Insurance while studying

Important note to students

All students, both European and non-European, need to make sure they are adequately insured against accident, injury and ill-health while participating in an Erasmus Mundus Masters Course outside their home country. Personal medical cover is required in most European countries, even those which have a public health system. You may also want to consider travel insurance, which protects you, your travel documents and your belongings while you are away from home.

Erasmus Mundus Insurance Scheme

General Details

The Erasmus Mundus programme offers special cover to its scholarship students at no extra cost. Their families can also benefit from special premiums with the same insurers.

All non-EU students selected for an Erasmus Mundus 1 to 2-year scholarship automatically receive free medical insurance cover. This covers their unexpected medical expenses in the European countries they visit during their Masters Course. It also provides accident cover and protects them against some costs arising from civil liabilities (a kind of third-party insurance which is required in many European countries). Full details are provided in the general conditions below.

This medical coverage also applies during periods of travel during the Erasmus Mundus Masters course. The insurers will also provide you with assistance if you loose your passport, tickets or other travel documents. However, it is not a comprehensive travel insurance. If students wish to be covered for eventualities such as the loss or theft of money, personal belongings and items of value, or for the unexpected costs caused by travel delays, they are advised to take out additional cover with a private insurer.

Who is covered?

All third-country scholarship students are provided with a complementary insurance cover during their studies in Europe on an Erasmus Mundus Masters Course. Enrolment in this insurance scheme is automatic for student scholarship holders and does not involve extra costs for students or for the Erasmus Mundus consortium.

What exactly is covered?

Erasmus Mundus third-country scholarship students are insured worldwide, including during holidays of up to four weeks in their home countries. In addition to medical expenses, some limited legal and travel costs are also insured, as well as travel assistance. Some of the costs of pregnancy, physiotherapy and some sporting injuries are covered. Students are not covered for pre-existing conditions, conditions for which treatment can wait until they return home, AIDs, mental illness, or non-urgent dental care. The cover supplements any state health care which may also be provided. There is no limit on the amount payable and no excess to pay on medical costs, (as long as, if hospitalised, you stay in a common ward and not a private room).

The insurance contract embraces cover for all of the situations set out in the general conditions : you are advised to check these carefully.

Summary of cover:

Who offers this insurance cover?

The scheme is paid for directly by the European Commission and does not imply any additional costs for third-country scholarship students or Erasmus Mundus university consortia. The cover is provided by the insurance company ACE Europe, who can be contacted directly at their Customer Service Hotline +32 2 516 9835.

Where am I covered?

The Erasmus Mundus Student Insurance Policy covers you worldwide against risks related to health, accidents, and civil responsibility while you are enrolled on an Erasmus Mundus Masters Course in Europe. This means you are covered when you travel to the Master Course from your home country, when you attend conferences, research trips or cultural sessions abroad, and when you move to study at the different higher education institutions involved in your programme. You are also covered during short trips back to your home country.

When am I covered?

You are covered from the point at which you leave your normal place of residence to go abroad to begin your Course. This may be up to two months before the beginning of your Masters Course. The policy is valid while you are abroad for up to three months after the official end of the Masters Course, until you return home. The medical coverage will then continue for a maximum of 30 days on your return.

How does it work?

The Commission will automatically register you with the Erasmus Mundus Insurance scheme, once your participation on the Master’s Course is confirmed. You will receive an insurance card with your personal policy details. If you wish to make a claim for expenses, you fill in a claim form and submit it directly to ACE Europe. For serious medical problems and accidents or in the case of fatal injury, ACE Europe should be immediately informed.

Are my partner and children covered?

Students' partners and children are not covered by the Erasmus Mundus insurance scheme. However, they can benefit from special conditions if they wish to purchase insurance from ACE Europe, as set out in their separate Student Insurance Programme (SIP). Partners and children must register directly with ACE Europe if they wish to take out this cover. Please note that the conditions and benefits of the SIP policy are different to those of the complementary insurance offered to Erasmus Mundus students.

Key Documents

Erasmus Mundus Student Insurance Forms

• Enrolment
  Enrolment is automatic – you will be contacted by the insurers once your scholarship is confirmed
• Conditions
  Erasmus Mundus Insurance Scheme - General conditions (Pdf format)
• Overview of Benefits
  General Overview of the Indemnities – EMIS (Pdf format)
• Claim Form
  Erasmus Mundus Insurance Claim Form (General) Word - PDF
• Claim Form (Medical)
  Erasmus Mundus Claim Form for Medical Expenses (under 250 €) Word - PDF

Insurance Offer for Students’ Partners/Children  - Student Insurance Programme (SIP)

• Enrolment
  SIP Insurance Request (for students’ partners and children): Word - PDF
• Conditions
  SIP General Conditions (for students’ partners and children) (Pdf format)
• Overview of Benefits
  General Overview of the Indemnities (Pdf format)
• Claim Form
  SIP Claim Form (for students’ partners and children) Word - PDF