Student health insurance is compulsory: anyone enrolled at a state or state-recognised university is generally compulsorily insured under statutory health insurance (student health insurance, Krankenversicherung der Studenten, KVdS). In 2026 it costs at least 118.16 euros a month (under 23 or with a child) or 123.29 euros (childless from 23), plus your insurer’s additional contribution. As the child of parents with statutory health insurance, you can be insured free of charge through family insurance; with an exemption, private health insurance is possible.
Key points in brief
- Compulsory insurance applies to anyone enrolled at a state or state-recognised university who does not have priority insurance elsewhere.
- With the average additional contribution of 2.9%, the student plan costs about 143 euros in 2026 (under 23 or with a child) or about 148 euros (childless from 23).
- Family insurance covers you until 25 if your total income in 2026 is no more than 565 euros a month (mini-job: 603 euros).
- You apply for the exemption in favour of private health insurance within three months. It is irrevocable and normally applies for the whole course of study.
- Student cover ends with the semester in which you turn 30, or on exmatriculation. After that you need new cover.
Am I required to have health insurance as a student?
Yes. Under § 5 SGB V, students at state and state-recognised universities are compulsorily insured under statutory health insurance, unless there is priority insurance. Priority insurance comes from compulsory insurance as an employee and from family insurance.
Before enrolment, the university requires a digital confirmation from a statutory health insurer. This also applies to privately insured students and civil servants. For the winter semester you can request it from 1 June at the earliest; for the summer semester from 1 December at the earliest.
Which health insurance applies to students?
Which of the four routes applies to you depends on your age, income, part-time job and family.
| Route | For whom | Costs |
|---|---|---|
| Compulsory student insurance (KVdS) | Enrolled students up to the end of the semester in which they turn 30, without priority insurance | From 118.16 euros plus additional contribution |
| Family insurance | Children of parents insured under statutory health insurance, during studies up to 25, income up to 565 euros a month | Free of charge |
| Compulsory insurance as an employee | Students who count as employees, for example with regularly more than 20 hours a week | Contribution based on earnings |
| Exemption and private insurance | Students who opt out within three months of the start of compulsory insurance | Contribution based on entry age, health and tariff |
What does student health insurance cost?
KVdS is calculated using the same formula nationwide. The basis is 855 euros, which is the BAföG basic need plus the housing allowance. At a contribution rate of 10.22%, this results in a basic contribution of 87.38 euros a month, regardless of whether you receive BAföG. On top of that come your insurer’s additional contribution and the long-term care contribution: 30.78 euros (3.6%) under 23 or with a child, and 35.91 euros (4.2%) childless from 23.
| Monthly contribution 2026 | Under 23 or with a child | Childless from 23 |
|---|---|---|
| Health insurance (10.22% of 855 euros) | 87.38 euros | 87.38 euros |
| Long-term care insurance | 30.78 euros | 35.91 euros |
| Subtotal | 118.16 euros | 123.29 euros |
| Average additional contribution (2.9%) | 24.80 euros | 24.80 euros |
| Total | about 143 euros | about 148 euros |
The additional contribution varies from insurer to insurer. At 2.69%, you pay 23.00 euros and come to 141.16 euros or 146.29 euros. In BAföG, self-insured students up to 30 receive a supplement of 102 euros for health insurance and 35 euros for long-term care insurance.
When are you family insured as a student?
Children of members of statutory health insurance are co-insured without their own contribution under the conditions of § 10 SGB V. During studies, these points apply:
- Age: up to 23 if you are not in gainful employment, and up to 25 if you study or are in school or vocational training. A voluntary service extends family insurance by up to twelve months beyond 25.
- Income: your total income in 2026 may be no more than 565 euros a month, or 603 euros if your employment is purely marginal. With dependent employment, the flat-rate deduction for work-related expenses of 102.50 euros is deducted, so that earnings of up to 667.50 euros are possible.
- No self-employment as a main occupation: profits from self-employment count as income.
- No exemption: if you have been exempted from compulsory insurance, family insurance ends for the duration of the exemption.
Benefits not counted include BAföG, child benefit, maintenance, parental allowance, housing benefit and tax-free scholarships. Rental and interest income and earnings from work do count.
Example: Jonas, 21, is studying and earns 550 euros a month in a mini-job. He has no other income, and his BAföG does not count. With purely marginal employment, the limit for 2026 is 603 euros, so he remains family insured.
