Student health insurance in Germany: what you need to know

Last updated: 28 October 2026

How much health insurance costs you whilst you’re studying depends on two things: your age and your income. Up to the age of 25, you’re usually covered free of charge through your parents’ family insurance (Familienversicherung), provided your average monthly income doesn’t exceed €565 – or €603 if you have a Minijob. After that, you’ll pay around €143 a month for student health insurance (KVdS) in 2026; if you’re childless and aged 23 or over, the cost is around €148. This cover ends in the semester in which you turn 30. From then on, you are insured voluntarily and will pay at least around €270. You cannot go without insurance: before enrolment, you must provide the university with proof of your insurance cover (Section 199a(2) SGB V).

Why you need to sort out your student health insurance before you start your degree

Without proof of health insurance, you cannot enrol; and without a certificate of enrolment, you cannot receive BAföG. There is no longer a paper certificate for this. You should ask your health insurance fund to report your insurance status electronically to the university; since 2022, all universities have been required to participate in this process (General Guidelines of the GKV-Spitzenverband, Section 6.2). If you are covered under a family insurance, your parents’ health insurance fund will report this. If you wish to take out private insurance, the statutory health insurance fund that has exempted you from compulsory insurance will report this.

So, before your first semester begins, you’ll have to deal with the BAföG office, your health insurance fund and the university administration all at the same time. Many people submit their application for student finance months before they’re admitted, so that the money is available when the semester starts. You need to sort out your health insurance in the same week, because without proof of cover, the university won’t enrol you, and without enrolment, even an approved BAföG application will come to nothing.

Health insurance for students up to the age of 25

If one of your parents is a member of a statutory health insurance fund, you are covered under their membership at no cost. This is called family insurance (Familienversicherung). It does not matter whether your parent is employed or self-employed, as long as they themselves are covered by statutory health insurance; private health insurance has no family insurance. There is a catch, however, for married parents where one is privately insured: if that parent earns more than the parent with statutory insurance and their total income regularly exceeds €6,450 per month, you are not covered by family insurance (Section 10(3) SGB V). The threshold is one-twelfth of the annual earnings limit of €77,400. Otherwise, family insurance continues whilst you are studying, provided that all of the following apply:

• You are under 25 and are in school or vocational training, which includes a degree course.
• Your total income is regularly no more than €565 per month, or no more than €603 if you have a Minijob (see next section).
• You are not self-employed as your main occupation and you live in Germany.
• You have not applied for exemption from compulsory insurance.

You can also be covered under your husband’s, wife’s or registered partner’s family insurance, in which case there is no age limit. The income limit applies in the same way in this case.

Income limit for family insurance

First of all: a Minijob paying up to €603 a month does not jeopardise your family health insurance (Section 10 SGB V). Even an unexpected boost to your earnings, for example from standing in for a sick colleague, does not affect this. The job remains a Minijob if you exceed the limit in no more than two calendar months within a twelve-month period and do not earn more than €1,206 in any single month (Section 8(1b) SGB IV).

However, you should exercise caution if you have more than one job alongside your studies, are undertaking a paid compulsory work placement, are working as a working student or are carrying out part-time self-employed work. In all these cases, your total income must not exceed an average of €565 per month – that is, €6,780 per year – if you wish to remain insured free of charge through your parents or your spouse (Section 10(1) No. 5 SGB V). This refers not to your gross salary, but to your income: if you have a job, you deduct the flat-rate allowance for income-related expenses of €1,230 per year from this amount. BAföG is not included: total income is the sum of income as defined under tax law (Section 16 SGB IV), and BAföG is tax-free (Section 3 No. 11 of the Income Tax Act (EStG)).

Here’s an example: if you earn €700 gross per month in a working student job, that amounts to €8,400 per year. After deducting the €1,230 flat-rate allowance, you are left with €7,170 – an average of €597.50 per month. That is too much for family insurance. If you have no other income, the limit is €8,010 gross per year, or €667.50 per month.

If your income exceeds this threshold, your family health insurance cover will end. As a student, you are then generally compulsorily insured under the student health insurance scheme, even if you are not yet 25. If you work more than 20 hours a week during term time, you are instead insured as an employee through your job.

If your income changes, the insured parent must report this to the health insurance fund (Section 10(6) SGB V). Most health insurance funds also also ask about your income regularly with a questionnaire. If the fund only realises later that you were above the threshold, it can end your family insurance retroactively and demand contributions back (betanet).

Working students and family insurance

For working students, there are two limits that are easily confused. The 20-hour limit only determines whether the job itself is subject to compulsory insurance. If you stay below this limit, you only pay pension insurance contributions from your working student job; health, long-term care and unemployment insurance contributions do not apply (Section 6(1) No. 3 SGB V, TK on the working student rule).

