Bergische Krankenkasse student health insurance costs 119.78 € a month in 2026 for statutory health cover. With care insurance you pay 150.56 € (under 23 or with a child) or 155.69 € (23 or older, no children). The additional contribution is 3.79 %. Student cover ends with the semester of your 30th birthday, after which the voluntary minimum for people without children is 289.90 € a month.
The Bergische Krankenkasse is open to students in Hamburg, Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia, according to the GKV-Spitzenverband fund list. It can only admit students who live or study in this area. Whether and how it admits other students is for the fund itself to say.
At a glance: the facts about the Bergische Krankenkasse
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Additional contribution 2026 | 3.79 % |
| Open to | regional: Hamburg, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia (GKV-Spitzenverband fund list) |
| Student insurance under 23 (health and care) | 150.56 € per month |
| Student insurance from 23, no children (health and care) | 155.69 € per month |
| Voluntary minimum from 30, no children | 289.90 € per month |
| Voluntary minimum from 30, with a child | 281.99 € per month |
| Source and date | Additional contribution from the GKV-Spitzenverband fund list, amounts calculated by us, as of 24 October 2026 |
These amounts apply to compulsory statutory student insurance. The additional contribution is set by each fund and can change. The rate that the Bergische Krankenkasse itself publishes is the binding one.
Bergische Krankenkasse student health insurance: what does it cost?
The Bergische Krankenkasse offers no freely selectable student tariff. It provides statutory student health insurance (KVdS, Krankenversicherung der Studierenden) under one formula. The contribution rests on a fixed basis of 855 € a month, which matches the BAföG needs rate, and applies whether or not you receive BAföG. Here is the calculation:
- Assessment basis: 855.00 € a month (475 € basic need plus 380 € housing allowance).
- Base contribution: 10.22 % of 855.00 € gives 87.38 €. The rate is seven tenths of the general rate of 14.6 %.
- Additional contribution of the Bergische Krankenkasse: 3.79 % of 855.00 € gives 32.40 €.
- Health insurance: 87.38 € plus 32.40 € gives 119.78 €.
- Care insurance: 30.78 € (3.6 %) under 23 or with a child, 35.91 € (4.2 %) from 23 without children.
- Total: 150.56 € under 23 or with a child, 155.69 € from 23 without children.
To see how the additional contribution of the Bergische Krankenkasse compares with all other funds, use the table in Additional contributions 2026 for all health insurance funds (in German). For students, each percentage point of additional contribution equals 8.55 € a month.
What applies at the Bergische Krankenkasse from 25 and from 30?
Family insurance ends at 25
Until your 25th birthday you can be insured as a family member through a parent, provided that parent is a member of a statutory fund. This applies as long as your total income in 2026 does not exceed 565 € a month, or 603 € with a mini-job (§ 10 SGB V). The age limit can only be extended by periods of statutory service or a voluntary service, not by periods of study. After that, your student cover with the Bergische Krankenkasse continues at the amounts calculated above. From your 23rd birthday, a care surcharge for people without children also applies, which is 5.13 € more a month. More on free family cover is in the glossary entry Family insurance while studying (in German).
Student insurance ends at 30
Compulsory student insurance ends at the close of the semester in which you turn 30 (§ 5 para. 1 no. 9 SGB V). There has been no limit on the number of subject semesters since 2020, so the age limit is what counts. An extension is possible if the type of training or personal reasons justify going beyond it, for example in the second educational pathway or when raising children. The fund decides this case by case and for each semester. Details are in Health insurance as a student over 30 and Studying at 30 (both in German).
When student insurance ends, you usually stay with the Bergische Krankenkasse as a voluntary member, unless you can show other cover. A minimum assessment basis then applies. The minimum contribution for 2026 is calculated as follows:
- Minimum assessment basis: 3,955.00 € reference income divided by 3 gives 1,318.33 € a month.
- Health insurance: reduced rate 14.0 % plus additional contribution 3.79 % gives 17.79 %, which is 234.53 €.
- Care insurance: 47.46 € (3.6 %) with a child, 55.37 € (4.2 %) without children.
- Total: 281.99 € with a child, 289.90 € without children.
