Student travel insurance: which plans cover a semester or a year abroad, from $27.68 a week

Student travel insurance for a semester abroad has to pay hospital bills in full, fly you home if needed, cover the damage you might cause and last the whole stay. In our US comparison, a 7-day study quote starts at $27.68 (WorldSecure Basic, quoted November 5, 2026).

Four variables decide the choice for a student, and the premium is not the first one. Your age: WorldSecure Basic accepts students up to age 39, and Schengen Campus raises its semester price by about 60% from 29. The length of the stay: WorldSecure Basic accepts up to 364 days, Schengen Campus up to 365. The medical ceiling: about $340,000 on WorldSecure Basic, about $34,000 on Schengen Campus. What happens when you leave the host country: a weekend in another country or the winter break at home is not covered the same way by every plan.

For a 20-year-old spending a semester in Spain, WorldSecure Basic is the plan we would buy. Hospital care is paid at 100% of actual costs up to about $340,000 per 12-month period, and the hospital is paid directly for stays over 24 hours. Personal liability goes up to about $5,000,000 and also applies to property entrusted to you on an approved internship, and the plan keeps paying for emergency care when you fly home for a school break of under 30 days. Schengen Campus costs more for the same semester and its medical ceiling is ten times lower; its real argument is the certificate it issues for a Schengen visa file.

Three study plans in our comparison quote a US resident: WorldSecure Basic, Schengen Campus and World Student (from $40.61 for 7 days on November 6, 2026, with a medical ceiling of about $227,000 for Spain and quotes up to age 34). Tourism plans such as Go Explore or Go Explore + quote a 20-year-old for a spring break or a gap-year trip, but they are written for tourism, not for a semester enrolled at a foreign university.

Pick WorldSecure Basic for most study stays, anywhere in the world. Pick Schengen Campus only when your program stays inside its zone of 40 countries and your visa file asks for its certificate. For a short trip that is not a study stay, such as a spring break or a gap-year trip, look at the tourism plans priced in the next section.

Recommended for youA. Fruchard · Co-Founder & Travel Insurance Expert

Why WorldSecure Basic first, for a student

You get your hospital bills paid in full, without advancing the money for a hospital stay of more than 24 hours, and a flight home arranged by the assistance team if a doctor decides you need it. WorldSecure Basic does that up to about $340,000 of medical expenses per 12-month period, for stays of up to 364 days, in any country you study in, and it still pays for an emergency when you go home for a school break of under 30 days. Its personal liability of about $5,000,000 also covers property entrusted to you on an approved internship, which matters if your program places you in a company. It is also cheaper than Schengen Campus for a semester; World Student costs less still ($235.80 for 180 days on November 6, 2026) but stops at about $227,000 of medical expenses and at age 34. Schengen Campus is the alternative when a Schengen consulate asks for its certificate: it costs more, it stops at about $34,000 of medical expenses and it pays outpatient care at 75%, so it is the plan for the visa file, not the one for a serious accident. The cards below show today’s price for your own dates.

World StudentUnderwritten by Groupama

From$237.23

Included coverage

Emergency medical expenses$220,000

Working Holiday visa-compliant certificateIncluded

Personal liability$5,000,000

Liability for rented accommodationNot included

See all 22 benefitsGet a quote

Personalized quote · no obligation

WorldSecure BasicUnderwritten by MGEN

From$355.85

Included coverage

Emergency medical expenses$330,000

Working Holiday visa-compliant certificateIncluded

Personal liability$5,000,000

Liability for rented accommodationNot included

See all 22 benefitsGet a quote

Personalized quote · no obligation

Schengen CampusUnderwritten by AIG

From$395.39

Included coverage

Emergency medical expenses$33,000

Working Holiday visa-compliant certificateIncluded

Personal liability$55,000

Liability for rented accommodationNot included

See all 22 benefitsGet a quote

Personalized quote · no obligation

Price for 1 student aged 20, a 180-day study stay in Spain, departing from the United States, study or internship coverage. Prices calculated by HelloSafe, November 10, 2026. Ceilings are shown in US dollars, converted at our live exchange rate; your own price depends on age, trip length and destination.

