Insurance

What Does Study Abroad Insurance Cover? Should You Buy It?

Updated on 2025-06-12

Disclaimer: This article is translated with the assistance of AI.

Curious about study abroad insurance? Learn what it covers, key limitations, and why extra medical coverage might be essential for your overseas adventures. The Bowtie team simplifies it all for a worry-free learning journey!

What is Study Abroad Insurance?

Although many insurance companies offer products named “study abroad insurance,” the truth is, there’s no single insurance product universally known as “study abroad insurance” . So, what’s out there as “study abroad insurance” is really just travel insurance branded for study trips, or study insurance that includes study abroad groups, designed to protect students heading overseas for short-term educational adventures.

Comparison: Travel Insurance vs Study Insurance

	Travel Insurance	Study Insurance
Coverage Period	Provides coverage for a single trip or multiple consecutive trips Calculated in days, with some policies covering up to 1 year	Offers longer-term coverage Calculated by semester or academic year Up to 2 years
Coverage Scope	Accidental medical expenses Lost or damaged baggage Trip cancellation or interruption	In addition to what’s covered in travel insurance, it includes educational funds, academic interruption, and emergency visit coverage
Insured Age	Covers various age groups, including children, adults, and seniors (some policies have age limits)	Has age restrictions, mostly designed for school-age children or young adults
Can it Cover Non-Accompanying Children?	Some insurers may allow coverage for minors under the same policy, but typically requires adult supervision	If the insured is under 18, parents or guardians will act as the policyholder

What Does Travel Insurance or Study Abroad Insurance Cover for Study Tours?

The coverage for travel insurance on study tours varies depending on the insurance company and plan. Generally speaking, this type of travel insurance typically includes the following items:

Accident Medical Coverage: This includes medical expenses due to accidents, such as sudden illnesses or injuries requiring medical attention.
Baggage Coverage: This protects travelers’ baggage in case it’s lost, stolen, or damaged during the trip, usually including compensation for baggage loss or delays.
Trip Cancellation or Interruption Coverage: This provides compensation if you need to cancel or interrupt your trip for specific reasons, such as illness, accidents, or family emergencies.
Public Liability Coverage: This covers legal responsibilities if you accidentally cause damage to someone else’s property or person during your travels.
Travel Assistance Services: These generally include services like “emergency medical evacuation,” “repatriation of remains or ashes to Hong Kong,” “compassionate visits by relatives,” “legal assistance,” and “escorting unaccompanied minors back to Hong Kong,” all arranged and provided through the insurance company’s authorized emergency support team or service provider.

What Additional Coverage Can Study Abroad Insurance Provide?

Compared to travel insurance, study abroad insurance offers more comprehensive protection, taking into account the various risks students might face during their studies or study tours, and providing appropriate coverage and support. Study abroad insurance not only includes the items mentioned in the travel insurance categories above but also covers the following:

Academic Coverage: If a student has to interrupt their studies due to war, injury, or the death of an immediate family member, compensation is available for unused tuition fees and deposits that aren’t refundable.
Emergency Visitation: If a student is hospitalized due to illness or an accident, parents can receive a specified amount or reimbursement for travel expenses like airfare to visit, with some plans also offering allowances for accommodation or leave.
School Coverage: This provides protection for specific risks students might encounter at school, such as compensation if the school closes or fails to deliver the promised educational services.

Are There Age and Compensation Limits for Study Tour Insurance?

Study tour insurance usually has age restrictions, with some insurance companies requiring the policyholder to be at least 18 years old to purchase study tour insurance independently.

If the policyholder is under 18 years old, it might require that they must be accompanied by family or a guardian to be covered; for minors, there may also be lower compensation limits.

Is Study Tour Insurance Enough for Your Study Trip?

Whether it’s travel insurance specifically named for “study tours” or student insurance that includes study tour groups, both types provide coverage for medical needs, personal accidents, property loss, and more. The latter even includes education funds, academic interruption, and emergency visit coverage, making it seem like it fully covers all aspects. But actually, just buying study tour insurance isn’t enough!

Travel insurance usually has a maximum coverage period limit, such as annual travel insurance covering up to 90 to 100 days, and single-trip insurance up to 180 days. If you exceed the period or travel to another country or region, you’ll need to purchase new travel insurance.

On the other hand, student insurance might have age restrictions, with some insurance companies only accepting applicants within a specific age range. If you go beyond the study period, the insurance will expire, and if an accident or medical issue occurs abroad at that time, you won’t be covered.

Additionally, some travel and student insurance policies exclude high-risk activities, so if you’re injured due to participating in dangerous activities, you might not be covered.

More importantly, most travel and student insurance on the market only include medical coverage up to about HK$1 million to HK$2 million. While that’s a substantial amount, medical costs in many advanced countries are higher than in Hong Kong. In the unfortunate event of an accident, once the expense compensation cap is reached, you’ll have to pay the remaining medical expenses yourself! Therefore, while buying study tour insurance, don’t forget to add VHIS to boost your medical coverage.

Why is Bowtie Pink the Perfect Companion for Study Tour Insurance?

Bowtie Pink VHIS offers several key features, making it a reliable health backup whether you’re studying abroad, on a study tour, traveling, or even deciding to continue studying or living long-term in another place:

Individuals from 15 days to 80 years old can apply
Covers worldwide ^{^} application
Global emergency support services
Full reimbursement ¹ for any hospital, doctor, and surgery fees
Annual limit: Up to HK$20,000,000 (reset annually)
Monthly premium as low as HK$146*

^ Excludes hospitals in the US and non-designated hospitals in China; psychiatric treatment is limited to Hong Kong only.
1 Full reimbursement means no sub-limit on items and applies only to specified coverage items. Payable claims are subject to deductible balance (if applicable), annual limit, lifetime limit, and other restrictions including reasonable and customary charges, pre-existing conditions, designated hospitals in mainland China, and related US medical treatments. For full product terms, conditions, risks, and exclusions, please refer to the relevant product website and policy.
* Based on an 18-year-old non-smoker subscribing to Bowtie Pink VHIS (Ward) with a HK$8,000 deductible, for example

Get a Quote for Bowtie Pink for Your Children Preparing for Study Tours Now!

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Tired of sky-high private hospital bills but hesitant about purchasing VHIS? Bowtie Pink provides full coverage*, with long-term premiums are substantially lower than market rates^.

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^{*Full coverage shall mean no itemized benefit sub-limits, and applies to designated benefit items only. The benefit payable shall be subject to the remaining deductible (if applicable), annual benefit limit, lifetime benefit limit and other limitations such as reasonable and customary charges, a pre-existing condition, “List of Designated Hospitals in Mainland China” and receiving medical treatment in the United States. For detailed terms and conditions, product risks, and exclusions, please refer to the relevant product website and policy.}
^{^For example, with Bowtie Pink (Ward) and the deductible option HK$80,000, the monthly premium for a 30-year-old non-smoker is HK$197. The premium comparison above is based on similar medical insurance plans with the ward level (data source on 27, July 2023), HK$50,000 to HK$80,000 deductibles, for a 30-year-old non-smoker. Different medical insurance plans have different coverage and benefit limits. For details, please refer to the relevant insurance policy and its terms and conditions.}

Author

Bowtie Team

The Bowtie Life Insurance Company Limited is an authorized life insurance company and Hong Kong’s very first virtual insurer approved. Through the use of modern technology and medical expertise, Bowtie offers an agent-free, commission-free and more convenient online platform for customers to quote, apply and claim for Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme (VHIS) anytime anywhere. Bowtie is ranked first in the direct channel sales throughout 2021. Stay up to date at www.bowtie.com.hk