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Student health insurance
With student health insurance you can get up to 10% off your hospital cover if you’re under 29. Compare policies from $85 and click through for your discount.
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I'm Tim, your insurance expert.
Here to help you find the right cover for you!
Step 1/2 - About your cover
Which state do you live in?
QLD
NSW
ACT
VIC
TAS
SA
WA
NT
What's your age?
Depending on your age, you may be eligible for an
aged-based discount. This is used to estimate your
rebate.
Under 65
65 - 69
70 or older
What's your household's taxable income?
This is the combined income you and your spouse earn before tax. It's needed to calculate the correct Australian government rebate.
$93,000 and under
$93,001 to $108,000
$108,001 to $144,000
$144,001 and over
What kind of health insurance do you need?
Combined (Extras + Hospitals)
Extras
Hospital
What level of hospital coverage would you like?
You can change this at any time later.
Legend
Covered
Restricted cover, You may be partially covered for
this category.
Not covered. Optional for insurer to include.
*Prices updated July 2024, in line with Finder's database of health insurance policies. Prices reflect the cheapest available for a single individual with less than $97,000 income and living in Sydney with a $750 excess.
What extras cover do you need? (Optional)
Select as many as you want or move to the next step
Preventative & general dental
Major dental & implants
Optical
Physiotherapy
Podiatry
Non-PBS pharmaceuticals
Chiropractic
Emergency ambulance
Remedial massage
Email me my results (optional)
To get a copy of your results for later, add your email below
Being a student can mean struggling to survive on a part-time job and going without things you don't think you can afford. Student health insurance doesn't have to be one of them. Some insurers let you stay as a dependent on your parent's policy, you can get up to 10% off if you're aged between 18 and 29, and there are plenty of cheap policies that'll cover you for the basics.
The policies above from Finder partners are for a basic level of cover. Once you've clicked through, you can tell them your age and it will apply your age-based discount.
Are you an overseas student? You'll need Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for your visa.
Can't I just be a dependant on my parents' health insurance?
If you're over 25, you probably won't be eligible to stay as a dependant on your parents' policy anymore.
To qualify as a dependant for student health insurance, ​you'll typically need to be under the age of 25, not married or in a de facto relationship, and studying full-time. Some insurers have an even shorter cut off age of 21.
However, this is set to change. Both Members Health Fund Alliance and Private Healthcare Australia (the private health insurance industry's peak representative bodies) have indicated that health insurers will soon allow you to stay on your parents' policy until you're 31, thanks to legislation changes.
Title
Dependant conditions
ACA Health Benefits Fund
Child dependant. ACA considers children dependent until the age of 21.
Student dependant. If your child is unmarried or in a non de facto relationship while a full-time student, they can remain covered on your family policy until they reach 25 years of age at no extra cost.
Adult dependant. If your child is between 21 and 25 years of age, not studying full-time and is unmarried, they are able to be covered for an additIonal 30% loading.
Child dependant. A dependant is a child aged up to 23 years old who is unmarried.
Student dependant. A student dependant is able to be covered on your family policy until they reach 25 years of age. This is provided they aren't married and are enrolled in an approved course.
Child dependant. A child dependant means a person who does not have a partner and is under 21 or is engaged in full-time study and under 25 years of age.
Adult dependant. A non-student adult dependant is someone who is between the ages of 18 and 31 and isn't studying in a full-time capacity.
Child dependant. A child dependant is someone who is unmarried, aged under 18 and is a child, stepchild or foster child who lives with the policyholder.
Student dependant. A student dependant is at least 18 but under 25 years of age, unmarried and participating in full-time study.
Adult dependant. This is a non-student dependant who is a child of the a policyholder, unmarried and over the age of 18 but under the age of 25.
Child dependant. Family policies provide cover for the policyholder and any dependent children/young adults until their 23rd birthday.
Student dependant. Full-time student dependants are covered up until they turn 25. Student dependants must be registered each year from when they turn 23 years of age.
