Student Travel Insurance

From the new curriculum to a brand new life, studying abroad brings with itself joys worth looking forward to. Going abroad to study and get a higher degree is a smart move for your personal and professional growth. However, troubles won’t stop and knock, even if you are devoting your time and efforts to getting good grades and ace your classes. Protecting your study trip abroad is a priority to avoid added discomfort. A student travel insurance plan is exactly what you need to do so. Student travel insurance plans are specifically designed to cater to students and that is why they are a little different from your basic international travel insurance plans. This piece will cover all the aspects of student travel insurance in UAE that you must be aware of.

What is a Student Travel Insurance Plan?

Essentially, it is a type of international travel insurance plan that is designed for students planning to study abroad. It covers all the basic aspects that a normal travel insurance plan covers along with a few added ones that may be beneficial to students. It is a unique mix of many different types of general insurance plans, mainly travel and health. From medical expenses to personal liability, trip and baggage benefits, and sponsor protection. The tenure of a student travel insurance plan can range from 1 to 2 years including any extensions you apply for.

Why Do You Need Student Travel Insurance?

• To Cover Medical Emergencies: Being in a foreign country for your studies, all alone is definitely an empowering experience. But it can also have you stranded and short on funds if a medical emergency strikes out of nowhere. Your student travel insurance plan will help you in getting through these ordeals efficiently. From accidental injuries to illnesses and evacuations, almost every medical emergency is covered by student travel insurance plans.  
• To Compensate Study Interruptions: It is unfortunate but you may have to halt your studies due to an illness or a medical emergency back home. In a case like this, your student travel insurance plan will offer compensation for your tuition fee as a study interruption benefit. It can be redeemed if you are hospitalized for more than a month due to a terminal illness or have to go back home because a family member is in the same situation.
• For Sponsorship Protection: Many students go abroad to study with the support of a sponsor. It is even mandated to have a sponsor for young students in many student immigration cases. If your sponsor finds themselves in a situation where they cannot cover your tuition, your student travel insurance will do that for you.
• For Admissions: Many universities and schools have mandated foreign exchange students to have a proper travel insurance plan in order to get admission. If your university is one of the aforementioned ones, you will need a good student travel insurance plan to confirm your admission.
• Family Visits: Living alone in a foreign land is not easy. It may get even bluer if you are battling with a prolonged illness alone. A student travel insurance plan covers the travel cost of one of your family members if you have been sick and hospitalized for more than a week (or any number of days set by your provider as a minimum requisite).

Best Student Travel Insurance in UAE

Here is a comprehensive list of cheapest Student travel insurance plans in Dubai, UAE:

Best Travel Insurance Online

Here is a comprehensive list of cheap travel insurance online plans in UAE :

Plan Name	Medical Cover	Max Duration	Starting from	Price
Alliance Insurance	AED 150,000	90 days/trip	AED 33
Orient Insurance	AED 150,000	92 days/trip	AED 183
See More Plans >>

Inclusions of Student Travel Insurance Plans

• Emergency medical treatment expenses
• Emergency dental treatment
• Accidental death and disability
• Medical evacuation and non-medical emergency evacuation
• Repatriation expenses
• Loss of luggage
• Checked-in baggage delay or loss
• Lost travel documents
• Travel and trip delay
• Trip cancellation
• Missed flights – departure or connection
• Sponsor protection
• Personal liability
• Study interruption
• Bail bond
• Compassionate visit
• Cash allowance or financial support
• Emergency accommodation compensation

Exclusions of Student Travel Insurance Plans

• Damages and expenses due to self-inflicted injuries or suicide
• Depression, neurological disorder, stress or anxiety, unless specified otherwise
• Damages and injuries due to alcohol abuse
• When traveling against the advice of a doctor
• Traveling for receiving medical aid
• Terminal and pre-existing diseases
• Theft or loss due to negligence of the policyholder
• Partial damage of the baggage or luggage includes theft as well
• Damages, injuries, and illness due to war or war-like situations
• Damages due to radioactivity or nuclear activities