If one parent is privately insured, the health insurer clarifies whether family insurance is possible. If the conditions cease to apply, inform your insurer. More is set out under how long students remain family insured (in German).
Exemption from compulsory insurance: how does private cover work during studies?
If enrolment makes you compulsorily insured, you can apply for an exemption (§ 8 para. 1 no. 5 SGB V). You submit the application to your health insurer within three months of the start of compulsory insurance. The exemption takes effect retroactively if you have not used any benefits by then; otherwise, it takes effect from the following month. It only becomes effective once you provide proof of other cover in the event of illness, in practice a private health insurance contract.
The decision has far-reaching consequences: the exemption cannot be revoked and normally applies for the entire course of study. A switch back to statutory insurance is generally only possible after your studies, for example through employment subject to compulsory insurance. There is no family insurance during this time. The application also asks health questions, and contributions can rise over the years. Beforehand, an anonymous risk pre-enquiry can clarify whether an insurer will accept you.
The article on private health insurance during studies (in German) explains costs, benefits and the process. The comparison between both systems is covered under PKV or statutory insurance as a student (in German). Further information is available from the Consumer Advice Centre.
Switching health insurance during your studies: insurer, statutory and private
If you switch health insurer, the new insurer informs the university. Moving from statutory to private insurance goes through the exemption, with its three-month deadline. Conversely, returning to statutory insurance is only possible in narrow cases, for example through a job subject to social security contributions; a mini-job is not enough. If you change university or subject, your status is reassessed and reported. More is set out under health insurance when changing your course of study (in German).
What applies in special study situations?
Leave of absence
Compulsory insurance generally also applies if you are on leave of absence, and a leave semester does not interrupt the course of study for the purposes of the exemption rule. Contributions and proof are explained in the article on health insurance during a leave of absence (in German).
Dropping out and exmatriculation
KVdS ends at the end of the semester for which you last enrolled or re-registered, if you have been exmatriculated by then. After that, membership with the insurer continues voluntarily. You can leave within two weeks of the insurer’s notice, but only with proof of other cover. Details are in health insurance when dropping out (in German).
Second degree and doctorate
Compulsory insurance also applies to continuing and supplementary degrees and to second degrees, and the age limit of 30 remains. More is set out under private health insurance in a second degree (in German).
For a doctorate after a completed degree there is no compulsory student insurance; the Federal Social Court decided this on 7 June 2018. If you hold a position as a research assistant (not a mini-job), you are compulsorily insured as an employee. With a scholarship and no employment, you insure yourself voluntarily under statutory or private insurance.
Studying beyond 30
Beyond the end of the semester in which you turn 30, compulsory insurance only applies if the type of training or family or personal reasons justify going over, for example the second educational pathway. You apply for an extension each semester with reasons, for example illness, caring for a relative, voluntary service or the birth of a child. If compulsory insurance ends, voluntary statutory insurance remains, whose contribution in 2026 is calculated on income of at least 1,318.33 euros a month. Private options are described in private health insurance for students over 30 (in German).
Part-time job, student assistant and mini-job
As a student assistant, you remain exempt from health, long-term care and unemployment insurance if you work no more than 20 hours per week during lecture periods and your studies take up more of your time. The amount of pay does not matter; only pension insurance remains compulsory. If you work mainly at weekends, in the evenings or at night, or on a fixed-term basis during semester holidays, you may exceed the limit for up to 26 weeks a year.
Example: Lea, 24, master’s student with a student assistant job of 15 hours per week, studies in the foreground. She remains in KVdS and, as a childless person, pays 123.29 euros plus the additional contribution. Details on job and contributions are under health insurance as a student assistant (in German), and further cases under health insurance with a part-time job (in German).
Internship
A compulsory internship is exempt from the minimum wage and social insurance contributions, and compulsory student insurance can remain in place alongside it. A voluntary internship is paid at the statutory minimum wage of 13.90 euros from the fourth month onward. If you earn more than 603 euros, the student assistant rules with the 20-hour limit apply; up to 603 euros, the mini-job rules apply. More is set out under health insurance during an internship (in German).
Gap year and voluntary service
Without studying, you are family insured free of charge up to 23 if you are not in employment, and up to 25 during vocational training or a recognised voluntary service (voluntary social year, voluntary ecological year or Federal Voluntary Service). After that, only voluntary statutory or private cover remains. Details are under health insurance during a gap year (in German).