The minimum contribution assumes a low income. Above that, the contribution is calculated on your actual income, up to the contribution assessment ceiling of 5,812.50 € a month.
What applies to working students and mini-jobbers at the Bergische Krankenkasse?
A working-student job or a mini-job usually changes nothing about your insurance with the Bergische Krankenkasse, as long as your studies come first.
| Situation | Effect on health insurance |
|---|---|
| Working student up to 20 hours a week | No health and care contributions are due from the job, and student insurance continues. Pension insurance remains compulsory. |
| Employment over 20 hours on a lasting basis | The working-student privilege ends, and compulsory insurance as an employee may apply. It takes precedence over student insurance. |
| Mini-job up to 603 € a month | Student insurance remains in place. In family insurance, the limit for mini-jobbers is 603 € instead of 565 €. |
This classification rests on the joint circular of the national associations from 2016. In borderline cases such as night work, semester breaks or several jobs, the fund decides individually. The details are in Working student: the 20-hour rule (in German).
Which additional benefits and bonus programmes does the Bergische Krankenkasse list for young members?
The offers of the Bergische Krankenkasse are on its home page. We could not retrieve them as of 25 October 2026, so we do not give details here.
How do you switch to the Bergische Krankenkasse?
- Right to choose: as a student you must choose your fund no later than two weeks after compulsory insurance begins.
- Application: apply to the Bergische Krankenkasse. Notice from the new fund replaces the termination, and confirmation from your previous fund follows within two weeks at the latest.
- Notice period: membership ends at the close of the second calendar month after notice. Anyone who gives notice in January switches on 1 April.
- Binding period: you are generally bound to the new fund for twelve months. This does not apply if membership ends by law, for example when family insurance ends.
- Special right of termination: if your fund raises its additional contribution, you may give notice until the end of the month from which the higher rate applies. The twelve-month binding period then does not matter.
The process is described in Switching health insurance as a student (in German). The legal basis for the right to choose is § 175 SGB V.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a student tariff at the Bergische Krankenkasse?
No, the Bergische Krankenkasse offers statutory student health insurance. The contribution follows the statutory formula and, with the additional contribution of 3.79 %, is 119.78 € a month for health insurance in 2026.
What is the additional contribution of the Bergische Krankenkasse in 2026?
According to the GKV-Spitzenverband fund list it is 3.79 %. On the assessment basis of 855 € that is 32.40 € a month. The average additional contribution is 2.9 %.
Until when am I covered as a family member of the Bergische Krankenkasse?
As a student, until your 25th birthday, if your total income in 2026 does not exceed 565 € a month, or 603 € with a mini-job. After that, student insurance usually follows.
What does the Bergische Krankenkasse cost at 30?
After student insurance ends, the voluntary minimum for 2026 is 289.90 € a month without children and 281.99 € with a child, in each case including care insurance. Higher income raises the contribution.
Can I stay with the Bergische Krankenkasse as a working student?
Yes. Up to 20 hours a week, student insurance continues. If you work more on a lasting basis, compulsory insurance as an employee may apply.
When can I leave the Bergische Krankenkasse again?
In general after a twelve-month binding period. If the additional contribution rises, you can leave earlier under the special right of termination.
Sources
- GKV-Spitzenverband, fund list (additional contribution and open area of the Bergische Krankenkasse, as of 24 October 2026)
- § 175 SGB V, exercise of the right to choose
- § 5 SGB V, compulsory insurance, § 10 SGB V, family insurance, § 236 SGB V, contribution assessment
- GKV-Spitzenverband, fact sheet on 2026 reference figures
If you want to classify your own situation, you can use the Academycon online check.
Related reading
- Health insurance funds for students: all funds at a glance (in German)
- Additional contributions 2026 for all funds and what students pay (in German)
- Switching health insurance as a student: deadlines, process and special right of termination (in German)
- Studying at 30: options, financing and everyday life (in German)
- IKK Innovationskasse for students: contribution 2026, over 30 and benefits (in German)
- IKK gesund plus for students: contribution 2026, over 30 and benefits (in German)
- Working student: the 20-hour rule, pension insurance and semester breaks (in German)
- Family insurance while studying (in German)
Last updated: October 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice. The German version is authoritative.
