If you hold an Australian student visa (subclass 500), holding Overseas Student Health Cover is not optional—it is a visa condition. The question most people start with is simple: how much does OSHC cost for one year in 2026?
The short answer is that a single-student policy costs roughly AUD 623 to AUD 806 per year, depending on which insurer you choose. That works out to about AUD 52 to AUD 67 a month. Couple and family cover cost more, and adding extras like dental or optical pushes the premium higher. The exact figure you pay will depend on your cover category, the insurer you pick, and the total length of cover you buy upfront.
What a year of single-student OSHC costs in 2026
Australia has five government-approved OSHC providers in 2026: ahm, nib, Bupa, Medibank, and Allianz Care. (CBHS exited the market in October 2025.) All five meet the same minimum coverage standards set by the Australian Department of Home Affairs, so your visa requirement is satisfied regardless of which one you choose.
Based on mid-2026 pricing, annual single-student premiums fall into this range:
- Low end: around AUD 623 per year (ahm)
- High end: around AUD 806 per year (Allianz Care)
Some quotes published earlier in 2026 showed single rates as low as AUD 478 to AUD 632, but the most widely cited mid-year range sits at AUD 623 to AUD 806. Premiums are not static—insurers adjust them periodically, and the rate you lock in depends on the date you purchase and the policy start date.
All premiums must be paid upfront for the entire period your visa requires. If your visa is granted for a duration longer than your course, you need to buy cover that spans the full visa period, not just the academic terms.
Couple and family cover: what to budget
If you are bringing a partner or dependants, the annual cost scales up significantly.
- Couple cover: roughly AUD 1,100 to AUD 1,500 per year
- Family cover: roughly AUD 1,600 to AUD 2,400 per year
As a rule of thumb, couple and family policies tend to cost 1.8 to 2.5 times the single rate. The final figure depends on the provider, the ages of the people covered, and whether you add extras.
What makes the price go up or down
Several factors move the premium away from the baseline single rate.
Cover category. Single is the cheapest. Adding a partner or children increases the premium in line with the provider’s couple or family rate.
Extras cover. The base OSHC policy covers hospital and medical treatment to the minimum required by the visa. If you add extras—dental check-ups, optical, physiotherapy—the annual premium rises. The jump varies by insurer and the level of extras you select.
Age. Some providers apply age-based loading, particularly for older students. A student in their 30s may pay more than an 18-year-old on the same policy.
Length of cover. You pay for the entire visa period in one go. A three-year policy costs three times the annual premium, but the per-year rate is the same as the 12-month rate at the time of purchase. Insurers do not discount for multi-year purchases; they simply multiply the annual figure.
Provider pricing cycles. All major OSHC providers adjusted premiums upward by between 5.2% and 7.1% in January 2026. The rate you see today may not be the rate available six months from now. Checking the insurer’s website or the Australian Government’s private health insurance comparison site at the time of purchase is the only way to get a binding quote.
What the price difference between insurers actually means
Because all five providers meet the same visa minimums, the difference between a AUD 623 policy and an AUD 806 policy is not about whether you are covered—it is about how you access care and what additional conveniences each insurer offers.
The main variables are:
- Direct-billing network size: Some insurers have larger networks of clinics that bill the insurer directly, meaning you pay nothing out of pocket at the time of treatment.
- App and claims experience: The ease of submitting a claim, tracking it, and getting reimbursed varies.
- Extras options: The range and cost of optional dental, optical, and physiotherapy add-ons differ.
- Policy transfer and continuity: If you later switch to a different visa (such as a 485 temporary graduate visa), some insurers make it easier to transition your cover without a gap. A gap in health cover can create visa complications, so continuity matters.
None of these differences affect whether your visa condition is met. They affect what your day-to-day experience looks like if you need to use the insurance.
How to get the exact price for your situation
The annual figures quoted here give you a reliable benchmark, but your binding premium depends on the specifics of your enrolment, your visa length, and the date you buy. To get a firm price:
- Visit each insurer’s website directly and request a quote using your visa grant details and intended dates.
- Use the Australian Government’s private health insurance comparison tool, which displays current premiums across all registered OSHC providers without mark-ups.
- If you are working with an education agent, ask them to show you a side-by-side comparison of the five approved insurers at their standard retail rates. A transparent agent will provide this without steering you toward one provider for commission reasons.
You are never required to buy OSHC through a particular agent or alongside your university enrolment. You can purchase directly from any of the five approved providers and upload the policy certificate to your visa application or ImmiAccount. The only requirement is that the policy is active from the day you arrive in Australia and remains active for the full duration of your student visa.
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