Medibank Report Highlights Wellbeing Challenges Facing International Students in Australia, With Loneliness Emerging as a Key Warning Sign
New research released by Medibank has revealed that one in four international students living in Australia are struggling with their health and wellbeing, highlighting the need for more accessible support systems, stronger social connections and earlier identification of emerging difficulties. The report identifies loneliness as a significant warning sign that students may be experiencing deeper health and wellbeing challenges, raising questions about how universities, healthcare providers and other organizations can better support international students throughout their academic journeys.
The report was developed jointly by Medibank and international management consultancy Nous Group, in partnership with six university partners. It combines the experiences and perspectives of international students, insights from universities, healthcare data and broader evidence to examine the factors influencing student wellbeing in Australia.
The research aims to provide a clearer understanding of the challenges international students encounter while studying and living away from their home countries. It also identifies opportunities for universities, healthcare providers and other stakeholders to strengthen the support available to this important student population.
International students contribute significantly to Australia’s education sector, local communities and economy. However, moving to a new country can introduce a range of challenges, including adjusting to a different culture, managing academic responsibilities, finding employment, dealing with financial pressures and establishing meaningful social relationships.
The report suggests that these challenges can overlap, creating circumstances in which students experience difficulties across several aspects of their lives at the same time. Although many international students report positive experiences, the findings indicate that a substantial proportion face wellbeing concerns that may not be immediately visible to universities or support services.
According to the research, one in four international students struggle with their health and wellbeing. Loneliness is identified as an important early warning sign, while students who need support the most may face barriers that prevent them from accessing appropriate services.
The findings highlight the importance of treating student wellbeing as a connected issue involving healthcare access, social relationships, university engagement and practical support. Rather than relying exclusively on responses to serious problems, the report encourages institutions to recognize early signs of difficulty and create environments in which students feel comfortable seeking assistance.
One in Four International Students Experience Wellbeing Challenges
The report’s central finding is that approximately one in four international students in Australia are struggling with their health and wellbeing. This finding draws attention to the challenges that can accompany international study, particularly when students are managing academic expectations and personal responsibilities while adjusting to life in an unfamiliar environment.
For many students, studying overseas represents a major transition. They may be living independently for the first time, navigating unfamiliar healthcare systems, learning how local services operate and developing new friendships without the immediate support of family and established social networks.
These changes can affect different areas of wellbeing. Students may encounter difficulties balancing study with paid employment, managing living expenses, understanding available healthcare services or finding opportunities to develop lasting relationships.
The report highlights that these pressures do not necessarily occur independently. Academic demands, financial concerns and social isolation can reinforce one another, potentially making it more difficult for students to recognize their needs or seek assistance.
While the majority of international students may have positive experiences, the research emphasizes that broad measures of satisfaction can conceal a group facing significant difficulties. Understanding the experiences of students who are struggling is therefore essential to ensuring that available resources reach those who need them.
The findings also suggest that support should not be limited to students who have already reached a crisis point. Early intervention may help identify emerging problems before they become more difficult to manage.
For universities and healthcare organizations, this means examining how students experience the full range of support services available to them, from informal peer networks and campus activities to professional healthcare and wellbeing assistance.
Loneliness Emerges as an Early Warning Sign
Loneliness is one of the most important themes identified in the research. The report suggests that feelings of isolation and disconnection may indicate deeper health and wellbeing risks among international students.
Building a social network in a new country can take time. International students may arrive without friends or relatives nearby, while differences in language, cultural expectations and communication styles can make forming relationships more challenging.
Students may also have limited time to participate in social activities because of coursework, employment commitments or financial constraints. Even when universities offer clubs, events and student services, individuals who feel disconnected may find it difficult to participate or establish meaningful relationships.
The report highlights that belonging is more than an abstract concept. Students who feel connected to the community around them may be more comfortable asking questions, attending support sessions and speaking to others when they encounter difficulties.
A student who feels recognized and included may also be more likely to approach a lecturer, contact a student support team or discuss a concern before it becomes more serious.
By contrast, students experiencing loneliness may remain disconnected from services even when assistance is available. This creates a challenge for institutions seeking to identify those who need support but are not actively asking for it.
The findings therefore encourage universities to consider social connection as an important part of student success rather than treating it as an optional addition to academic life.
Creating opportunities for students to meet others is one element of this approach. Institutions also need to understand whether those opportunities result in stronger relationships and a genuine sense of belonging.
