Dhiraj Kandel
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Quick answer
The essentials at a glance
OSHC Australia means Overseas Student Health Cover, the health insurance every Nepali student must keep for their whole stay on an Australian student visa. It helps pay for doctor visits, hospital care, ambulance trips and some medicines, but not dental or glasses. A single policy costs from about AUD 643 to 1,400 a year, about Rs 60 thousand to 1.3 lakh. Only six insurers sell it, and your university can arrange it with your deposit. You need it before you lodge your visa, from the day you arrive until your visa ends.
Key takeaways
Main points from this page
- OSHC is a condition of the student visa (subclass 500), and you must keep it for your whole stay in Australia.
- Single cover costs from about AUD 643 to 1,400 a year, depending on the insurer and the level of cover.
- Only 6 insurers sell OSHC: ahm, Allianz Care, Bupa, CBHS International Health, Medibank and nib.
- Medicines are covered up to AUD 50 per item and AUD 500 a year on a single policy, and dental is not covered.
- Cover runs from your arrival date to your visa end date, such as 15 March after a course ending in November.
What Is OSHC and Who Needs It?
The OSHC meaning is Overseas Student Health Cover, the health insurance that every student visa holder in Australia must keep for their whole stay.
Holding it is condition 8501 on your visa, and it is one of the Australia student visa requirements. Study Australia’s OSHC page says Home Affairs requires you to keep it for as long as you are in Australia.
Nepal has no health agreement with Australia, so Nepali students cannot use Medicare, the public health system that Australians use. That makes OSHC your main cover for doctors and hospitals. Only students from Norway, Sweden and Belgium, under their own national schemes, can skip it.
OSHC is one of the costs and steps on the way to a student visa. Our guide to study in Australia from Nepal puts it in order with the rest, from course choice to arrival.
What Does OSHC Cover?
OSHC helps pay for doctor visits, hospital care, emergency ambulance trips and some medicines, but not dental, eye or physio care.
Every insurer must meet the same minimum cover set by the Australian government, and the government’s private health website explains it. The table shows what a basic policy includes and the limits that matter most.
| Care | What basic OSHC does |
|---|---|
| Doctor (GP) visits | Pays the government-set fee for a standard visit; a clinic may charge more |
| Hospital | Treatment as a patient in a public hospital, and some cover in private hospitals |
| Ambulance | Emergency ambulance transport |
| Medicines | Up to AUD 50 per item and AUD 500 a year on a single policy (AUD 1,000 on a family policy) |
| Dental, glasses, physio | Not covered; you need extras cover for these |
Waiting periods apply to some care. Treatment for a condition you already had before arriving, and pregnancy care, usually come with a 12-month wait, although some insurers and universities waive part of it. If you take regular medicine in Nepal, bring a letter from your doctor in English and enough medicine for the first weeks.
How Much Does OSHC Cost in Australia?
A single student usually pays between about AUD 643 and AUD 1,400 a year, depending on the insurer and the level of cover.
TAFE NSW’s 2026 fees page lists single cover from AUD 643 a year, about Rs 60 thousand. The University of Queensland’s cost of living page estimates around AUD 1,200 to 1,400 a year, about Rs 1.1 to 1.3 lakh. Rupee amounts are rounded, so check today’s rate with our AUD to Rs forex converter.
| Policy | Cost for one year | About in rupees | Who can buy it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single | From AUD 643 (TAFE NSW); about AUD 1,200 to 1,400 (UQ estimate) | Rs 60 thousand to 1.3 lakh | Every student |
| Couple | From AUD 2,412 (TAFE NSW) | About Rs 2.2 lakh | Only students allowed to bring a partner |
| Family | From AUD 3,847 (TAFE NSW) | About Rs 3.5 lakh | Only students allowed to bring family |
The couple and family prices matter only to a few students now. Under the student visa rule changes from 2 October 2026, most new applicants can no longer bring a partner or children. Only exempt students can, for example students on a PhD in Australia. Most Nepali students will buy a single policy.
You usually pay for the whole stay at once, before the visa. For a 3-year bachelor’s degree, cover lasts about 3 years and 2 months, which comes to roughly AUD 2,000 to 4,400 at the prices above. That is about Rs 1.8 to 4 lakh. It is part of the first-year spending in our guide to the total cost to study in Australia.
Which Companies Sell OSHC?
Only 6 insurers sell OSHC under an agreement with the Australian government.
The government’s private health website and Study Australia both list the same 6. You can compare their plans and prices on each insurer’s own website:
- ahm OSHC
- Allianz Care Australia (also sold as Peoplecare)
- Bupa Australia
- CBHS International Health
- Medibank Private
- nib OSHC
All six meet the same minimum cover, so the price is not the only thing to compare. Look at these points for your own campus and dates:
- The full price from your arrival date to your visa end date, not just one year.
- Clinics near your campus where you pay nothing extra on the day.
- Waiting periods for conditions you already have.
- How claims work: an app, online forms and how fast they pay.
- Whether you can add extras cover for dental or glasses.
- The refund rules if your visa is refused or you leave early.
Your university may also have its own chosen insurer, with an office on campus that helps with cards and claims.
How Do You Buy OSHC from Nepal?
You can let your university arrange OSHC with your deposit, or buy it yourself online, and either way you need it before you lodge your visa.