Things to Track When You Buy the Best Student Travel Insurance

• Mandatory Status: See if your university has made travel insurance mandatory. If yes, there may also be a minimum assured sum pre-specified for foreign exchange students. Also, see if the university has a tie-up with some specific insurance companies. If yes, you may have to go with one of those options to get approval.
• Compulsory Insurance Covers: Many risks are classified as mandatory risks to be covered in a student travel insurance plan. Contact your university/school to get hold of any such risks. This list can include alcohol poisoning, psychological disorders such as depression, sports injuries for intercollegiate events, pregnancy, cancer screening, etc.
• Premium Waiver Eligibility: Universities that make student travel insurance compulsory often add insurance premiums as a part of the total fee charged for a semester. Find out if that is the case with you. Either get it waived off or reimbursed, whichever seems suitable.
• Pregnancy and Maternity Clause: Pregnancy may be classified as a mandatory covered risk but the basic benefits of your insurance plan still may not cover it. See if you can find an add-on for it if you think you will need it when studying abroad.
• Early Return Terms: Confirm in advance that your insurance provider will allow you to terminate the insurance cover if you happen to return early. If not termination, make sure you will get study interruption benefit payout at least.

Best Student Travel Insurance Partners in UAE

Eligibility Criteria for Student Travel Insurance

Generally speaking, any student aged between 16 years and 35 years is eligible to get a student travel insurance plan in the UAE. The upper age limit can differ a year or two for some providers. You need to be a UAE resident or citizen ad have all the required identification documents as proof for the same. Insurance companies may also ask for an acceptance letter or some other kind of documented proof of your admission abroad when offering you a student travel insurance plan.

Getting an Extension for Your Student Travel Insurance

From postponement of the exams to prolonged illnesses and injuries, there are several reasons you may have to extend your stay in your university abroad to finish the semester. If your student travel insurance plan expires before the end date of the extended stay, you can get an extension on your insurance plan as well. Following are the criteria you need to meet to get an extension:

• The reason for the extension is beyond your control such as university examinations.
• Your current student travel insurance policy is still active and has not expired.
• There are no active or previously closed medical claims on your current policy.
• The total period of the policy including the original tenure and the extension does not cross the 2-year mark.
• You send out a declaration about pre-existing health conditions.
• The premium for the extension period is paid upfront in advance.

Other types of claims such as baggage loss, theft, dental treatment, trip delay, and other travel inconvenience claims are not included in the terms of policy extension. You may still get an extension even if you have one of these claims ongoing. But confirm with the provider to get maximum clarity.

How to Cancel Your Student Travel Insurance Plan?

Contact your insurance provider 15-30 days before the date you want your insurance plan to get terminated. Have a word with the concerned representative and ask them to initiate the cancellation request. If you are canceling the plan due to a reason that can be categorized under the study interruption benefit, find out about it. If applicable fill out a claim for study interruption benefit before canceling the plan. After that, raise an official request to terminate the plan. Make sure that you have followed the cancellation process ideally and submitted all required documents. The cancellation steps can be a bit different for each provider so, learn the steps diligently and follow them.

How to Claim Your Student Travel Insurance?

Register a police complaint if you find yourself in a situation that requires legal attention. For example, luggage theft, accidents and loss of personal money. Identify the kind of claim you need to make first such as a direct or reimbursement claim. For example, medical treatments can be settled as direct claims while claims like luggage loss and theft are often reimbursed in the form of compensation. Once you have a fair idea of the type of claim you are going to make, call the insurance company and inform them about the claim. The insurance company will inform you about the steps you need to take as per the claim you want to make. You will have to fill up a claim form, attach the required documents and submit it to the claim settlement department. For direct claims, you simply need to contact the insurance company and get the direct cashless payment approved. The treatment expenses will be directly paid to the hospital as per the assured sum.

