The International Student Blog

A relevant fact when considering whether to study abroad in Vermont is that many schools require international students to have adequate international student insurance. Many public and private institutions provide their students with health insurance plans. Some schools will leave students on their own, others will mandate their insurance plan, and some schools will allow students to purchase an independent policy as long as the plan offers comparable coverage. For these schools, if a student is unable to show proof of coverage under another provider that is equal to their university-offered plans, they are automatically enrolled in their university’s plan.

Many universities require annual notification of whether or not the student has adequate coverage and if she or he will accept or decline the offered university package. An important note for international students studying in Vermont: most schools require students to complete health insurance related forms before a specified date. If this is not done, most university’s health plans become automatically accepted and your student account will be billed. If a student withdraws prior to completing a term, they maintain the insurance until the end of the semester, but may not seek care at university facilities. International students who decide to study in Vermont are encouraged to contact their institution’s insurance office to discuss the particulars of their situation and their school’s requirements.

Despite the additional step and short-term expense added to the enrollment process, student insurance presents a huge opportunity for savings if you need to seek treatment. For example, Vermont—a state with a median income of over $52,000 and an average tuition rate for international students of over $20,000— has its hands tied with healthcare costs as it makes up one of the top expenses of life. Another upside is that Vermont’s healthcare is well-renowned; from the period of 2000-2008 Vermont was ranked as the nation’s healthiest place to live as measured by low infant mortality rate, low teen birth rate, low AIDS rate (the lowest in the country), breadth of average healthcare coverage, and average lifespan.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 12th, 2011 at 2:58 pm and is filed under International Student. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Written by Jenny Frankel

Jennifer is the Director of Financial Services at Envisage International. Jennifer is a graduate of the University of Florida where she holds a Masters in International Business and a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration. She has lived and worked abroad in Chile, Costa Rica and London, and traveled extensively in South America, Europe and Asia.

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