AOK Niedersachsen student health insurance costs 112.86 € a month in 2026 for statutory health cover. With long-term care insurance you pay 143.64 € (under 23 or with a child) or 148.77 € (from 23, no children). The additional contribution is 2.98 %. Student cover ends with the semester of your 30th birthday, after which the voluntary minimum for people without children is 279.22 €.
At a glance: AOK Niedersachsen facts
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Additional contribution 2026 | 2.98 % |
| Open to | regional, area Lower Saxony |
| Student insurance under 23 (health and care) | 143.64 € per month |
| Student insurance from 23, no children (health and care) | 148.77 € per month |
| Voluntary minimum from 30, no children | 279.22 € per month |
| Voluntary minimum from 30, with a child | 271.31 € 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 fund itself publishes is the binding one. Its student page does not state the additional contribution, so the rate comes from the fund list.
The competent fund is the AOK of your place of residence or study. For students living or studying in Lower Saxony this is AOK Niedersachsen. If you move to another federal state, the regional AOK there applies. An overview of all eleven regional AOKs and the existing collective guide is in AOK for students: regional differences, contribution and admission (in German).
What does AOK Niedersachsen student health insurance cost?
The fund offers no freely selectable student tariff. It provides statutory student health insurance (KVdS, Krankenversicherung der Studierenden) under one fixed formula. The contribution is based on a fixed assessment basis of 855 € a month, which matches the BAföG needs rate, and it applies whether or not you receive BAföG.
- 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 %.
- AOK Niedersachsen additional contribution: 2.98 % of 855.00 € gives 25.48 €.
- Health insurance: 87.38 € plus 25.48 € gives 112.86 €.
- Care insurance: 30.78 € (3.6 %) under 23 or with a child, 35.91 € (4.2 %) from 23 without children.
- Total: 143.64 € under 23 or with a child, 148.77 € from 23 without children.
How the AOK Niedersachsen rate compares with all other funds is shown in the guide Zusatzbeiträge 2026 aller Krankenkassen (in German). One percentage point of additional contribution equals 8.55 € a month for students.
What applies at AOK Niedersachsen from 25 and from 30?
Family insurance ends at 25
Until your 25th birthday you can be insured through a parent who is a member of a statutory fund, without contributions of your own. This holds while your total income in 2026 does not exceed 565 € a month, or 603 € with a mini job (section 10 SGB V). The age limit can only be extended by periods of statutory or voluntary service, not by study time. From your 23rd birthday a care insurance surcharge for people without children applies, which adds 5.13 € a month. The glossary entry Familienversicherung im Studium (in German) covers this in more detail.
Student insurance ends at 30
Compulsory student insurance ends when the semester in which you turn 30 ends (section 5(1) no. 9 SGB V). There has been no maximum number of subject semesters since 2020, so the age limit decides. An extension is possible if the type of training or personal reasons justify exceeding it, for example on the second educational path or when raising children. The fund checks this case by case and semester by semester. The guides Krankenversicherung als Student über 30 and Studieren mit 30 (both in German) give details.
Once student insurance ends, you normally stay with AOK Niedersachsen as a voluntary member unless you prove other cover. A minimum assessment basis then applies. This is how the 2026 minimum contribution works out:
- Minimum basis: 3,955.00 € reference amount divided by 3 gives 1,318.33 € a month.
- Health insurance: reduced rate of 14.0 % plus additional contribution of 2.98 % gives 16.98 %, which is 223.85 €.
- Care insurance: 47.46 € (3.6 %) with a child, 55.37 € (4.2 %) without children.
- Total: 271.31 € with a child, 279.22 € without children.
The minimum assumes low income. With higher income the contribution follows that income, up to the contribution ceiling of 5,812.50 € a month.
What applies to working students and mini jobs at AOK Niedersachsen?
A working student job or mini job usually changes nothing about your cover with AOK Niedersachsen while your studies remain the main activity. Weekly hours and earnings decide.
| Situation | Effect on health insurance |
|---|---|
| Working student up to 20 hours a week | The job triggers no health or care insurance contributions and student insurance continues. Pension insurance stays compulsory. |
| Employment regularly above 20 hours | The working student privilege lapses and compulsory insurance as an employee may arise. It takes priority over student insurance. |
| Mini job up to 603 € a month | Student insurance continues. Under family insurance, mini jobbers have a limit of 603 € instead of 565 €. |
This summary rests on the joint circulars of the national associations. For borderline cases such as night work, semester breaks or several jobs, the fund decides case by case. The guide Werkstudent: 20-Stunden-Regel (in German) describes the details.
