Student Travel Insurance: The Complete Guide
A student’s trip is usually long, cheap and far from the family doctor, and that combination is exactly what a standard travel insurance plan is not built for. This guide covers which kind of plan fits which kind of student trip, the travel medical plan we point people to, what the program may already require or provide, a checklist for the week before departure, and the questions parents and students ask most.
Which plan for which trip
Travel insurance comes in two kinds. A package plan covers the trip cost and the medical side and is priced by the trip cost and the ages of the travelers. A travel medical plan covers only the medical side, is priced by the day, and can run for a year. Students need one or the other depending on the trip, and sometimes both.
| The trip | What is at risk | The plan that fits |
|---|---|---|
| A semester or year abroad | Months outside the United States where the family health plan pays little or nothing; usually little prepaid money beyond the program fee. | A standalone travel medical plan, priced by the day, for the length of the stay. Seven Corners Travel Medical covers 5 to 364 days and can be extended from abroad. |
| A short study tour or school trip, paid in advance | The program fee, flights and lodging if the student cannot go; medical care abroad for a week or two. | A package plan on the trip cost, with medical of $100,000 or more. Children 17 and under are free on some plans. |
| Spring break or a graduation trip | A cheap week with little prepaid, in a place where the family health plan may not work. | A basic package plan if there is a deposit to lose, or a travel medical plan if there is not. Read the alcohol exclusion: a claim while intoxicated is not covered on nearly every plan. |
| A gap year or long backpacking trip | Many countries, many months, adventure activities. | A travel medical plan for the full length, with an adventure sports rider if the trip includes diving, climbing or skiing. Package plans cap trip length; medical plans go to 364 days. |
| An international student coming to the United States | Care in the US, which is the most expensive in the world, often required by the school. | A plan built for students coming to the US, sold by the insurer or through the school; the comparison here is built for US residents travelling out. |
The travel medical plan for a semester abroad
For months away with little prepaid, a package plan is the wrong shape: it caps trip length and charges for cancellation coverage you do not need. A standalone travel medical plan is the right one. These are the details to compare any plan against, from the insurer’s plan page.
| Seven Corners Travel Medical (the standalone plan we point people to) | What it gives a student |
|---|---|
| Who can buy it | Residents of the United States (New York excepted), from 14 days old |
| Trip length | 5 to 364 days, and it can be extended while you are away |
| Emergency medical | Up to $1,000,000 for travelers under 65 |
| Evacuation | $500,000 |
| Deductible | $0 to $1,000, your choice; a higher deductible lowers the price |
| Pre-existing conditions | No waiver, but up to $50,000 for the first sudden flare-up of a known condition for travelers under 65 |
| Trip cancellation | None. That is what keeps it cheap; add a package plan if there is a program fee to lose. |
The travel medical insurance guide covers primary and secondary coverage, deductibles and how a hospital abroad gets paid.
What the program may already require, or provide
Most study abroad offices require insurance and say what it has to include: usually a minimum medical limit and medical evacuation and repatriation coverage. Some programs include a plan in the fee; some universities carry a group plan for everyone abroad. Ask for the requirement and the certificate in writing before you buy, so you buy what is missing and not what is already there. If the program’s plan is thin (a low medical limit, no evacuation), a travel medical plan on top fills the gap for a few dollars a day.
See every top plan priced for your trip
Enter your trip once and every top plan comes back side by side, priced for your dates. Same price as buying direct.