Tips to Buy Cheap Student Travel Insurance Plans

• Always Stop and Compare: The key to buying a good cheap student travel insurance plan in comparison. Do not just go with the first plan or provider you come across. Toggle with your options a little, select the top 3 or 4 choices, obtain quotes and then decide on a final one to pick.
• Buy Early: Try and buy your student travel insurance plan as soon as you book your tickets for the trip and finalize other things about the admission. DO not wait for the last moment and shop carefully while you still have time.
• Assess Risks Unique to Your Travels: Even though traveling is exposed to similar risks in most cases, you may still end up having some unique requirements. Analyze your needs and get the covers that you need the most to avoid overspending. Customizing the coverage properly can help you in getting a cheap student travel insurance plan.
• Shop Online: Insurance companies don’t generally offer any special discounts on student travel insurance plans. However, you can get special offers if you shop online. Many providers offer a complimentary discount on plans bought on online platforms.
• Choose Deductibles Carefully: Choosing a high deductible can lower the premium of your travel insurance plan significantly. However, be careful here and do not go overboard with high deductibles. Choose an amount that you can afford to cover yourself in an emergency. Find a good balance of both to find a cheap student travel insurance plan that suits your needs ideally.

How Can We Help You?

Finding a good yet cheap student travel insurance plan is no easy feat. PolicyBazaar UAE can help you in this process so that you can get the best student travel insurance as per your needs. Following are the ways we can be of assistance to you:

• Compare: By bringing all top providers and plans together on a single platform, PolicyBazaar UAE makes comparing easy and efficient. You get to weigh each option ideally in real-time and make an informed decision without the hassle of switching multiple tabs.
• Customize: Our business and finance experts can help you match insurance covers with your unique requirements ideally. You simply need to state the kind of protection you would like and we will find a plan that not only maximizes savings but also covers you properly when studying abroad.
• Efficient Shopping: With a quick-to-respond user-friendly interface and a secure payment platform, shopping for the best student travel insurance is a breeze with PolicyBazaar UAE.
• Authenticity: All the insurance plans your find here are from the top players of UAE insurance sectors we partner with. Carefully vetted and verified, we make authenticity a priority.
• Compete Customer Support: Our assistance does not end at the buying process. PolicyBazaar UAE customer help team is always there to assist you with your queries and help you in any way you need us to.

 

Student Travel Insurance FAQs

Q1. What do you mean by free-look period? Do all providers offer it?

Ans. The free-look period is sort of a trial period. Insurance companies give you a few days to study and analyze the contents of the policy freely and then make the final decision to buy or not buy the plan. Some providers offer this feature while others don’t. Confirm with yours beforehand.

Q2. Is student travel insurance mandatory for all?

Ans. No, student travel insurance is not mandatory. It completely depends on the country you are traveling to or the university itself. Some universities have made it compulsory for students to get travel insurance while others have not. Study the requirements of the university or school you are going to attend to get a fair idea.

Q3. Are sports injuries covered by my student travel insurance plan?

Ans. Normal sports injuries are covered by the medical benefits of your student travel insurance plan. However, if you partake in an adventure sport, the injuries will not be covered by the basic benefits.

Q4. Will the study interruption benefit cover if I have to repeat the semester due to an injury or illness?

Ans. Yes, you will be compensated for the tuition fee for the next semester up to the assured sum or sub-limit of the study interruption benefit of the plan.

Q5. What are ways to renew your student travel insurance plan?

Ans. You can renew your student travel insurance online as well as offline. Many providers also offer auto-renewal services. You can opt for that as well.

Q6. What would be the starting and end date of my student travel insurance plan?

Ans. Your student travel insurance plan will begin as soon as you embark on your journey and will end when you are back home in the UAE.

Q7. Are you allowed to cancel your student travel insurance with a full refund if your school/university rejects it?

Ans. Yes, if your university has rejected the student travel insurance plan you bought, you can cancel it with a refund. However, make sure that you confirm this term with the insurance provider beforehand and get a fair idea.

Q8. Is it possible to get reimbursed for my student travel insurance premiums from my school/university?

Ans. Many universities include insurance premiums in the tuition fee they charge. If your university has a similar fee structure, you can get the insurance premium amount reimbursed by filling out a waiver form. The waiver form is generally available with the university administration.

Q9. Can I buy student travel insurance online in the UAE?

Ans. Like most general and life insurance plans, buying student travel insurance online is entirely possible. You can choose to buy it from the provider website or your aggregator directly.

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