Medibank Calls for a More Connected Approach to Student Wellbeing
Becky Hyde, Medibank Executive Overseas, said understanding international students’ experiences is essential to ensuring that support reaches the people who need it.
“International students make an enormous contribution to our communities, campuses and economy, but their experiences and wellbeing needs are often different to those of domestic students,” Hyde said.
She noted that wellbeing challenges do not always begin with an obvious crisis. Feelings of loneliness, isolation and disconnection can emerge earlier and may indicate that a student is struggling.
According to Hyde, the findings reinforce the importance of fostering genuine connections and a sense of belonging both on campus and beyond.
She also emphasized that creating opportunities for social interaction is not enough on its own. Organizations need to assess whether their initiatives are helping students feel included and connected.
This distinction is important because participation does not always translate into belonging. A student may attend a campus event or join a university group without developing relationships that provide meaningful support.
Medibank’s approach, as described in the report, involves considering healthcare navigation, peer connection and professional care as interconnected parts of the student experience.
Healthcare navigation refers to students’ ability to understand the healthcare system, identify suitable services and determine how to access them. For international students, unfamiliarity with local systems may make it difficult to know where to seek help or what resources are available.
Peer connection can help students develop social relationships and learn from others who have experienced similar transitions. Professional care remains important when students require specialized healthcare or wellbeing assistance.
Treating these elements as connected parts of one journey could help reduce the burden on students to identify and coordinate support independently.
Hyde said Medibank would use the report’s insights and recommendations to help shape how the organization supports international student customers and university partners, particularly at important moments during the student journey when assistance may be most needed.
Three Priority Areas for Improving Student Support
The report identifies three priority areas for action: recognizing emerging difficulties earlier, making social connection a core part of student success and improving awareness and access to available support services.
1. Identify and Respond to Difficulties Earlier
The first priority focuses on identifying students who may be experiencing difficulties before their circumstances escalate.
Traditional support approaches can depend on students recognizing that they need help and taking the initiative to contact a university department or healthcare provider. However, students experiencing loneliness, financial pressure or uncertainty may not always know where to turn.
The report’s findings suggest that institutions should consider how they can recognize emerging concerns and make it easier for students to seek assistance.
This could involve improving communication between relevant student support functions, creating opportunities for regular engagement and ensuring students know where to obtain information about available services.
Earlier identification also requires sensitivity to individual circumstances. Students may experience different challenges depending on their personal backgrounds, living arrangements, financial situations and stages of study.
A more responsive system would help institutions provide appropriate information and assistance without expecting students to navigate complex support arrangements entirely on their own.
The goal is to make support easier to identify and access before problems become more difficult to address.
2. Treat Social Connection as Core Student Success Infrastructure
The second priority is to recognize social connection as an important component of student wellbeing and academic success.
University life involves more than attending classes, completing assignments and obtaining qualifications. Students also need opportunities to establish relationships, participate in campus life and develop a sense of belonging within their communities.
For international students, these relationships may be especially important because they can provide practical information, emotional encouragement and a greater sense of familiarity with the local environment.
The report encourages institutions to consider how social connection can be integrated into the wider student experience.
This may involve reviewing campus activities, peer support opportunities and ways to help students build relationships during key stages of their studies. However, the emphasis should extend beyond simply offering more events.
Universities also need to understand whether their initiatives are reaching students who feel isolated and whether participation helps those students establish meaningful connections.
Measuring the effectiveness of these efforts can help institutions determine which approaches are useful and where additional support may be needed.
By treating social connection as part of the infrastructure that supports student success, universities can give greater attention to the relationships and community experiences that help students manage challenges.
3. Improve Awareness and Access to Available Support
The third priority involves making students more aware of available services and ensuring that those services are easier to access.
Universities may already provide a range of resources, including counselling, student advisers, health services, peer networks and practical assistance. However, the existence of a service does not guarantee that students know about it or feel comfortable using it.
International students may be unfamiliar with local healthcare arrangements or unsure about which service is appropriate for a particular concern. They may also face practical barriers related to time, cost, language or the process of arranging an appointment.
The report identifies a gap between the availability of support and its use by some students who need it most.
Addressing this gap requires institutions to consider the student experience when designing and communicating their services. Information should be easy to find, clear to understand and available through channels that students regularly use.
Support systems should also help students understand how different services relate to one another. For example, a student who begins by seeking general advice may need information about professional healthcare or more specialized assistance.
A connected approach can reduce the need for students to independently determine which department to contact at every stage.