Which extra benefits and bonus schemes does AOK Niedersachsen list for young members?
AOK Niedersachsen describes a bonus programme on its pages and refers to optional tariffs. We report these without judgement, and the details can change.
- AOK Doppelplus, bonus programme for health: The page says that every activity you submit is converted into a euro amount. It names neither an amount, a conversion rate nor an annual premium. Source: AOK Doppelplus, bonus programme (in German), updated 6 October 2026.
- Bonus programmes and optional tariffs: The student service of AOK Niedersachsen refers to both without naming amounts. Source: AOK, student service (in German), updated 9 July 2026.
Which offers suit you depends on your situation. The current terms are set out on the pages of AOK Niedersachsen. The statutory benefits catalogue is largely the same at all statutory funds.
How do you switch to AOK Niedersachsen?
You register with AOK Niedersachsen, and the fund handles the cancellation with your previous fund. Section 175 SGB V sets the deadlines:
- Right to choose: You can choose your fund freely from the age of 15. As a student you must choose a fund no later than two weeks after compulsory insurance begins.
- Online application: Apply to AOK Niedersachsen. The new fund’s registration replaces the cancellation, and your previous fund confirms within two weeks at the latest.
- Notice period: Membership ends at the end of the second calendar month after the month of your notice. If you give notice in January, you switch on 1 April.
- Lock-in: 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 can give notice until the end of the month from which the higher rate applies. The twelve-month lock-in then does not matter. Notice only takes effect if you prove other cover.
The guide Krankenkasse wechseln als Student (in German) explains this in detail.
Frequently asked questions
Does AOK Niedersachsen have a student tariff?
No. AOK Niedersachsen offers statutory student health insurance. The contribution follows the legal formula and in 2026 comes to 112.86 € a month for health insurance with the 2.98 % additional contribution.
How high is the AOK Niedersachsen additional contribution in 2026?
It is 2.98 % according to the GKV-Spitzenverband fund list. On the basis of 855 € that is 25.48 € a month. The average additional contribution is 2.9 %.
Until when am I covered by family insurance at AOK Niedersachsen?
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. Student insurance normally follows.
What does AOK Niedersachsen cost at 30?
After student insurance ends, the voluntary minimum in 2026 is 279.22 € a month without children and 271.31 € with a child, both including care insurance. With higher income the contribution rises.
Can I stay with AOK Niedersachsen as a working student?
Yes. Up to 20 hours a week your student insurance continues. If you work regularly more, compulsory insurance as an employee may arise.
When can I leave AOK Niedersachsen again?
Generally after a twelve-month lock-in, or earlier through the special right of termination if the additional contribution rises.
Sources
- GKV-Spitzenverband, Krankenkassenliste (AOK Niedersachsen additional contribution, as of 24 October 2026)
- AOK Niedersachsen, student service (updated 9 July 2026)
- AOK Doppelplus, bonus programme (updated 6 October 2026)
- Section 175 SGB V, exercise of the right to choose
- Section 5 SGB V, compulsory insurance, section 10 SGB V, family insurance, section 236 SGB V, assessment basis
- GKV-Spitzenverband, fact sheet on 2026 reference figures
If you want to place your own situation, you can use the Academycon online check.
Related guides
- Krankenkassen für Studierende: alle Kassen im Überblick (in German)
- Zusatzbeiträge 2026 aller Krankenkassen und was Studierende zahlen (in German)
- Krankenkasse wechseln als Student: Fristen, Ablauf und Sonderkündigungsrecht (in German)
- Studieren mit 30: Chancen, Finanzierung und Alltag (in German)
- AOK für Studierende: Regionale Unterschiede, Beitrag und Aufnahme (in German)
- Werkstudent: 20-Stunden-Regel, Rentenversicherung und Semesterferien (in German)
- Familienversicherung im Studium (in German)
Last updated: October 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice. The German version is authoritative.
