Short answer
Health insurance during a PhD depends on your status. If you start a doctorate after finishing a degree, the compulsory student scheme does not apply, even if you are enrolled. With a job you are usually insured as an employee. Without a job you need voluntary statutory or private cover, which costs at least 278.17 euros a month in 2026.
How is health insurance during a PhD regulated?
According to the joint guidance of the umbrella associations (version of 20 March 2020, section 1.1.3.2), doctoral candidates who have completed a degree are not subject to the compulsory student scheme. If the doctorate is part of the regular course of study, for example before the master’s degree is completed, the obligation remains possible. In 2018 the Federal Social Court ruled that a doctoral programme is not a regulated course of study for student health insurance (case B 12 KR 15/16 R).
In practice, enrolment as a doctoral student does not give access to the low student rate. The guide Krankenversicherung als Doktorand (in German) describes the role of a job, a scholarship and self-funding.
| Item | Value | As of | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doctorate after a completed degree | no compulsory student insurance | 20 Mar 2020 | administrative practice | Joint guidance, section 1.1.3.2 |
| Doctoral programme | not a regulated course of study | ruling of 2018 | case law | Federal Social Court, B 12 KR 15/16 R |
| Doctoral candidates in Germany | 216,200 people | 2025 | official | Destatis, 26 Aug 2026 |
| Completed doctorates | 28,800 | exam year 2025 | official | Destatis, 2 Oct 2026 |
| Minimum base, voluntary cover | 1,318.33 euros a month | 2026 | official | GKV-Spitzenverband |
| Transition range (midi job) | 603.01 to 2,000 euros a month | 2026 | official | Section 20 SGB IV |
What does voluntary health insurance cost during a PhD?
The minimum base is 1,318.33 euros. The 2026 calculation without a sickness benefit entitlement, without children and with the average additional contribution runs as follows.
- Health insurance. 1,318.33 times 16.9 percent equals 222.80 euros.
- Long-term care insurance with the surcharge for people without children. 1,318.33 times 4.2 percent equals 55.37 euros.
- Total. 278.17 euros a month. With a child it is 270.26 euros.
How does a PhD scholarship affect the contribution?
Voluntary members pay according to their total economic capacity. The Federal Social Court has held that a material-costs allowance paid with a doctoral scholarship can be liable to contributions (case B 12 KR 1/17 R). Example with assumed values that are not real funding rates.
- Assumption. Scholarship 1,500 euros plus material-costs allowance 100 euros, together 1,600 euros a month.
- Health insurance. 1,600.00 times 16.9 percent equals 270.40 euros.
- Long-term care insurance. 1,600.00 times 4.2 percent equals 67.20 euros.
- Total. 337.60 euros a month. With a child (3.6 percent) it is 328.00 euros.
Whether and how your funding counts is decided by the fund on the basis of your award notices. Ask before you accept the funding.
How to proceed
- Clarify your status. A job at the university, a scholarship or self-funding.
- Ask your fund whether the doctorate counts as part of your education or whether you need voluntary cover.
- Recalculate the contribution with your income and your fund’s additional contribution.
- If you have a part-time job, check whether you fall in the transition range of 603.01 to 2,000 euros.
Frequently asked questions
Can I join the student scheme as a doctoral candidate?
As a rule, no, if you start the doctorate after a completed degree. The guidance of the umbrella associations excludes the obligation in that case.
What applies if I am still doing my master’s?
If the doctorate is part of the regular course of study before the master’s degree, the guidance does not exclude the insurance obligation. The fund checks each case.
Does a material-costs allowance count towards the contribution?
The Federal Social Court classed it as liable to contributions for voluntary members if it can be used for general living costs (case B 12 KR 1/17 R).
How many people do a PhD in Germany?
In 2025 there were 216,200 doctoral candidates. About one in four holds a foreign nationality.
Sources
- Joint guidance of the umbrella associations on the KVdS, version of 20 March 2020. Check the current version.
- Legal Tribune Online on the rulings B 12 KR 15/16 R and B 12 KR 1/17 R.
- Federal Statistical Office, press release on doctoral candidates (26 Aug 2026) and on doctorates 2025 (2 Oct 2026).
- GKV-Spitzenverband, fact sheet on 2026 contribution figures, as of 1 Jan 2026.
- Section 20 SGB IV, Gesetze im Internet, accessed 20 Oct 2026.
Related guides
- Krankenversicherung als Doktorand (in German)
- Promotion finanzieren (in German)
- Promotion in Deutschland (in German)
- Promotionen in Deutschland in Zahlen (in German)
Last updated: October 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice. The German version is authoritative.
For a first look at your situation, use the online check (in German).
