You can find cheap PKV for students by weighing entry age, deductible and benefits against each other. There is no tariff that is cheapest for everyone. The benchmark is compulsory student insurance: with the average additional contribution, it costs about 143 euros a month in 2026 for students under 23, and about 148 euros for childless students from 23. A private tariff has to be measured against this figure and against its benefits.
The key points at a glance
- The private contribution depends on entry age, health status, scope of benefits and deductible. Your income plays no part.
- A higher deductible lowers the contribution, but shifts costs onto you. Lowering it later counts as an additional benefit, for which the insurer may require a risk surcharge, a benefit exclusion or a waiting period.
- A tariff is cheap only if it covers what you need. Check aids, dental prostheses and psychotherapy.
- For switching, the three-month deadline runs from the start of compulsory insurance. The exemption is irrevocable.
What determines the price of cheap PKV for students?
Unlike compulsory student insurance, there is no fixed contribution for everyone in PKV. Four factors determine the price above all:
| Factor | Effect on the contribution |
|---|---|
| Entry age | The contribution depends on your age when the contract starts. Entering early means starting lower |
| Health status | Pre-existing conditions can lead to risk surcharges, benefit exclusions or rejection |
| Scope of benefits | The more modules you include, the higher the contribution |
| Deductible | A higher deductible usually lowers the monthly contribution |
In addition, comprehensive private health insurance carries a statutory surcharge of 10 percent, which starts at the latest in the calendar year after your 21st birthday and goes into the ageing provisions (section 149 VAG). The article how the contribution is calculated in PKV for students (in German) shows how the factors work in detail.
Student tariff or entry tariff: what is behind it?
Student tariffs are aimed at students who are exempted from compulsory insurance at the start of their studies. Some are based on the conditions of private student health insurance (PSKV), which only a few insurers offer. They are tailored to young first-time policyholders up to 30, and usually closed to new applicants after that. The contribution depends on entry age.
If an insurer advertises an entry tariff, check the same points: who may apply, until when, which benefits are included, and what happens after your studies? Under section 204 VVG you are entitled to switch to other tariffs of your own insurer, with credit for your acquired rights and ageing provisions.
How does the deductible affect the contribution?
A higher deductible lowers the contribution, because you bear part of the costs yourself each year. That only pays off if you can afford this amount in an emergency. Plan it as a reserve, otherwise the saving can turn into a burden.
Note the direction: lowering the deductible during an existing contract counts as an additional benefit. The insurer may then require a benefit exclusion or an appropriate risk surcharge, and possibly a waiting period. The article on choosing the right deductible (in German) explains how high it should be for you.
Which benefits must you not overlook with a cheap tariff?
A low contribution helps little if the tariff pays only in part exactly where you need it. Before you sign, go through these points:
| Area | What to check |
|---|---|
| Aids and glasses | An open catalogue of aids reimburses all medically necessary aids, a closed one only the items listed. Reimbursement rates are usually 75, 90 or 100 percent, often with maximum amounts |
| Dental prostheses | In 2026, statutory insurance pays a fixed subsidy of 60 percent of the standard supply, and 50 percent from 2027 has been decided. Check what the tariff reimburses above that |
| Psychotherapy | Statutory insurance has a regulated route via the consultation hours. Ask about the rules and limits of your tariff |
| Abroad | Statutory insurance does not pay for medical repatriation. Check whether the tariff covers it or whether you need travel health insurance |
For glasses, statutory insurance pays adults only in cases of severe visual impairment, or for short-sightedness or long-sightedness of more than 6.0 diopters, or astigmatism of more than 4.0 diopters, and never for frames. If you need glasses, check the tariff carefully. Details are in the articles on PKV and glasses (in German) and on aids in PKV (in German).
How do pre-existing conditions affect the price?
The application contains health questions that you must answer truthfully. Under section 19 VVG you must disclose known circumstances that are material to the insurer and about which it has asked in text form. If you breach this duty, the insurer may withdraw or terminate under certain conditions.