Improving access is therefore not only about increasing the number of services available. It also involves making existing services more understandable, navigable and responsive to students’ needs.
Nous Group Highlights the Gap Between Positive Experiences and Hidden Pressures
Zac Ashkanasy, Principal and Global Head of Higher Education at Nous Group, said most international students report positive experiences, but that overall picture can obscure the challenges facing a significant minority.
“Most international students report a positive experience, but that headline hides a sizeable group facing pressures across their study, daily lives and social connections at the same time,” Ashkanasy said.
He emphasized that loneliness can serve as an early warning sign of deeper risk and that social connection should not be treated as an optional addition to student life.
Ashkanasy also noted that universities already provide many valuable services, but some of the students at greatest risk are not using them.
He described an opportunity to develop a more connected, timely and navigable support system that is designed around what students need rather than the way universities organize their internal services.
This perspective highlights a practical challenge for higher education institutions. Student services may be distributed across multiple departments, each responsible for a different aspect of student life. While this structure can support specialized expertise, it may also make the overall system harder to navigate.
A student experiencing several overlapping challenges might need help with healthcare, academic pressures and social isolation. If those services operate separately, the student may need to explain their circumstances repeatedly or work out independently which service should be contacted next.
A more coordinated approach could make the process easier by helping students understand their options and connect with appropriate support.
The report’s findings encourage universities to consider how existing services can work together more effectively, particularly for students who are least likely to seek assistance independently.
Collaboration Between Universities and Healthcare Providers
The research was developed through collaboration between Medibank, Nous Group and six university partners, bringing together different perspectives on international student wellbeing.
Universities have direct experience of students’ academic environments, campus participation and access to institutional support. Healthcare organizations contribute perspectives on health needs, service navigation and access to care. Students themselves provide insight into the practical experiences that influence whether support is useful and accessible.
Combining these perspectives can help stakeholders identify gaps that might not be apparent when each area is examined separately.
For example, a university may provide several wellbeing services, but students may not understand how to access them. A healthcare provider may offer appropriate services, but international students may be unfamiliar with the process of obtaining care. Peer activities may be available, yet students who experience isolation may not feel comfortable joining them.
Considering these factors together can help organizations understand why some students do not use available resources.
The report seeks to translate these insights into opportunities for strengthening support across the international education sector.
Its recommendations focus on early identification, social connection and access to services, suggesting that improvements in student wellbeing require more than isolated initiatives.
Instead, universities and healthcare partners can examine how the different elements of the student experience connect and how students move between informal support, university services and professional care.
Findings Presented at the Australian International Education Conference
The report was released at the Australian International Education Conference (AIEC) in Sydney on Thursday, October 29, 2026.
Medibank and Nous Group planned to join university leaders and students at the conference to discuss the research findings and explore opportunities to strengthen wellbeing support across Australia’s international education sector.
The conference provides a setting for stakeholders to consider how the findings could inform approaches to student services, campus engagement and healthcare access.
The release also brings attention to the importance of including international students’ experiences in discussions about the quality and sustainability of international education.
Academic performance and educational outcomes remain important, but the research highlights the need to consider the broader circumstances that affect students’ ability to participate successfully in university life.
Students who feel connected to their communities and understand how to access help may be better positioned to manage challenges and engage with their studies. Conversely, students who experience overlapping pressures may need more coordinated support to navigate their circumstances.
The report encourages stakeholders to examine whether existing systems are reaching the students who need them most and whether available services are designed around the needs of the people using them.
A Stronger Focus on Belonging and Accessible Care
Medibank’s new research highlights a significant wellbeing challenge among international students in Australia, with one in four reportedly struggling with their health and wellbeing.
The findings identify loneliness as an important warning sign and suggest that some students facing the greatest difficulties are also those least able to access available assistance.
The report calls for earlier responses to emerging challenges, greater recognition of social connection as a foundation for student success and improved awareness of healthcare and wellbeing services.
Its central message is that support should be considered as a connected experience rather than a collection of separate services that students must navigate independently.
For Medibank, Nous Group and their university partners, the research provides a basis for examining how support can be made more responsive to international students’ needs at different stages of their studies.
As Australia’s international education sector continues to bring students from around the world into its universities and communities, the findings emphasize the importance of ensuring that students can build meaningful relationships, understand their healthcare options and access appropriate help when needed.
By focusing on belonging, early intervention and easier access to support, universities and healthcare providers have an opportunity to strengthen the student experience and help international students feel more connected to the communities in which they study and live.
Source link: https://www.medibank.com.au/