Child dependant. Children are covered at no extra cost until the end of the year they turn 18, unless they're married or in a de facto relationship.
Student dependant. You can cover your child as a student dependant if they are unmarried, earning under the amount specified by HBF, under 25 years of age and studying full-time.
Child dependant. Your children are automatically covered under your family cover until the day before they turn 22.
Student dependant. If your child is enrolled in full-time study they'll be covered at no extra cost until 31 or cease full-time study (whichever comes first).
Child dependant. Your children are covered until they reach the age of 23 and remain unmarried.
Student dependant. Your child can be covered as a student dependant if they're financially dependent on the policyholder, aged between 23 and 31 and enrolled in full-time study.
Adult dependant. Unmarried (includes those not in a de facto relationship) children between 23 years and 31 years of age can be covered on the Family Dependant Plus policy.
Child dependant. A child can be covered at no extra cost until they turn 21.
Student dependant. A student dependant is a child who is under 32 years of age, unmarried and enrolled in full-time study.
Adult dependant. If your child isn't studying full-time, unmarried and aged between 21 and 31, you are able to cover your children for an additional premium with the families with adult children option.
Child dependant. Your children are automatically covered under your family cover until the day before they turn 21.
Student dependant. Your child can be covered as a student if they're enrolled in full-time study, under 25 or cease full-time study (whichever comes first).
Child dependant. Children are covered until they reach 18 years of age.
Student dependant. A student dependant is someone enrolled in full-time study and under the age of 25.
What type of health insurance is best for students?
Basic hospital cover
Basic hospital insurance only needs to provide restricted cover for rehabilitation, hospital psychiatric services, and palliative care but many funds offer cover for a few more types of treatment. It's generally the most affordable type of student health insurance available. Typical cost: Begins around $80/month for a single policy.
Bronze student health insurance hospital covers a range of Medicare services, such as ear, nose and throat, gynaecology and bone, joint and muscle. It's a little more than a basic policy but is still relatively affordable, making it a good choice for students who want cover for more without the price tag. Typical cost: Begins at around $80/month for a single policy.
Silver level health insurance generally covers a wide range of Medicare services with some exceptions, such as pregnancy and obstetrics, assisted reproductive services, cataract and lens procedures, joint replacements, dialysis and sterilisation. Typical cost: Begins at around $115/month for a single policy.
Top student health insurance hospital cover typically covers all 38 services where Medicare pays a benefit. This includes pregnancy and assisted reproductive services so is probably more than you need as a student. Typical cost: Begins at around $160/month for a single policy.
Finder survey: How many claims have people made on their Overseas Visitor Health Cover?
Response
WA
VIC
QLD
NSW
0
1.89%
0.64%
Between 5 and 10
0.74%
0.51%
2
0.51%
1
0.64%
Source: Finder survey by Pure Profile of 1006 Australians, December 2023 Data for ACT, NT, TAS not shown due to insufficient sample size. Some other states may also be excluded for this reason.
Some cheap health insurance options for students
We've picked out a range of good value basic health insurance options that might be good if you're a student. They're not necessarily the best basic policy for you since everyone's needs differ, but they all offer cover for the basics at an affordable price.
*Quotes are based on a single individual with less than $93,000 income, $500 excess and living in Sydney.
Other ways to get cheap health insurance as a student
If you are a student, your income is possibly only coming from part-time work, so saving on the cost of your insurance is a high priority. Ways to do this could include:
Only taking out basic hospital cover (or none at all) and concentrating your ancillary cover around those extras you use regularly
Opting for a higher excess in order to lower your premium
Joining a restricted membership fund if you are eligible (such as an industry or employer fund) to enjoy lower premiums and more generous benefits
Only paying for things you may need, such as emergency ambulance, and not for things that you probably won't need yet, such as obstetrics and IVF
Private vs public: what's right for students?
