Health Cover

All student visa holders must have approved Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for the duration of their student visa. This is required by the Australian Government's Department of Home Affairs (DHA). OSHC is offered by many providers in Australia, and you can get OSHC from the provider of your choice.

OSHC assists you as a student visa holder to meet the costs of your medical and hospital care you may need while in Australia. When you apply for a student visa, you must show DHA that you have OSHC for the duration of your visa. You can choose to have the University of Newcastle organise your OSHC and indicate this on your Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE). By requesting the University to arrange your OSHC it will ensure you have appropriate OSHC when you arrive in Australia.

Understand the Australian Health System

If you request for the University to organise OSHC on your behalf we will arrange Medibank Comprehensive OSHC for you.

The University of Newcastle has a preferred agreement with Medibank. The cost of your OSHC will be outlined in your offer letter. Medibank Comprehensive OSHC is an exclusive cover that you can only purchase through our University.

Once you have paid for your OSHC a certificate will be sent to you via email at the time when your policy is arranged. When you arrive in Australia you can register and order your physical membership card via the Medibank OSHC App or the Medibank website.

Medibank has a 24/7 helpline and is available to all international students both onshore and offshore. The helpline has a dedicated multi-lingual team and can be contacted by phone.

In Australia: 1800 887 283

From outside of Australia: +61 3 9862 1095

If you have any questions about your OSHC you can contact Medibank directly

Please note international students on certain scholarships and those with reciprocal health insurance in their home country may not need to have OSHC. You don't need OSHC if you are:

  • a Norwegian student covered by the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme
  • a Swedish student covered by Kammarkollegiet
  • a Belgian student covered under the Reciprocal Health Care Agreement with Australia

Scan to download the Medibank OSHC app to register and manage your OSHC.

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