Insurance

Travel and health insurance

The Oxford Brookes Travel Insurance Policy provides cover for Oxford Brookes students who undertake journeys as part of their course of study (e.g. field trips, work placements, research). Please note the following:

The policy covers the duration of:

The exchange which is defined as until the end of the semester plus up to an additional 7 days if required to complete studies and/or to arrange to return home/move out of halls of residence etc.

or:

The work placement which is defined as the agreed placement end date plus up to an additional 7 days if required to complete studies and/or to arrange to return home/move out of halls of residence etc.

Please note, that the Oxford Brookes University Insurance does not cover personal/leisure journeys outside the country of your study during your time abroad or holidays after the completion of your studies. You will therefore need to ensure that you have arranged adequate insurance cover for those periods.

The Exchanges Office notifies the Finance Officer in each faculty of those students who will be undertaking study or work placements abroad. The Finance Officer is responsible for contacting you with a summary of the insurance cover provided

Studying in Europe

The UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) will allow you to access state healthcare in Europe at a reduced cost or sometimes for free.

If you have a UK European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) it will be valid until the expiry date on the card. Once expired, you’ll need to apply for a GHIC.

Students undertaking approved studies in Europe will be covered by the University's travel insurance. This is not a private medical insurance

Studying outside Europe

Australian exchange universities require that ALL exchange students take out the Overseas Student Health Insurance (OSHC). You will only be issued the Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) number that you will need to apply for your visa once the relevant insurance provider receives your OSHC payment. Details on how to pay for this will be on the acceptance letter from your host university.
The North-American health care system is one of the best (and most expensive) in the world. Most Canadian and US universities have their own health insurance plans for students. Participation in the plan is often mandatory, especially for non-U.S. visiting students. Currently hardly any of our North-American partners accept Oxford Brookes insurance policy. A number of private companies offer insurance plans specifically designed for international students. The quality of these programs varies, so please request advice from your host university's exchanges team before you purchase any policy. Many Brookes students choose to buy the host university policy to avoid any complications later.
Our other partner universities have different requirements regarding health insurance. Please discuss the required insurance cover with your host university early in the application process. Some require the purchase of their own health insurance policy, others accept other insurance policies. Only a few of our international partners accept the Oxford Brookes policy.

Please note that if you are eligible for Student Finance England's Travel Grants (see Money Matters page), you might get some of the health insurance costs reimbursed.

Working in Europe

Your placement company should provide information about their employers’ liability and public liability policies to meet their legal liabilities towards you. However, not all countries have the equivalent to the UK’s employers’ or public liability, some having voluntary or statutory workman’s compensation schemes run by the state, which do not always offer protection to placement students.

If your placement company is unable to insure your legal liability as an employee, the University’s public liability cover will automatically extend to include this risk but this must be confirmed with your faculty. Please note that this does not extend to insuring the host’s own liability to you, so you should obtain a personal accident policy to cover you.

Details of your insurance policy provider and policy number should be notified to your Faculty Placements and Partnerships team, copied to erasmus@brookes.ac.uk and recorded on your Learning Agreement for traineeships.

Medical work placements

Please note that only limited cover is available for medical malpractice insurance under the University’s public liability cover. Therefore, if your Host Organisation does not cover you under their liability insurance, you will need to ensure that you take out indemnity / medical malpractice insurance in your own name.

The University cannot provide advice about insurance, but you should ensure that it covers you for working abroad, including cover for:

Accident and serious illness (including permanent or temporary incapacity)
Death (including repatriation)