Health Insurance Is Increasingly Important For Students Studying Abroad, APRIL Reveals

LONDON, February 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

It is that time of year when offers of university places start to drop into electronic mailboxes around the world. Higher education is big business now, places at UK universities are some of the most sought after in the world. These institutions will often charge overseas student annual fees of well over £25,000, so for the parents, ensuring the success of the academic investment is as significant as it is for a company sending key employees abroad.

According to the UK Council for International Student Affairs, in 2015, 436,585 overseas students came to study in the UK. The number of Chinese students far exceeds any other nationality at 89,540, whilst Indian students are the next largest group with 18,320.

Parents can learn some valuable lessons from the corporate world's experience of overseas placements, starting with why international private health insurance is so important. While social, emotional and cultural factors are likely to be of central importance in determining the success or failure of an academic placement, access to comprehensive international medical insurance is increasingly becoming a key factor for many overseas students.  With a demanding academic workload, it can be vitally important to ensure that the student overseas feels well protected when medical treatment is required. The individual must know their medical insurance is there when needed and that they will have access to private hospitals where treatment can be obtained quickly. This in turn speeds up recovery, so absence from study is minimised.

Joe Thomas, April International UK's Business Development Director observes that, "Whilst most universities will ensure overseas students do have access to emergency and local care, in some cases, it can be quite basic. Today's overseas students, with a significant family financial investment hanging over them, will often need more than this. This is why policies that offer private care and fast access to first class treatment, such as those offered by APRIL International are now so popular in countries like the UK, where high concentrations of foreign students are located."