Dual study, part-time study and self-employment
Compulsory student insurance does not cover dual or work-integrated degree programmes. How you are insured there should be clarified with your health insurer; an overview is in private health insurance for dual students (in German). Your health insurer will also tell you whether a part-time course affects your status (insurance status in part-time study (in German)). If you are self-employed as a main occupation, KVdS does not apply; see health insurance as a self-employed student (in German).
Study abroad semester
If you remain enrolled at a German university and keep your residence in Germany, you stay insured under KVdS during a semester abroad in the EU, the EEA or Switzerland, as long as you are under the age limit of 30. With the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), you receive medically necessary treatment under the rules of the country you are in. The insurer does not cover repatriation, for which private international health insurance is customary. For studies outside the EU, ask your insurer before you leave. More on the private side is under health insurance during a semester abroad (in German).
International students in Germany
Before enrolment, you must prove that you are statutorily insured, will be insured, or are not insured for another reason. Without this proof, the university refuses enrolment or re-registration. International students can also apply for an exemption within three months if they show other cover. The exemption is irrevocable. The information sheet from the student services organisations summarises the rules.
What happens after your studies?
KVdS generally ends with the semester of your last enrolment or re-registration, even if your last exam falls earlier. After that, you have entitlement to benefits for at most one month, as long as you are not working. If no other insurance applies, your membership continues as voluntary insurance.
| Feature | Values 2026 | 2027 (status) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| KVdS assessment base | 855 euros a month (475 plus 380) | 943 euros from winter semester 2027/28, only as a scenario if the BAföG reform is adopted (planned, not yet decided) | § 236 SGB V; Drucksache 21/8405 (planned, not yet decided) |
| Health insurance without additional contribution (rate 10.22 percent) | 87.38 euros | 96.37 euros in the scenario with 943 euros (planned, not yet decided) | GKV-Spitzenverband, fact sheet on calculation variables 2026 |
| Average additional contribution | 2.9 percent (24.80 euros) | 2.9 percent as an estimate. Official setting by the BMG announced by 1 November 2026 | BMG; Schätzerkreis, 13 and 14 October 2026 |
| Long-term care insurance with childless surcharge from 23 | 4.2 percent (35.91 euros) | 4.3 percent planned (long-term care reform act, Pflegeneuordnungsgesetz, cabinet 30 September 2026, procedure open) | BMG; Federal Government |
| Total childless from 23 (average additional contribution) | 148.09 euros a month | 164.27 euros in the scenario (planned, not yet decided) | calculated from the values above |
| End of compulsory insurance | End of the semester in which the 30th year of life is completed | unchanged (current law) | § 5 SGB V; joint circular |
Frequently asked questions
How much does student health insurance cost per month?
In KVdS it is about 143 euros in 2026 (under 23 or with a child) or about 148 euros (childless from 23), in each case including the average additional contribution. There is no contribution under family insurance. The private contribution depends on entry age, health and tariff.
Can I take out private health insurance as a student?
Yes, through an exemption from compulsory insurance. You submit the application to your health insurer within three months of the start of compulsory insurance, and you must prove other cover. The exemption is irrevocable.
Until what age does student health insurance apply?
KVdS ends at the end of the semester in which you turn 30. It only continues longer for reasons such as the type of training, illness or the birth of a child. You apply for the extension to your insurer, each time for one semester.
How to get started now
- Check first whether you can remain family insured: age, income of no more than 565 euros a month and no exemption application. If in doubt, ask your parents’ health insurer whether the conditions are met.
- If family insurance does not apply, choose an insurer and compare its additional contribution. Request the digital confirmation before enrolment.
- If you want private cover, plan the three-month deadline for the exemption application and clarify acceptance in advance with an anonymous risk pre-enquiry. Remember that the decision is irrevocable.
- Inform your insurer of any changes: part-time job, change of course, exmatriculation or a semester abroad.
If you want to talk through your situation, you will find the way to advice on the Academycon homepage (in German).
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Related reading
- Private health insurance for students: costs and benefits (in German)
- PKV or statutory insurance as a student: which is better? (in German)
- PKV at the start of studies: how much time you have to decide (in German)
- Child benefit during your studies 2026: entitlement, amount and duration (in German)
- Health insurance as a student over 25: costs and options 2026 (in German)
- Health insurance as a student over 30: compulsory cover, costs and routes (in German)
- Health insurance during studies by age (in German)
- Family insurance during studies under 25 (in German)
- Glossary of health insurance during studies: terms from A to Z (in German)
- KVdS: student health insurance (in German)
Last updated: October 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice. The German version is authoritative.
