Health insurance after dropout ends with the semester in which you were last enrolled or re-registered. After that, depending on your situation, you are covered as a family member, through a job or benefits, or under voluntary statutory insurance. You usually do not end up uninsured, because your membership with your fund continues as voluntary insurance if nothing else applies. The basics of student insurance are in the guide health insurance for students (in German).
The key points at a glance
- Student compulsory cover ends at the end of the semester of your last enrolment or re-registration, which is often only after de-registration.
- Up to age 23 you can be covered as a family member without training, as long as you are not employed. Up to age 25 this requires training, studies or voluntary service. The income limit in 2026 is €565 per month.
- A job subject to social insurance, unemployment benefit I or basic income support leads into compulsory insurance.
- If none of this applies, your membership continues as voluntary insurance. The minimum contribution for childless members is around €277 to €286 per month, depending on your fund’s additional contribution.
- If you are privately insured, you stay privately insured for now. A mini-job is not enough to return to the GKV.
What applies to health insurance after dropout?
Student compulsory cover ends at the end of the semester in which you were last enrolled or re-registered, if you are de-registered by then or with effect from that date. Section 190 para. 9 SGB V regulates this, and the wording is available at Gesetze im Internet. Until then you remain insured and continue to pay your student contribution.
There is one exception when you move away: if you give up your residence or habitual abode within the scope of the Social Code, membership ends at the close of that day. If you enrol again at a state or state-recognised university within one month after the end of the semester, membership does not end.
If you only need a break, you do not have to be de-registered. During a leave of absence you remain enrolled and insured. Details are in the guide on health insurance during a leave of absence (in German). Whether dropping out is the right step at all is explained in the guide dropping out of university: the alternatives (in German).
How are you insured after dropping out?
Which insurance applies after dropping out depends on what you do next. The following table sorts the most common cases.
| Your situation after dropping out | How you are insured |
|---|---|
| You are under 23, not employed and a parent is insured under statutory insurance | Family insurance, contribution-free |
| You start a new training course, a degree or voluntary service and are under 25 | Family insurance, as long as the income limit is observed |
| You take up employment subject to social insurance | Compulsory insurance as an employee |
| You receive unemployment benefit I or basic income support | Compulsory insurance |
| None of these applies | Voluntary statutory insurance with your existing fund, or private insurance |
For the transition there is also the follow-on entitlement to benefits: after your membership ends, you are entitled to benefits for up to one month (section 19 para. 2 SGB V), as long as you are not employed and no family insurance or mandatory follow-on insurance takes precedence.
Can I stay family insured after dropping out?
Yes, if the conditions are met. Children are covered as family members up to age 18 without further conditions, up to age 23 if they are not employed, and up to age 25 during school or vocational training, studies or a voluntary social or ecological year. Without training, family insurance ends on the 23rd birthday, until a training course begins again.
There is also the income limit: in 2026 your total income may not exceed €565 per month, or €603 with a mini-job only. As an employee you can deduct the flat-rate allowance for work-related expenses of €102.50, so earnings of up to €667.50 are possible. BAföG, child benefit and maintenance do not count. An occasional, unforeseeable excess may be harmless. Clarify how long this applies with your health fund beforehand. If a parent is privately insured, check with the fund whether family insurance is possible for you.
Example: Anna is 21 and drops out. She has no income of her own, and her father is insured with a statutory fund. After the end of her compulsory insurance, Anna can switch to family insurance free of contributions. She informs her fund about the dropout.
What applies if I work or do an internship after dropping out?
With employment subject to social insurance you become compulsorily insured as an employee, and student insurance no longer plays a role. Family members with a mini-job must not exceed the limit of €603 per month. For an internship after dropping out, the following applies: without enrolment it is subject to social insurance, and the mini-job rules do not apply. Family members must insure themselves if a paid internship exceeds €603. More on this is in the guide health insurance during an internship (in German).
What applies if I am unemployed after dropping out?
If you receive unemployment benefit I, you are compulsorily insured. For this you need a pre-insurance period of twelve months within 30 months. Basic income support (formerly Bürgergeld) also brings compulsory insurance. If you have no entitlement to benefits, family insurance or voluntary membership come into consideration. Which benefit is available to you should be clarified with the employment agency.