Student travel insurance costs from $27.68 for 7 days in our US comparison (WorldSecure Basic, a 20-year-old studying in Spain, quoted November 5, 2026). The same plan costs $355.90 for a 180-day semester and $711.80 for a 364-day year, which is about $1.96 a day.

What only our quotes show is how the two study plans behave as the stay gets longer. Schengen Campus charges the same $65.91 for 7 days as for 30, so a one-week course costs as much there as a full month. Over a semester WorldSecure Basic is about $40 cheaper, and over a year about $79 cheaper.

Four things move the price. Length comes first: WorldSecure Basic goes from $27.68 for a week to $711.80 for a year. Age matters on one plan only: Schengen Campus jumps from $395.44 to $632.71 for a semester at 29, while WorldSecure Basic stays at $355.90 from 18 to 38. Destination barely moves WorldSecure Basic, which costs $27.68 for a week in Spain, the United Kingdom or Japan; on tourism plans WorldSecure Platinum costs $51.91 for Mexico and $56.19 for Thailand. The type of trip decides which plans you even see: a study stay narrows the list to three. If you take several short trips a year rather than one long stay, compare annual travel insurance instead of a single long policy.

Up to 39 on WorldSecure Basic and up to 38 on Schengen Campus: our quote engine returns a study price for every age from 18 to 39 on WorldSecure Basic, and from 18 to 38 on Schengen Campus. Both plans accept a single stay of about a year, 364 days for WorldSecure Basic and 365 for Schengen Campus.

A doctoral student or a mature student over 39 is therefore outside every study plan in our comparison today. The tourism plans accept older travelers (up to 80 on Go Explore and Go Explore +), but they are sold for tourism trips, so read their wording against your program before relying on one for a year of study.

Three things change: the host country may set its own insurance rule for your visa, your university may ask for proof of coverage, and you will travel out of the host country during the stay. A plan that is fine for a week of vacation can fail on all three.

The host country's visa rule comes first

Some consulates set conditions a travel policy cannot meet. The Consulate General of Spain in Los Angeles asks student visa applicants for health insurance from an insurer authorized to operate in Spain, with no deductible, copayment, waiting period or coverage limit, and states that travel insurance is not accepted. The same consulate says a student visa is not required for study stays of up to 90 days. Read your own consulate's list before you buy, then use a study plan for what it does well: medical evacuation, repatriation, liability and trips outside the host country.

Weekend trips and the winter break at home

WorldSecure Basic is sold for 250 destination countries, so a weekend in Portugal during a semester in Spain stays inside the same policy. Schengen Campus covers the destinations of its own zone (40 countries in our data), which suits a program inside the Schengen area. When you fly home, WorldSecure Basic still pays for an emergency during a school break of under 30 days, up to about $17,000; Schengen Campus does not cover medical expenses in your country of residence.

Coming to the United States as a student

An international student arriving in the United States faces different rules. Exchange visitors on a J-1 visa must carry medical benefits of at least $100,000 per accident or illness, $25,000 for repatriation of remains, $50,000 for medical evacuation and a deductible of no more than $500 per accident or illness, under 22 CFR 62.14. Our guide to J1 visa insurance checks each plan against those minimums, and our page on insurance for F1 students covers the F-1 side.

Four clauses matter most on a long student stay: mental health, pregnancy, electronics and care at home. We read the wording of WorldSecure Basic and Schengen Campus; here is what they cover well and where they stop.

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  Hospital bills paid in full: WorldSecure Basic pays medical and hospital costs at 100% of actual costs up to about $340,000 per 12-month period, with direct payment for stays over 24 hours.
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  Covered from day one when bought before you leave: On WorldSecure Basic, a policy taken out before departure covers you from the first day.
• ✓
  Liability on an internship: WorldSecure Basic's liability, about $5,000,000, extends to property entrusted to you on an approved internship.
• ✓
  Leisure sports: WorldSecure Basic names hiking, cycling, on-piste skiing, scuba diving, horse riding, surfing and team sports practiced for leisure.
• ✓
  A certificate for the visa file: Schengen Campus issues an insurance certificate with your name, dates and the assistance numbers as soon as you buy it.