Whether you remain covered under your family’s insurance depends solely on your income. Up to €603 gross, the job counts as a Minijob. If you earn more, your income is calculated after deduction of the flat-rate allowance for income-related expenses, and this must not exceed an average of €565 per month. Provided you have no other income, a working student job may therefore pay up to €667.50 gross per month. If you exceed this limit, you need your own student health insurance (KVdS), although the job will still be contribution-free for health and long-term care insurance. The article on working student jobs works out what you take home.

Scholarships and health insurance

A scholarship does not affect your insurance status. Enrolled scholarship holders, like all students, are covered by family insurance or student health insurance. For the purposes of the family insurance income limit, a scholarship only counts if it is taxable. Scholarships from public funds or charitable foundations are tax-free provided they do not exceed the cost of living and do not require anything in return (Section 3 No. 44 EStG). This generally applies to scholarships from the Begabtenförderungswerke, the foundations that support gifted students. Tax-free income is not income in the sense of tax law and is therefore not included in total income (Section 16 SGB IV). This applies explicitly to the Deutschlandstipendium (Haufe on the Deutschlandstipendium). The situation may be different for a scholarship from a company that obliges you to work for them at a later date. In such cases, it is usually taxable and counts towards your family health insurance. Check this with your health insurance fund beforehand.

Age limit for family insurance

At the age of 25, your family insurance cover through your parents ends, regardless of how far along you are in your studies. If you have previously completed the Federal Voluntary Service (Bundesfreiwilligendienst), another recognised year of voluntary service or voluntary military service, and therefore started your studies later, the cover is extended by the duration of that service, up to a maximum of twelve months (Section 10(2) No. 3 SGB V). If you complete your degree before your 25th birthday, you will remain covered by family insurance until the end of the semester.

Your own membership of the student health insurance scheme begins on the day after your family insurance ends (General Guidelines, Section 5.1.4). You can stay with your parents’ health insurance fund or choose another one. As each fund sets its own additional contribution, it is worth comparing them. The three-month deadline for private insurance also starts on that day (see below).

Health insurance for students aged 25 to 30

Between the ages of 25 and 30, you are generally compulsorily insured as a student in student health insurance (Section 5(1) No. 9 SGB V). The contribution is not based on your income, but on the BAföG rate of €855. You pay seven-tenths of the standard contribution rate on this amount, i.e. 10.22 per cent or €87.38 (Section 236 and 245 SGB V). On top of that come the additional contribution from your health insurance fund and €30.78 for long-term care insurance; for those aged 23 and over without children, this rises to €35.91. With the average additional contribution of 2.9 per cent (€24.80), this amounts to around €143 per month, or around €148 for those without children. This will remain the case in the 2026/27 winter semester, as the BAföG rate remains unchanged. If it rises, the contribution will increase accordingly from the following semester; this also applies to the planned BAföG reform in 2027.

If you receive BAföG, your BAföG rate goes up by a flat amount of €102 for health insurance and €35 for long-term care insurance, totalling €137 (Section 13a(1) BAföG). This does not quite cover the contribution. People with private insurance get the same amounts if their plan covers the same benefits as statutory health insurance (Section 13a(3) BAföG); if you are covered by family insurance, you get no supplement. Higher rates apply from the age of 30; see below for more details.

The student health insurance tariff (KVdS)

Health insurance funds call this scheme KVdS (Krankenversicherung der Studenten), or student health insurance. You are compulsorily insured under this scheme if you are enrolled at a state or state-recognised higher education institution and are not covered by something that takes priority, such as family insurance or insurance as an employee. Membership begins with the start of the semester; in the case of late enrolment, it begins on the date of enrolment (Section 186(7) SGB V). It ends at the end of the semester in which you turn 30 or are exmatriculated (Section 190(9) SGB V). There is no income limit, and you can also insure your spouse and children free of charge through the KVdS, which is handy for students with children.

By law, the contribution is due in advance for the entire semester before any enrolment or re-enrolment (Section 254 SGB V). However, the health insurance funds also allow monthly payments if you provide them with a SEPA direct debit mandate or proof of a standing order; the contribution is then due on the 15th of the following month (General Guidelines, Section 7.4). If you do not pay, the health insurance fund will report this to the university, and the university will not accept your next re-enrolment.

Not covered by the KVdS despite being enrolled:

• Students on a dual study programme. Since 2012, they have been insured via their training contract in the same way as apprentices, even during the theoretical phases (Section 5(4a) SGB V; see the article on dual study programmes for more details).
• Doctoral students who, after completing their degree, are enrolled solely for their PhD. This was ruled by the Federal Social Court in 2018 (case no. B 12 KR 15/16 R).
• Guest auditors (Gasthörer), even if the university enrols them as such.

