Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC)
Overseas Student Health Cover is health insurance international students must maintain as a condition of their student visa. This page explains what OSHC is, who is eligible, and why it is required.
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Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) is health insurance for international students that helps to cover medical costs in Australia. It is a condition of your student visa that you maintain OSHC for the duration of your studies. As an international student, your student visa requires you to have private health insurance for the duration of your stay in Australia, as per Australian Government policy. The Medicare Australia national health program does not cover you.
If you are an international student, organising your overseas health cover is an important part of accepting your offer from TITAN Higher Education. At the time of acceptance, you would have been given the option of organising your cover through the TITAN preferred provider, Bupa Overseas Student Health Cover, or through one of the Australian Government's approved providers.
What Is Overseas Student Health Cover?
Student visas are issued for full-time study. International students cannot study part-time. Students must provide evidence that they have sufficient funds to cover their tuition fees and living expenses whilst in Australia. From 2 October 2026 to 30 June 2027, the transfer restriction period for higher education students is 12 calendar months of their principal course. During this period, a transfer generally requires a release from the current provider or an applicable exception. From 1 July 2027, the restriction period returns to six months.
Refer to the Department of Home Affairs - Immigration and Citizenship for more information.
Read Standard 7: Overseas student transfers for the transfer requirements and exceptions.
If a student is not satisfying the course and/or visa requirements (including attending the course and making satisfactory academic progress), the registered provider, IIBIT AHE Pty Ltd trading as TITAN Higher Education, must by law notify the relevant Commonwealth and State authorities, and the student visa may be cancelled. Note: international students are to complete their course within the duration specified on their Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE).
Who Is Eligible For OSHC?
People eligible for OSHC are students from overseas who are undertaking formal studies in Australia, and their family members (for example, spouses and children under 18 years old). For OSHC, there are three categories of overseas students, and students in all three categories are eligible for, and must take out, OSHC.
- Non-Australian residents with a current student visa
- Students from New Zealand
- Expatriate Australian students who are ineligible for cover by Medicare
Enrolment Status
If you’re an international student, it is a condition of enrolment that you abide by the Australian student visa regulations. TITAN Higher Education monitors your enrolment and visa status and will advise you if visa requirements are not being met. The Student Services Department must approve your enrolment in advance. If you amend your enrolment without this approval, your enrolment may be cancelled or modified appropriately.
Why Are International Students Required To Maintain OSHC?
Hospital treatment in Australia can be expensive. The average cost for a bed in a public hospital in Australia is $240 per day. International students are not eligible for Medicare, the Australian government's public health insurance system. Without access to the safety net of Medicare, international students may have difficulty paying for medical treatment. As a result, Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) was introduced to ensure international students have adequate healthcare arrangements during their stay in Australia. OSHC ensures international students can access appropriate healthcare without undue financial hardship. Additionally, the Department of Home Affairs requires all holders of a student visa to maintain OSHC, and advises that international students who do not maintain their OSHC may have their visas cancelled.
TITAN has entered into an agreement with Bupa as the preferred provider of OSHC to commencing international students. After the first 12 months of membership, students can transfer to another OSHC provider. It is now compulsory for all students to purchase visa-length OSHC as required by the Australian Department of Home Affairs. Information about other registered OSHC providers is available on the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing website.
It is a condition of your student visa that you always have valid health cover, and it is your responsibility to renew your health cover when it expires. If you are covered by Bupa's OSHC, you can do this online or at any Bupa branch. For information regarding Bupa's current rates for single and family cover, as well as general information about coverage and renewal, please refer to Bupa's website. You are covered by Bupa OSHC from the date of your arrival in Australia, and your membership card will be available for collection when you enrol (or shortly thereafter). If you want to apply for Bupa OSHC or renew through TITAN, please contact the admissions department on +61 8 8104 1080 or by email at admissions, and refer to the Bupa price list.