Medical Insurance Overview

1. Primary Health Insurance

Students participating in off-campus extracurricular activities and co-curricular or curricular trips must have appropriate health and insurance coverage for the location and nature of the activity.

Primary Health Insurance

RRU requires all students—domestic and international, graduate and undergraduate—to maintain valid basic health insurance while participating in off-campus activities. 

For most students, basic health coverage is provided through their provincial health plan, such as B.C.'s Medical Services Plan (MSP).  RRU employees and students travelling outside Canada or in Quebec will not be covered by basic health insurance.

International students who are not yet eligible for MSP must maintain supplementary medical insurance. In most instances, this temporary insurance is provided through Guard.me

Workers’ Compensation

Off-campus activities and trips are not workers' compensation activities, and students are not covered under provincial or territorial workers’ compensation legislation and policy.

Travel Insurance

Trip participants are responsible for securing applicable travel insurance based on the nature, location, and level of institutional involvement in the activity.

2. Supplementary Medical Insurance

Student and Associate Faculty will be required to have basic health insurance (e.g. MSP or guard.me) before applying for for additional travel and health insurance. This can be purchased through their own provider or through RRU's Going Global plan.

• Travel abroad health insurance should:
  • Include continuous coverage pre/post departure and arrival;
  • Be renewable from abroad for the duration of the trip;
  • Have a 24-hour emergency contact number;
  • Include hospitalization illness or accident expenses, including maximum coverage amounts;
  • Provide transparent claim deductible costs and filing procedures;
  • Include emergency evacuation coverage

Outside of Canada Services and Emergency Response

• For non-emergency services, guard.me travel health insurance provides medical support services such as finding a doctor, as well as easy access to policy documentation and claim submissions.

• The Emergency Protocols and Response unit within each planning unit reviews RRU's medical emergency response policies and services for employees and students travelling outside Canada.

Students and Workplace Insurance Coverage:

• Worksafe insurance coverage relies on provincially bound policies. For information about student remuneration and insurance, please refer to the Royal Roads Experiential Learning Hub