Most offer letters quote the price of the university’s preferred insurer. If you pay that with your deposit, the university buys the policy and adds the insurer and dates to your Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE). If you buy it yourself, you must put the policy number in your visa form. The Home Affairs student visa page says it will refuse your visa if this information is missing.
Cover must start on the day you arrive in Australia, not the day your course starts. It must last until your visa ends, which is usually a little after your course ends, as the Home Affairs length of stay page explains:
| Your course | Visa, and so OSHC, usually ends |
|---|---|
| 10 months or longer, ending in November or December | 15 March of the next year |
| 10 months or longer, ending from January to October | 2 months after the course |
| Less than 10 months | 1 month after the course |
If you buy it yourself, follow these steps:
- Check your course start and end dates on your CoE.
- Work out your likely visa end date from the table above.
- Get a quote for a single policy from your arrival date to that end date.
- Pay by card or bank transfer from Nepal, along with your other study payments.
- Save the certificate and policy number for your visa application.
Your offer letter price is only a guide, because insurers review their prices at least once a year. The steps around OSHC, from offer to visa, are laid out in our guide on how to apply for an Australia student visa.
How Do You Use OSHC in Australia?
Download your insurer’s app, carry your membership card, and use clinics that bill your insurer directly so you pay little or nothing on the day.
In your first week, register on the insurer’s app with your policy number, and order a card if you want one. When you are sick, book a GP, the family doctor that Australians see first. At a clinic with direct billing, the insurer pays the clinic, and you pay only any gap. At other clinics you pay first and claim the money back through the app with your receipt.
In an emergency, call 000 for an ambulance. Keep your policy paid and renewed on time, because if it lapses you may not be able to claim for care during that period. Health is only one part of your monthly budget, and our guide to the cost of living in Australia covers the rest. For settling in more widely, read about life in Australia for Nepali students.
Can You Switch or Cancel OSHC?
Yes, you can move to another OSHC insurer at any time, as long as there is no gap in your cover.
Your visa needs cover every day, and even a 1-day gap breaks the rule. So buy the new policy first and cancel the old one only after the new one starts. Insurers usually refund the unused part, sometimes minus a fee. If your visa is refused, or you leave Australia for good before your policy ends, you can usually ask for a refund too.
Before you switch, check these points:
- The new policy starts on or before the day the old one ends.
- The new end date still matches your visa end date.
- Any waiting period you already served is carried over.
- The old insurer’s refund rules and fees, in writing.
If your university bought your first policy, tell its student office when you switch.
What Happens to OSHC After You Finish Your Course?
OSHC ends with your student visa, so for your next visa you need a different kind of health insurance.
When your student visa ends, you can no longer hold OSHC. Most graduates who stay to work move to Overseas Visitors Health Cover, which is the usual cover for the 485 graduate visa. Our guide to the Australia 485 visa explains that visa, including the health insurance it asks for.
Plan this switch about 2 months before your OSHC ends, so there is no day without cover. If you are not sure which policy or dates to choose, talk to a Goreto counselor from anywhere in Nepal. Visit our branches in Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Chitwan, Itahari and Pokhara, or reach us through our contact page.
FAQs on OSHC Australia
The OSHC full form is Overseas Student Health Cover. It is the health insurance that international students on an Australian student visa must hold. It helps pay for doctor visits, hospital care, ambulance trips and some medicines while you study.
Yes. Keeping adequate health insurance for your whole stay is a condition of the student visa, and OSHC is how students meet it. Nepali students cannot use Medicare, and only students from Norway, Sweden and Belgium can skip OSHC under their own schemes.
No. Insurance bought in Nepal, or travel insurance, does not meet the student visa rule. You must buy OSHC from one of the six approved Australian insurers. You can still keep other insurance on top of it if you want extra cover.
Prices change every year and depend on your dates, so no insurer is always the cheapest. Single cover starts from about AUD 643 a year at the lowest published price we found. Get quotes from all six insurers for your exact arrival and visa end dates.
For a 2-year master’s degree, your cover usually runs about 2 years and 2 to 3 months, from arrival to your visa end date. At about AUD 643 to 1,400 a year, that comes to roughly AUD 1,400 to 3,200. Get an exact quote for your own dates.
No, basic OSHC does not cover dental, glasses or physiotherapy. You can buy extras cover from an OSHC insurer, or general treatment cover from any Australian health insurer. Many students get a dental check in Nepal before they leave.
Yes, but usually after a waiting period. Treatment linked to a condition you had before arriving, and pregnancy care, usually come with a 12-month wait. Some insurers and universities waive part of this, so compare policies if it matters to you.
Usually yes. If your visa is refused or you never travel, the insurer normally refunds what you paid, sometimes minus a small fee. Send the insurer your refusal letter and check its refund rules before you buy.
Yes, every family member in Australia must have health cover, so an exempt student who brings a partner or children needs a couple or family policy. Since 2 October 2026 most new students cannot bring family at all. Our guide to an Australia student visa with spouse or dependants explains who is exempt.
Buy it after you accept your offer and before you lodge your visa, because you need the policy details in the visa form. Choose a start date that matches the day you plan to arrive. If your university arranges it, it is paid with your deposit.
Sources
Reference links
Disclaimer
Important guidance note
This page provides general guidance about studying abroad. Requirements, fees and policies can change. For advice about your situation, speak with a Goreto counselor before applying.