What does voluntary health insurance cost after dropping out?
If you are neither family insured nor compulsorily insured, your membership with the fund continues as voluntary insurance. You can leave within two weeks of the fund’s notice, but only with proof of other cover. The contribution is based on the minimum assessment base, which in 2026 is €1,318.33 per month, plus the additional contribution and long-term care insurance.
Example: Jonas is 26, has no children, has no income and is not family insured. His fund charges an additional contribution of 2.9%. Health insurance costs €1,318.33 × (14.6% + 2.9%) = €230.71. Long-term care insurance for childless members from age 23 is 4.2%, which is €55.37. Jonas pays €286.08 per month in total. With a lower additional contribution the amount falls; at 2.18% it would be around €277.
Important: contributions are due even without income, as long as you have no other cover. Before you leave, have it checked whether family insurance is open to you.
What applies to PKV when dropping out?
If you were exempted from compulsory insurance at the start of your studies, you initially remain privately insured. The exemption is irrevocable. A return to the GKV is generally possible only in narrow cases, for example through employment subject to compulsory insurance below the insurance threshold, which in 2026 is €6,450 per month. A mini-job is not enough for this. How the exemption basically works is explained in the guide how to switch to PKV as a student (in German).
If you become compulsorily insured under statutory insurance after dropping out, you can terminate the private contract within three months, retroactively to the start of the obligation. The insurer may ask for proof, which you must provide within two months of the written request. If you want to return to PKV later, you can agree an expectancy policy. The small expectancy policy secures your state of health, while the large one also secures your entry age and the ageing provisions. The small one costs about 5 to 10 percent, the large one about 25 to 45 percent of the tariff contribution. Reactivation is usually possible within two months after the reason has ceased. Bear in mind that an expectancy policy causes ongoing costs and that private contributions can rise later.
Frequently asked questions
Am I still health insured after dropping out?
Usually yes. Student compulsory cover ends with the semester of your last enrolment or re-registration. After that, your membership with the fund continues as voluntary insurance if neither family insurance nor compulsory insurance applies. In addition, a follow-on entitlement to benefits may apply for up to one month.
Do I have to tell my health fund that I have dropped out?
You should. Inform your fund about the de-registration and your new situation, so that it can determine the correct insurance status. This applies in particular if you want to switch to family insurance. You apply for de-registration itself with your university.
Can I switch to family insurance after dropping out?
Yes, if you are under 23 and not employed, or under 25 and in training or studies. Your total income in 2026 may not exceed €565 per month, or €603 with a mini-job. Also check which parent and which fund you would be insured through.
What does health insurance cost after dropping out without a job?
Without family insurance, as a voluntary member you pay at least on an assessment base of €1,318.33 per month. For childless members from age 23 with an additional contribution of 2.9%, this comes to around €286 for health and long-term care insurance. The exact amount depends on your fund’s additional contribution.
So proceed now
- Check when the semester ends for which you were last enrolled or re-registered. Until then, compulsory insurance continues.
- Ask your parents and their fund whether family insurance is an option for you, and watch the limit of €565, or €603 with a mini-job.
- Inform your fund about the de-registration and your next plans, for example a job, unemployment benefit or a new training course.
- If you are privately insured, check before any termination which cover applies afterwards, and ask about an expectancy policy.
- When you start work or receive benefits, contact your fund straight away so that your insurance status is correct.
If you want to talk through your situation, you will find the way to advice on the Academycon homepage.
Experiences with us can be found on ProvenExpert, Trustlocal and Trustindex. Academycon was mentioned, among other places, in a report by VersicherungsJournal. An overview of all mentions is on the press page.
Related reading
- PKV for medical students: advantages and pitfalls (in German)
- Health insurance during a leave of absence (in German)
- Health insurance during an internship (in German)
- Dropping out of university: the alternatives (in German)
- De-registration and health insurance: avoiding gaps (in German)
- Health insurance after university without a job: options and costs (in German)
- Studying without health insurance: obligation, consequences and back payments (in German)
Last updated: October 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice. The German version is authoritative.
