OVERSEAS STUDENT
HEALTHCOVER (OSHC)
Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC)
is insurance that covers basic medical
and hospital care that you may need
when you are in Australia.
You must have OSHC if you have a
student visa and you can obtain it from any
government-approved OSHC provider.
OSHC only covers you from the time
you arrive in Australia and so you may
also need travel insurance while in transit.
You will learn more about the Australian
health system and health insurance during
Orientation or you can consult www.health.
gov.au for more information.
OSHC by Allianz Global Assistance
UQ’s preferred OSHC provider is Allianz
Global Assistance (formerly OSHC
Worldcare) and the University can accept
payment on their behalf.
Your Letter of Offer will indicate the Allianz
Global Assistance OSHC fee for visa-length
cover of OSHC, and the program deposit
amount which is part of your tuition fee.
When you have paid the deposit, and
signed and returned the Agreement and
Response to Offer (ARO), your Confrmation
of Enrolment (CoE) will show that the OSHC
has been paid, which will satisfy the student
visa application requirements.
Allianz Global Assistance OSHC prices
*Singles – Covers only the valid student visa holder.
MONTHS
SINGLE PREMIUM (AUD$)*
6
$259
12
$519
GENERALEXPENSES
Fortunately, Brisbane rates well on cost
of living indexes for Australian cities.
How much it will cost you to live in Brisbane
will depend partly on your lifestyle preferences.
As a guide, if you are living in shared
accommodation off-campus you will pay
approximately AUD$21,060 per calendar year
for rent, food, and utilities. You will also need to
consider establishment costs (approximately
AUD$3085 if you live off-campus) when
setting up your accommodation, and other
ongoing living expenses such as public
transport, entertainment, telephone costs,
textbooks, photocopying, and clothing.
Please check the Expenses guide overleaf
to determine what costs to consider.
You will need personal access to a
computer and the Internet at UQ. Although
computers are available on campus, you
might want to bring a computer with you,
or purchase/hire one in Australia. Wireless
laptop connections are available on all
campuses and UQ provides basic access
to the Internet for study purposes. If your
Internet use is high you can purchase “top
up” access at a reasonable cost.
If you buy a car, costs can vary from
AUD$5000 to AUD$25,000 or more, and
running costs after purchase price are
about AUD$100 per week: we strongly
recommend that you use public transport.
You also need to make allowances
for recreation, emergencies, and health
expenses not covered by OSHC.
Remember that exchange rate variations
may also affect your budget.
UQ Advantage:
You do not have to pay a year’s
tuition up-front: just pay your deposit and then
pay by semester
OSHC by Allianz Global Assistance
coverage (formerly OSHC Worldcare)
– 24-hour emergency assistance and
medical advice
– partial coverage of medical services
provided by doctors (general
practitioner services)
– partial coverage of medical services
such as pathology and radiology
– some prescription medicines
– emergency ambulance services.
Note that there is a waiting period for claims relating to
pre-existing conditions.
Allianz Global Assistance is also the
preferred OSHC provider for UQ’s Institute
of Continuing & TESOL Education’s (ICTE-
UQ), and ICTE-UQ students can buy Allianz
Global Assistance OSHC insurance when
paying their tuition feesw. See information
about OSHC cover for periods of less than a
year at www.icte.uq.edu.au/course-fees
Allianz Global Assistance OSHC
www.oshcallianzassistance.com.au
Other government-approved OSHC
providers
UQ has no relationship with any other
government-approved OSHC providers and
so cannot accept payment from students
for any provider other than Allianz Global
Assistance. However, you can contact another
OSHC provider and insure with them directly,
e.g., British United Provident Association
(BUPA) Ltd (www.overseasstudenthealth.
com), Australian Health Management (AHM)
(www.ahm.com.au) or Medibank Private
(www.medibank.com.au).
EMPLOYMENT
OPTIONS
If you are residing in Australia on a
student dependant visa and want to
work, you must have a student visa that
includes permission to work.
Initial student visas and dependant student
visas all include “work rights”. If, for any
reason, your student visa is issued without
the right to work, you will need to apply for
a permission-to-work student visa after
commencing classes. You will also need a
Tax File Number before undertaking work.
You will hear more about these issues
during Orientation week. Information about
dependants working will be covered in the
Families of International Students
session.
In general, you cannot realistically expect
to cover tuition fees or living expenses from
casual work.
If you are studying at UQ on a
scholarship, you should contact your
scholarship provider about how many hours
you are permitted to work each week.
Part-time work can be diffcult to fnd and
there is much competition for these jobs.
Most available jobs are non-professional
and involve tasks such as waiting on tables,
cleaning or sales.
44
UQ Guide 2014
Study Abroad and Incoming Exchange