where provincial laws require you to purchase the local insurance. If you choose or are compelled to take this option, please remember to ensure you have insurance to cover you for the period travelling from Australia to the host institution and after you leave. Please also ensure that your insurance covers you while travelling around during your exchange.

If the host institution does not offer an insurance policy, or you do not wish to take out their policy, you must obtain separate health and travel insurance before you leave. If you do take out your own insurance, it is important that you make sure it will be accepted as an appropriate alternative to any host institution insurance (this is especially applicable to US exchanges). In the past the Univeristy of Melbourne insurance has been judged to offer sufficient coverage by some exchange partner institutions to allow them to waive the requirement that you purchase their local insurance. You must apply to the partner institution for their requirement to be waived.

 

University of Melbourne student travel insurance

The University offers travel insurance to students travelling on university business. As an exchange student you are determined to be on university business and so can register to be covered by this travel insurance.

Coverage

The insurance is FREE and for travel on exchange for January 2010 onwards provides full coverage. To see details you can download the full policy (123kb pdf).

Period of travel

The university period of your travel is based on the actual required attendance period at the partner institution, that is, from the first day of orientation to the final day of assessment. If you haven't already been sent a copy, search your host institution web site by titles such as "academic calendar" or "principal dates" for the semester dates to help you identify the actual period of your proposed "university travel". Please ensure that a copy of the principal dates of the academic calendar of your host institution is attached to your University of Melbourne insurance registration form.

Personal Travel

Note that this policy will cover you for one week before the first day of orientation to the end of one week after your final day of assessment per semester. If you are staying for two semesters with a break between the end of your first and the start of your second semester, this is travel outside the coverage period. Any travel outside coverage period is non-university travel and must be covered by other suitable insurance.

This can be with the University's insurer, ACE Leisure Travel Insurance, or with any supplier that suits your needs.

How to Participate

You must "register" your details in order to be covered by the University's free insurance for the period of your exchange. Copies of the insurance policy summary will be given to you with your host institution application form for your information.

When you receive the acceptance letter from the partner institution, if it hasn't been given to you already, ask Melbourne Global Mobility for the insurance registration form. You will need to know the dates of your travel, the orientation start date at the host institution and the exam/assessment period end date when completing the form.

Once you have been accepted by the partner institution, the registration form must be completed and returned to the Melbourne Global offices at least 10 days prior to your departure from Australia. You can NOT register for this insurance once you are overseas.

Extending Your Insurance

The insurance can not be extended except where you are extending your time on exchange from one semester to two semesters. Again you must purchase insurance to cover you for your personal travel.

 

Alternative insurance policies

Alternative insurance can be purchased from any supplier that suits your needs. Two are suggested below.

The University is not in a position to recommend, or verify, the integrity of the following external and independently operated insurance facilities. If you wish to consider taking out a policy with them you are obliged to exercise your own due diligence and undertake the necessary enquiries, to ensure that their products will be sufficient for your unique, individual requirements. If you do elect to purchase a benefit from either of the companies below, in addition to registering with the University of Melbourne's Travel Insurance scheme, please record on your Melbourne registration Form the name of the company and policy that you have purchased.

 

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