Pre-existing conditions can increase the contribution or exclude benefits. An anonymous risk enquiry before the application shows you how insurers assess your case. What applies in such cases is described in the article on private insurance for students with pre-existing conditions (in German).
How do you plan the contribution over the long term?
The contribution you start with does not necessarily stay the same. Insurers compare the required benefits with the calculated benefits at least once a year. If the deviation exceeds the limit, contributions are reviewed and, with the approval of an independent trustee, adjusted. The statutory threshold is 10 percent, and tariff conditions may lower it to 5 percent.
With a contribution refund, you get part of the annual contributions back if you submit no bills for a year and the insurer makes surpluses. It is usually performance-based and therefore not guaranteed. Also note that you then pay small bills yourself. If you fall two monthly contributions behind, the dunning procedure begins, which can lead to the emergency tariff. So raise payment problems early. What you can do is explained in the article on what to do if the PKV contribution cannot be paid (in German).
Does the contribution fit your student budget?
Set the contribution against your other fixed costs. The average rent for a shared flat room is 510 euros a month, while the BAföG housing allowance is 380 euros. If you receive BAföG and are insured yourself, you get supplements for health and long-term care insurance (currently 102 euros and 35 euros, together 137 euros). Compare the contribution of your preferred tariff with this supplement. An overview of all cost items is given in the article on the costs of studying (in German).
What does cheap PKV look like during the legal traineeship?
Different rules apply during the traineeship than during study. Civil servant trainees are usually civil servants on probation, and insure themselves with private or voluntary statutory insurance plus state allowance (Beihilfe). The allowance rate is usually 50 percent, and usually 80 percent for children. The allowance office tells you the rate in your case. That is why the private contribution with allowance can initially be low. Legal trainees are, depending on the state, civil servants on probation or in a training relationship with compulsory statutory insurance. Which applies is set out in your appointment notice. More on this is in the article on health insurance during the traineeship (in German).
Frequently asked questions
Which student PKV is the cheapest?
That depends on your age, health status, scope of benefits and deductible. A ranking therefore makes little sense. Compare several tariffs by the same criteria and check, for each, what is reimbursed for dental prostheses, aids and psychotherapy.
Is PKV cheaper for students than compulsory student insurance?
That cannot be said in general. Compulsory student insurance costs about 143 to 148 euros a month in 2026. A private contribution can be below or above that. What matters is what the tariff covers and how the contribution develops over the years.
Can I still switch to a cheaper tariff later?
You are entitled to switch to other tariffs with similar cover at your own insurer, with credit for your acquired rights (section 204 VVG). For additional benefits, the insurer may require exclusions or surcharges. Lowering the deductible counts as an additional benefit.
How long do I have to take out private insurance while studying?
You must apply for the exemption within three months of the start of compulsory insurance. Student tariffs are aimed at young first-time policyholders up to 30. After that, you generally remain in statutory insurance. The deadline and the procedure are described in the article on how to switch to private insurance as a student (in German).
So what do you do now?
- Check whether you can stay family insured. Then you do not need a tariff of your own.
- Decide which benefits you need, for example glasses, dental prostheses or abroad cover.
- Decide what deductible you can bear in an emergency.
- Make an anonymous risk enquiry and compare the offers by the same criteria.
- Keep the three-month deadline for the exemption in view.
If you want to talk through your situation, you will find the way to advice on the Academycon homepage.
You can read reviews of us on ProvenExpert, Trustlocal and Trustindex. Academycon was also mentioned, among other places, in a press release in the Münchner Merkur (in German). An overview of all mentions is on the press page (in German).
Related articles
- Choosing the right deductible in PKV (in German)
- Private insurance for students with pre-existing conditions (in German)
- Payment problems in PKV (in German)
- Calculating the PKV contribution (in German)
Last updated: October 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice. The German version is authoritative.
