The PKV switch as a student works by exempting you from statutory insurance: you take out a private policy, submit the exemption application to your statutory health insurer, and prove your status to the university. You have three months from the start of compulsory insurance to apply, and the decision normally applies for the entire course of study.
The process usually starts earlier than the exemption application, because the health check and the contract must be in place before the exemption can take effect.
The most important points at a glance
- The switch has two parts: the private contract and the exemption application to your statutory health insurer. The exemption only takes effect once you prove other cover in case of illness.
- The deadline is three months from the start of compulsory insurance. The exemption applies retrospectively if you have not used any statutory insurance benefits by then, otherwise from the following month.
- The exemption cannot be revoked. Free family insurance is not possible for its duration.
- You must answer the health questions truthfully. An anonymous risk enquiry clarifies in advance whether an application has any prospects.
How does the PKV switch as a student work?
Six steps lead from the decision to the start of cover. The university requires proof before enrolment, and the exemption application follows within three months of the start of compulsory insurance.
- Check the decision: weigh up costs, premium trends and the return to statutory insurance against each other.
- If you have pre-existing conditions, make an anonymous risk enquiry and obtain offers.
- Retrieve the digital confirmation from a statutory insurer for enrolment.
- Submit the application to the insurer and answer the health questions.
- Submit the exemption application to the statutory health insurer and prove your private cover.
- Check the start of cover and the first premium statement.
Who can consider PKV during their studies?
Anyone enrolled at a state or state-recognised university is generally compulsorily insured with statutory health insurance (section 5 SGB V), as long as no primary insurance such as family insurance applies. You can apply to be exempted from this obligation. This route is what the term PKV switch refers to.
The student tariff is aimed at students who take out private insurance at the start of their studies. Some are based on the conditions of private student health insurance, which only a few insurers offer. It is usually open to young people taking out insurance for the first time up to age 30, and often no longer afterwards. The requirements are summarised in requirements for PKV during your studies (in German).
What does PKV cost for students, and which tariff fits?
The private premium is calculated separately for each contract and can be adjusted later. As a benchmark, student statutory insurance costs around 143 € a month in 2026 including long-term care insurance if you are under 23, or around 148 € if you are 23 or older and childless, at an additional contribution of 2.9%. What goes into a private premium is explained in how the PKV premium is calculated (in German), and an overview of costs is given in What does PKV cost for students? (in German). Which features matter in a tariff is shown in the comparison of PKV tariffs for students (in German).
Which documents do you need for the PKV application?
Which evidence the health insurer and insurer require in each case is stated in their application forms. These building blocks belong to every switch:
| Building block | Purpose | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Application for the private contract | Basis for the health check and proof of cover | With the insurer |
| Health information | Answers to the health questions, truthful and complete | In the application |
| Application for exemption | Exemption from compulsory insurance | With the statutory health insurer |
| Proof of other cover | The exemption only takes effect with it | With the health insurer |
| Confirmation from a statutory insurer | Proof to the university at enrolment | Digitally via the insurer |
How do health questions and the risk enquiry work?
The application contains health questions that you must answer truthfully. Ongoing treatment or recommended operations often lead to rejection. An anonymous risk enquiry before the application shows how an insurer would assess your information.
The duty to disclose is set out by law (section 19 VVG). If you breach it, the insurer may withdraw from the contract, but it must first have informed you in writing in a separate notice. It must assert its rights within one month of becoming aware of them. These rights expire five years after the contract is concluded, or after ten years in cases of intent or fraud. What is checked in practice is explained in the article on the health check in PKV (in German).
How do you apply for the exemption from your health insurer?
You submit the application for exemption from compulsory insurance (in German) to your statutory health insurer, within three months of the start of compulsory insurance. Compulsory insurance begins with the start of the semester. If you enrol after the semester has started, it begins on the day of enrolment.
The exemption only takes effect once you prove that you are covered in case of illness elsewhere. In practice, that is the private contract. It cannot be revoked and normally applies for the entire, uninterrupted course of study. A leave semester does not interrupt your studies. The Verbraucherzentrale (German consumer advice centre) describes the options during your studies in addition.
