Health Insurance for Students

If you are a student at college or university and want to find out about health insurance that’s affordable then you have come to the right place.

Students generally have little additional money and insuring their health is a responsible action that can save time and get them into private hospitals. You can choose to start cover when you start university or when you graduate although depending on your age you may have to begin a plan for yourself. Some companies offer no claims discounts so it may be worth starting the insurance as soon as possible to build this bonus up over the coming years of your life.

Finding the cheapest cover

Getting the cheapest health insurance for a college student can be very affordable because one of the best methods of keeping the costs down and getting cheap cover is for your parents to add them onto their own policy. Some insurers count anyone under the age of 18 as a child and the costs can be as little as £9.99 per month.

Or cheap can actually mean free as some of the larger insurers will cover children under the age of 18 for no cost at all by simply adding them onto their policy. However, if you have finished your A-levels and are at university then this won’t apply to you and you’ll need to have your own policy.

Types of student health insurance

When we searched online specifically for student health insurance we didn’t actually find any companies that specifically targeted students so in essence you should simply look for generally health insurance policies and look at the companies we have reviewed and set up your own policy.

As you are young the premiums should be relatively low cost and inexpensive but also talk with your university or college because they may have some discounts with the larger insurers because of the volume of applications they process.

If you are simply studying in the UK then you’ll want fast access to private hospitals if you need surgery and access to top consultants for diagnosis and treatment. All the major UK insurers offer these today so get quotes from all of them and see what they offer. Not all offer the same level of service nor access so check the policies carefully and speak with an independent advisor or someone you can trust before committing to this expense.

International student health insurance

If you are studying overseas you may find that your travel insurance will cover you for hospital treatment and repatriation into the UK should the need arises although international health insurance may also be another option to consider.

As the UK is in the EU cost of medical treatments should normally be free but not all countries have the comprehensive nature of a free NHS system so depending on what country you are studying in (and outside of the EU, especially in the USA may require much better cover and insurance than most general policies cover).

Again it will be worth checking with the university you are studying with as they will have helped previous students before and may also be able to offer additional discounts on your policy. But get cover before you travel as you never know what circumstances you will find when you get into the country of your choice.