See plans & pricesAbout 60 seconds. Nothing to sign up for.Before the student leaves
| Before a student leaves | Why |
|---|---|
| Ask the program what insurance it requires, and what it already provides | Many programs require a minimum medical limit and repatriation coverage, and some include a plan in the fee. Buy to fill the gap, not to double up. |
| Set the medical limit at $100,000 or more, $250,000 for a long stay or a remote country | The family health plan pays little or nothing abroad, and a week in a foreign hospital can pass $100,000. |
| Set evacuation at $250,000 or more | Getting from a small hospital to a good one, and home, is the bill that surprises families. |
| Buy the plan for the whole stay, with a few days either side | A plan that ends the day before the flight home leaves the flight home uncovered. |
| Put the assistance number in the student’s phone and a parent’s | For a medical emergency the assistance company is the first call; it finds the hospital and can pay it directly. |
| Check the activities | Scuba, climbing, skiing and motorbikes are excluded or limited on many plans; a rider covers them on the plans that offer one. |
The exclusions that matter to students
Three come up more for students than anyone else. Anything that happened while intoxicated or under the influence of a drug not prescribed to you is excluded on nearly every plan. Adventure activities (diving below a set depth, climbing, some skiing, motorbikes) are excluded or limited unless the plan has a rider for them. And a condition that changed in the look-back period before you bought is excluded on a travel medical plan, which has no waiver; a package plan bought within 14 days of the first trip payment does. The exclusions answer has the rest.
What the plans say
The package plans on the comparison cover a student on the same terms as any traveler, with medical limits from $10,000 to $500,000 and evacuation from $50,000 to $1,000,000, and several cover children 17 and under free. Seven Corners Travel Medical, the standalone plan we point people to, is sold to US residents (New York excepted) from 14 days old, covers trips of 5 to 364 days, carries medical limits up to $1,000,000 for travelers under 65 with $500,000 of evacuation, offers deductibles from $0 to $1,000, pays up to $50,000 for the first sudden flare-up of a known condition for travelers under 65, and can be extended while you are away.
Questions people also ask
Does my family health insurance cover a student abroad?
Usually little or nothing. Most US health plans treat care abroad as out of network at best, pay nothing at worst, never pay a foreign hospital directly, and never pay to fly a student home. A travel medical plan is the coverage for the months away.
What is the best travel insurance for study abroad?
A standalone travel medical plan for the length of the stay, with medical of $100,000 or more and evacuation of $250,000 or more. Seven Corners Travel Medical covers 5 to 364 days for US residents with medical up to $1,000,000, can be extended from abroad, and is priced by the day with a deductible you choose. Add a package plan on top if there is a program fee you would lose by cancelling.
Does my university require travel insurance?
Many study abroad programs do, and they usually name a minimum medical limit and require medical evacuation and repatriation coverage. Ask the program office for the requirement in writing and buy a plan that meets it; the plan certificate is what the school will want to see.
Can a parent buy travel insurance for a student?
Yes. A parent can buy the policy and pay for it; the student is the insured traveler. For a student under 18 on a family trip, several package plans cover the child free; the family travel insurance guide lists them.
Does student travel insurance cover spring break?
A basic package plan covers the prepaid trip if it is cancelled for a listed reason and medical care abroad up to the plan limit. What it does not cover is a claim that happened while intoxicated or under the influence of drugs, which is excluded on nearly every plan, so it is worth saying out loud before the trip.
How much does student travel insurance cost?
A travel medical plan is priced by the day, the medical limit and the deductible, and for a traveler in their twenties it is often a few dollars a day. A package plan for a short trip runs 4 to 8 percent of the prepaid trip cost.
Related: travel medical insurance guide · family travel insurance guide · adventure travel insurance guide · countries that require travel medical insurance
Plan facts on this page (Seven Corners Travel Medical terms, package plan ranges, children-free rules, exclusions) were checked against the insurers’ plan pages and the policy documents for the 54 plans on the CoverTrip comparison on 12 and 13 September 2026. Program requirements vary by school; the program office is the source.
See every top plan priced for your trip
Enter your trip once and every top plan comes back side by side, priced for your dates. Same price as buying direct.
See plans & pricesAbout 60 seconds. Nothing to sign up for.More guides
Damian TysdalDamian Tysdal is the founder of CoverTrip and a licensed travel insurance agent since 2006. He believes travel insurance should be easier to understand, and started the first travel insurance blog in 2006. About CoverTrip.