When does cover start, and what applies at the university?
The exemption takes effect retrospectively from the start of compulsory insurance, if you have not used any statutory insurance benefits by then. Otherwise it applies from the calendar month after the application is submitted. The private contract should start without a gap.
Example with assumed dates: Jonas starts in the winter semester, and compulsory insurance begins on 1 October 2026. If he has not used any statutory insurance benefits by the time he applies, the exemption applies from 1 October. If he visited a doctor at the statutory insurer’s expense in October and submits the application in November, the exemption applies from 1 December. Until then, he remains compulsorily insured with the statutory insurer.
Before enrolment, the university requires a digital confirmation from a statutory health insurer. This also applies to privately insured students. For first-time insurance you can freely choose the insurer. The confirmation can be retrieved from 1 June at the earliest for the winter semester and from 1 December at the earliest for the summer semester.
What applies if the deadline is tight or you want to switch in the middle of your studies?
Because the deadline runs for three months from the start of compulsory insurance, you should obtain the risk enquiry and offers early. How much time remains after the start of the semester is shown in PKV at the start of your studies (in German). If the start lies further back, a separate guide clarifies whether you can switch from GKV to PKV during your studies (in German).
What changes if you change your course or university?
If you change university, your insurance status is reassessed and reported. The exemption applies as long as your studies are not interrupted for at least one month. If you start a second degree after an interruption of more than one month, a return to statutory insurance may be possible. Whether a change of course makes sense in terms of content is addressed in the guide on changing your course of study (in German).
What happens if you cannot pay the premiums?
If contributions fall into arrears, a reminder procedure follows, and at the end of it is the emergency tariff. The first reminder comes when arrears reach two monthly premiums, the second two months later. If a monthly premium with late-payment surcharges is still outstanding after that, the contract is suspended from the first day of the following month. The emergency tariff only pays for acute illness and pain, pregnancy and maternity, for children and young people, for preventive care for children, and for vaccinations under the STIKO recommendations. The guide on payment problems in PKV (in German) describes the options.
Frequently asked questions
How do I switch to PKV as a student?
You take out a private contract and apply to your statutory health insurer for exemption from compulsory insurance. The exemption takes effect once you prove private cover. Submit the application within three months of the start of compulsory insurance. Before enrolment, the university already requires confirmation from a statutory insurer.
Which documents do I need for the PKV application?
You need the insurer’s application with your health information, the exemption application to the statutory insurer, and proof of private cover. For the university, you need the digital confirmation from a statutory insurer. Insurers and health insurers list any further evidence in their forms.
When does private cover start during my studies?
The exemption applies retrospectively from the start of compulsory insurance, if you have not used any statutory benefits by the time you apply. Otherwise it starts at the beginning of the calendar month after the application is submitted. The private contract should start without a gap, so that cover is continuous.
Can I reverse the exemption later?
No, the exemption cannot be revoked. It normally applies for the entire course of study. A return to statutory insurance is then usually only possible through employment subject to compulsory insurance below the compulsory insurance threshold of 6,450 € a month (2026). A mini-job is not sufficient for this. More on this is in the guide on returning to statutory insurance (in German).
What to do now
- Obtain the confirmation from a statutory insurer for the university, clarify when your compulsory insurance begins, and note the three-month deadline in your calendar.
- If you have pre-existing conditions, make an anonymous risk enquiry first.
- Compare offers and submit the application with complete, truthful health information.
- Submit the exemption application and the proof of private cover to the statutory insurer within the deadline.
If you want to talk through your situation, you will find the route to advice on the Academycon homepage.
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Related articles
- Is PKV worth it during your studies? The calculation over many years (in German)
- Returning to GKV: is it possible? (in German)
- The disadvantages of PKV for students at a glance (in German)
- Is an expectancy policy in PKV worthwhile for students? (in German)
Last updated: October 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice. The German version is authoritative.