You are allowed to work alongside your studies without losing your KVdS cover. During term time, the limit is 20 hours per week. During the semester breaks, you can work more, but only up to 26 weeks within a twelve-month period (AOK guidelines on the employment of working students). Anyone exceeding this limit is no longer considered a working student, but an employee, and is insured through their job.

Exemption: private instead of statutory health insurance

Instead of joining the KVdS, as a student you can also take out private health insurance. To do so, you must apply to your statutory health insurance fund for exemption within three months of the start of compulsory insurance and provide proof of private cover (Section 8(1) No. 5 and (2) SGB V). If you were covered under family insurance up until then, the deadline only begins on the day after your family insurance ends. Anyone who misses this deadline can no longer be exempted for this course of study. An exemption cannot be revoked and applies for the entire duration of your studies. You only get a new choice with a new degree that does not start within one month of the previous one (General Guidelines, Sections 3.3 and 3.4).

As long as the exemption is valid, you cannot be covered by family insurance either. A job as an employee – that is, working more than 20 hours a week – still makes you subject to compulsory statutory insurance; if the employment ends whilst you are studying, the exemption applies again. The private insurance premium is based on your age at the time of enrolment, your state of health and the tariff, not on your income, and children require their own policy.

Children of civil servants: Beihilfe instead of family insurance

If one parent is a civil servant and privately insured, and family insurance cover via the other parent is no longer available – for example, because both parents are privately insured or due to the income limit described above – you receive Beihilfe (the state’s contribution to civil servants’ medical costs) through the parent who is a civil servant, as long as you are counted for their family supplement (Familienzuschlag) (Section 4(2) BBhV). This depends on child benefit (Section 40 BBesG) and, whilst studying, generally applies until your 25th birthday, as is the case with child benefit whilst studying. If you have previously completed voluntary service or voluntary military service, this period is extended by up to twelve months. Federal Beihilfe covers 80 per cent of the eligible costs for children (Section 46(2) BBhV), and a private residual-cost policy covers the rest. For children of state civil servants, the Beihilfe rules of the relevant federal state apply; the rates may differ there.

When you enrol, you still become compulsorily insured in the KVdS. If you wish to stay with Beihilfe and the residual-cost tariff, you must apply for an exemption within three months (Section 8 SGB V). Bear in mind beforehand that the exemption applies for the duration of your studies. If Beihilfe ends when you turn 25 whilst you are still studying, you cannot go back to the KVdS and have to pay for private insurance without Beihilfe, so at the full tariff. How much this will cost depends on your age, health and the tariff you choose. So get a quote for the time after your 25th birthday before you apply for exemption, particularly if your studies are likely to take longer.

Summary: Health insurance for students up to the age of 30

Exceptions to the rule

Health insurance during a work placement

When it comes to work placements, it depends on whether your study or examination regulations require them and whether you are enrolled at university during that time (AOK on social security for work placement students):

• Compulsory work placement during your degree: You remain covered by your existing insurance, regardless of how long you work or how much you earn. You do not need to pay health, long-term care, pension or unemployment insurance contributions for the work placement. However, if you are covered under a family insurance, your pay counts towards your total income.
• Compulsory unpaid work placement before or after your degree: If you are not covered under a family insurance, you are compulsorily insured as an intern, at the same contribution as students and for no longer than age 30 (Section 5(1) No. 10 SGB V). If you receive pay, you are insured in the same way as an employee, even if it is less than €603.
• Voluntary work placement whilst studying: The 20-hour limit applies, as with any part-time job. If it is limited from the outset to three months or 70 working days in the calendar year, it is considered short-term employment (Section 8(1) No. 2 SGB IV). In that case, regardless of the number of hours worked or your earnings, you remain covered by your existing insurance, and no social security contributions are payable for the work placement.

To find out what a compulsory work placement means in terms of pay and BAföG, see the article on compulsory work placements.

Extending student health insurance beyond 30

After 30, the health insurance fund only extends the KVdS if a recognised reason for delay (Hinderungsgrund) held you up before your 30th birthday and that reason is exactly why you had not finished by then (Section 5(1) No. 9 SGB V). The health insurance fund assesses this on a case-by-case basis and calculates in terms of semesters. The extension period begins on your 30th birthday and covers as many semesters as the fund recognises. Vocational training undertaken after the Abitur, followed by years of professional experience, does not count, even if the experience was useful for your degree. According to the General Guidelines of the GKV-Spitzenverband (Section 1.1.5), the following, amongst others, are recognised:

• the acquisition of a university entrance qualification through second-chance education (Zweiter Bildungsweg) or via a vocational qualification, for the period of time it took you to achieve this before the age of 30
• a preparatory language course leading to the DSH examination or a Studienkolleg with an entrance examination, if this was a prerequisite for your degree programme; a voluntary preparatory course does not count
• an illness of your own that lasted for at least three consecutive months, with a medical certificate
• a disability that permanently impairs your ability to study, for a maximum of seven semesters
• the birth and care of a child, for a maximum of six semesters, regardless of the number of children
• the care or nursing of sick or disabled relatives
• non-admission to your chosen degree programme, provided you can provide evidence of a continuous series of unsuccessful applications
• voluntary military service or service as a soldier on a fixed term of no more than three years; conscription and civilian service (Zivildienst) only count if you did them in an EU or EEA country
• Federal Voluntary Service (Bundesfreiwilligendienst), voluntary social year (FSJ), voluntary ecological year (FÖJ), comparable recognised voluntary services such as the International Youth Volunteer Service, and work as a development aid worker
• involvement in university committees, student self-government or the student services organisation (Studierendenwerk) (Studierendenwerk), for a maximum of two semesters

Health insurance during a semester off (Urlaubssemester) (Urlaubssemester)

During a semester off, you remain covered by student health insurance as long as you are enrolled. This is stated in the General Guidelines issued by the GKV-Spitzenverband on 23 December 2025. For how a job above the Minijob limit and family insurance between 23 and 25 come into play, see the article Semester off: Pros and Cons.

Health insurance after exmatriculation

Your KVdS ends with the semester in which you are exmatriculated. If you re-enrol within one month – for example, for a Master’s degree – your cover continues without any gap (Section 190(9) SGB V). Otherwise, the health insurance fund automatically keeps you on as a voluntary member. You can only opt out within two weeks of its notice and only if you can provide proof of alternative cover (Section 188(4) SGB V). If you are under 23 and not in work, you can instead be covered under your family’s insurance again (Section 10(2) No. 2 SGB V). For information on what applies if you cannot find a job after graduating, see the article Unemployed after graduation.

Health insurance for students aged 30 and over

At the end of the semester in which you turn 30, your student health insurance will end, unless the health insurance fund has approved an extension. It will then automatically continue to cover you as a voluntary member; you do not need a prior period of insurance for this (Section 188(4) SGB V). The contribution is now based on your income, but there is a minimum threshold: the health insurance fund assumes a minimum of €1,318.33 per month (Section 240(4) SGB V). Because a voluntarily insured student does not usually have a claim to sickness benefit (Krankengeld), the reduced contribution rate of 14.0 per cent applies (Section 243 SGB V). Including the average additional contribution, this amounts to €222.80 for health insurance and €47.46 for long-term care insurance in 2026; for those without children, the figure is €55.37. Together, this totals at least around €270 per month; for those without children, around €278.

As a BAföG recipient, you will receive a higher supplement from the age of 30: €185 for health insurance and €48 for long-term care insurance, totalling €233 (Section 13a(2) BAföG). This also applies if you are privately insured. The supplement does not quite cover the minimum contribution to the statutory health insurance scheme. If, instead of a degree course, you are undertaking full-time further training to become a master craftsman or technician, you will also receive a supplement of €137 or €233 under the Aufstiegs-BAföG scheme if you are self-insured. Your health insurance fund will confirm the applicable amount on the health insurance certificate for the Aufstiegs-BAföG.

The easiest way to switch to private health insurance is to do it right when your KVdS ends: the health insurance fund points out the option to leave, and you can leave within two weeks by providing proof of a private policy. The private premium does not depend on your income, but on your age at the time of joining, pre-existing conditions and the tariff. For healthy people on a good income, this can be an advantage. For those with chronic illnesses and for parents on a low income, it can quickly become expensive, as each child needs their own policy. Better benefits are not automatic; you usually have to pay doctors’ and medication bills yourself first and then claim them back, and many tariffs have an excess: the higher it is, the less the insurance costs.

Health insurance abroad

Whether you’re going on holiday or spending a semester abroad, your German insurance cover remains unchanged as long as you remain enrolled in Germany. This also applies within the EU, the EEA, Switzerland and the United Kingdom if you enrol at the host university as well (General Guidelines, Section 8.3). There, you can present your European Health Insurance Card – which is usually printed on the back of your German health insurance card – and will be treated in accordance with the rules of the local public healthcare system. The statutory health insurance fund does not pay for the journey home to Germany (Section 60(4) SGB V). For a longer stay, it is therefore worth taking out additional international health insurance for long-term travellers, and this is all the more important outside these countries. With BAföG for study abroad, there is a flat rate of €102 a month for this (Section 5 of the BAföG Foreign Supplement Regulation (BAföG-AuslandszuschlagsV)). Following a decree issued by the Federal Ministry of Education on 2 September 2024, the BAföG offices no longer ask for proof of this.

Frequently asked questions about health insurance whilst studying