• ✕
  Mental health care: Psychological follow-up and psychotherapy are excluded on WorldSecure Basic; Schengen Campus excludes nervous disorders and mental illnesses.
• ✕
  Pregnancy and maternity: Excluded on WorldSecure Basic. Schengen Campus covers them only in case of recognized medical necessity or after a covered accident or illness.
• ✕
  Laptops and phones: WorldSecure Basic's baggage coverage excludes laptops, telephones and sound or image devices.
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  Buying after you have left: Taken out after departure, WorldSecure Basic only starts covering medical expenses after 8 days.
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  Hospital care without a phone call first: Both plans require the assistance service's prior approval before a hospitalization; Schengen Campus reimburses nothing incurred without it.
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  Medical internships: WorldSecure Basic's liability excludes internships in the medical and paramedical field unless they are limited to observation.
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  Outpatient care at 75%: Schengen Campus pays care outside hospital at 75% of actual costs, within ceilings per 90-day quarter, and asks for claims by registered mail within 15 business days.
• ✕
  World Student's lower limits: World Student, a third study plan that quotes US residents, stops at about $227,000 of medical expenses for Spain and returned no price from age 35.

These exclusions are written into the policies themselves, so read them before you pay. If your program includes an internship in a hospital, or if you need ongoing therapy abroad, know before you buy that neither WorldSecure Basic nor Schengen Campus will pay for it.

• Is student travel insurance mandatory?

  Not for leaving the United States, but often for where you are going. The host country can require health insurance for a student visa, as Spain does for stays over 90 days, and your university or program may ask for proof of coverage before you arrive.

• Does a regular tourism plan cover a semester of study?

  Not in our comparison. Go Explore, Go Explore + and World Travel are sold for tourism trips. For a study stay, a US resident can buy WorldSecure Basic, Schengen Campus or World Student.

• What is the cheapest student travel insurance?

  For a week, WorldSecure Basic: $27.68 for 7 days for a 20-year-old studying in Spain (November 5, 2026). For a semester or a year, World Student quoted less on November 6, 2026: $235.80 for 180 days and $458.49 for 364 days, against $355.90 and $711.80 on WorldSecure Basic, but with a lower medical ceiling.

• Can I buy coverage after I have already arrived?

  Yes, on WorldSecure Basic, but medical expenses are only covered after a waiting period of 8 days when the policy is taken out after departure. Buying before you leave avoids that gap.

• Am I covered when I fly home for winter break?

  On WorldSecure Basic, yes for emergencies during a school break of under 30 days, up to about $17,000. Schengen Campus does not cover medical expenses in your country of residence.

• Am I covered on weekend trips to other countries?

  WorldSecure Basic is sold for 250 destination countries, so side trips stay covered. Schengen Campus covers the countries of its own zone, 40 in our data, so a trip outside it needs checking.

• Is there an age limit on student plans?

  Yes. WorldSecure Basic quotes students up to 39 and Schengen Campus up to 38; from 40, no study plan in our comparison returns a price. Schengen Campus also charges about 60% more for a semester from age 29.

• Does student coverage include mental health care?

  Not on WorldSecure Basic or Schengen Campus. WorldSecure Basic excludes psychological follow-up and psychotherapy, and Schengen Campus excludes nervous disorders and mental illnesses.

• Is my laptop covered if it is stolen abroad?

  Not under WorldSecure Basic’s baggage coverage, which excludes laptops, telephones and sound or image devices.

• What should a gap-year traveler buy instead?

  A gap year without enrollment is a tourism trip. For 7 days in Thailand at 20, our quotes ran from $27.68 on WorldSecure Basic to $85.68 on Go Explore +, which carries about $560,000 of medical coverage.