Medicare
The public healthcare system gives Australians access to essential services such as free emergency care in a public hospital and cover for some non-hospital treatments such as GP visits and medication. It doesn't cover everything and waiting periods tend to be longer compared to private health insurance, which is partly why over 50% of Australians also have health insurance.
Private health insurance
Private health insurance is essentially designed to make up for the gaps in medicare. This includes most out of hospital services such as dental, physio and optical. It can also pay for ambulance services which are not free in most Australian states. Health insurance can also give you access to treatment in a private hospital and let you choose the doctor that treats you.
Why you can trust Finder's health insurance experts
You pay nothing. Finder is free to use. And you pay the same as going direct. No markups, no hidden fees.
You save time. We spend 100s of hours researching health insurance so you can sort the gold from the junk faster.
You can trust us. We say it like it is. We aren't owned by an insurer and our opinions are our own.
FAQs about student health insurance
The student discount is an age-based discount designed to encourage younger Aussies to take out health insurance to alleviate the pressure on the public healthcare system. It's only available if you take out hospital cover.
The exact method for registering a student dependant varies between health funds though many allow you to register a dependant online. This can typically be done by following a few simple steps, including:
Logging in to your online health fund account
Clicking on the relevant tab or link to register a dependant
Changing the child's membership from that of a child dependant to a student dependant
Declaring that the child is a full-time student for the current calendar year
Specifying the educational institution at which the student dependant is studying
Declaring that the student dependant does not earn more than a certain amount of annual income, for example $20,000
Alternatively, you may wish to phone your health fund directly.
When looking for health insurance as a student, there are certain pitfalls to avoid, just as there are when comparing any insurance policies.
Price isn't everything. Even though you may not want to spend a great deal on your student cover, never choose a policy on the basis of price alone. The main reason some policies are more affordable than others is because they don't provide the same level of insurance.
Always read the PDS. The benefit limits, exclusions and terms and conditions are all itemised in this document. Signing up without reading them could see you only partially covered or not covered at all on certain treatments and services.
Don't just put your policy in a drawer and forget about it. Review it regularly, as a highly competitive insurance market means more cost-effective deals are emerging all the time.
If you are a student from another country studying in Australia, you will need to have Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) while you are here. The only exceptions to this are if you are a Norwegian, Swedish or Belgian student, as these countries have their own schemes for overseas students or reciprocal health care agreements with Australia.
OSHC covers you, your spouse and any dependants for visits to a GP, some hospital treatments, ambulance and some pharmaceutical benefits up to a predetermined annual limit. It does not cover extras such as optical and dental – you'll need to take out extras cover for this.
Funds that offer OSHC in Australia include Allianz Care Australia, BUPA Australia, Medibank Private, NIB OSHC and Australian Health Management Group (AHM).
The services included in extras policies can vary widely between health funds. The three main levels of extras cover you might encounter are:
Comprehensive. Comprehensive insurance covers general and major dental, endodontic, orthodontic, optical, non-PBS pharmaceuticals, physio, podiatry, psychology and others.
Medium. Medium insurance often covers general and major dental, endodontics, optical, physio, chiro, podiatry and others.
Basic. A limited level of cover. These policies may cover a narrower range of services than Medium cover levels, or might have a similar range of cover but with lower limits, or reimbursement amounts.
Most health funds offer packaged cover that includes both hospital and extras cover or allow you to mix and match your cover according to your needs. Always read the product disclosure statement (PDS), as some policies may not cover all costs associated with your treatment.
Gary Ross Hunter was an editor at Finder, specialising in insurance. He’s been writing about life, travel, home, car, pet and health insurance for over 6 years and regularly appears as an insurance expert in publications including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian and news.com.au. Gary holds a Kaplan Tier 2 General Advice General Insurance certification which meets the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146). See full bio
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You pay nothing. Finder is free to use. And you pay the same as going direct. No markups, no hidden fees.
You save time. We spend 100s of hours researching health insurance so you can sort the gold from the junk faster.
You can trust us. We say it like it is. We aren't owned by an insurer and our opinions are our own.