So you’ve decided to pursue a graduate degree abroad. Maybe a graduate degree is necessary for the work you plan to do in your desired field or you want to increase your career responsibilities and earning potential. Or maybe your trip abroad is solely about satisfying intellectual curiosity.
Whatever the reason, you’re bound to have a more successful graduate study abroad experience if you acknowledge and prepare for the health risks that frequently accompany international travel. One means of moderating these risks? Graduate study abroad health insurance.
Do I need graduate study abroad health insurance?
Health insurance could provide graduate study abroad students with access to quality healthcare and travel and medical assistance when the unexpected occurs overseas. If one or more of the following situations apply to you, then you should consider purchasing a graduate study abroad health insurance plan like WorldTrips' StudentSecure® insurance.
StudentSecure
is designed for international students seeking:
- Coverage that meets or exceeds most government and visa requirements including J-1 visa requirements
- Coverage that meets the requirements of many programs and schools at a budget-friendly rate
- Important medical benefits, including some Outpatient Prescription Drug coverage and some Mental Health coverage
1. Your School or Program Requires You to Have It
Whether you’re enrolled in a graduate study abroad program through an extension of your undergraduate university or through an accredited international organization, your program administrators want to keep you safe – and that means preparing you for everything from a bad cold to a worst-case scenario.
That’s why you may be required to have health insurance that meets specific requirements. While your university may offer its own health plan, you may be allowed to waive this school-sponsored coverage if you can provide proof of insurance that still meets the school's requirements.
StudentSecure, for example, meets J-1 and Schengen visa requirements as well as the requirements of many schools. And when you purchase a StudentSecure plan, you can email [email protected] to request that a student waiver form and visa letter be completed and sent to both you and your university.
2. Your Visa Requires You to Have It
Most countries require international graduate students to possess a valid visa in order to enter the country and attend school. While visas typically require a birth certificate, passport, and successful interview for approval, some also require medical insurance that meets certain requirements.
(One such visa is the Schengen visa for study abroad students attending school in one of Europe’s 26 Schengen countries. Another is the J-1 visa for work-and-study-based exchange visitors to the USA.)
3. Your Domestic Health Insurance Provides Limited or No Coverage Outside of Your Home Country
If you haven’t checked with your domestic insurance provider to learn whether or not you’ll have health coverage once you depart your home country, it’s important that you do so. After all, international travel could expose you to a number of health risks, such as food contamination, jet lag, and mosquito-borne illness. (Not to mention the types of accidents that can occur while exploring unfamiliar territory, like a fall that requires medical care.)
If you have limited or no international coverage, then consider purchasing study abroad health insurance like StudentSecure, which could cover you for unexpected illness and injury.
What are my options?
StudentSecure is a great study abroad health insurance option for many international graduate students. It meets Schengen and J-1 visa requirements as well as the insurance requirements of a number of universities. Plus, the four varying coverage levels offered allow you to select the plan that best fits with your needs and budget!
Show me the 4 different plan options.
With StudentSecure, You Get Coverage for the Following Types of Situations:
- You come down with a covered illness that requires medical care
- You need to be transported from one hospital to another for the emergency treatment of a covered, life-threatening injury or illness
- You seek treatment for a mental health disorder (at a facility other than your student health center)
- Your physician prescribes you drugs to help treat a covered injury or illness
Learn more about these benefits and their exclusions.
Plus, All Four StudentSecure Plans Include:
- A monthly payment option (or savings for paying your full premium in advance!)
- Medical benefits including local ambulance (when hospitalized as inpatient), hospital room and board, diagnostic testing, outpatient surgery, & intensive care unit
- U.S. preferred provider organization (PPO) and access to our international provider search engine
- Multilingual travel assistance services available 365 days a year
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WorldTrips international travel medical insurance products are underwritten by Lloyd's. WorldTrips is a service company and a member of the Tokio Marine HCC group of companies. WorldTrips has authority to enter into contracts of insurance on behalf of the Lloyd's underwriting members of Lloyd's Syndicate 4141, which is managed by HCC Underwriting Agency, Ltd.