Is private health insurance worth it during your studies? Only the calculation over many years shows that, because a cheap premium during your studies later meets premium adjustments, a deductible and the question of how easily you can return to statutory health insurance (gesetzliche Krankenversicherung, GKV). As a benchmark, student GKV cover costs about €143 per month in 2026 including long-term care insurance if you are under 23, or about €148 if you are 23 or older and have no children.
The decision is made early. Switching to private insurance begins with the application for exemption from compulsory insurance, which you submit within three months of the start of compulsory insurance. The exemption cannot be revoked.
The Key Points in Brief
- Whether private insurance pays off is shown by the overall calculation of premium, deductible, premium adjustments and benefits.
- The exemption normally applies for the entire course of study and cannot be revoked.
- As an employee earning below the compulsory insurance threshold (2026: €77,400 per year), you become compulsorily insured in statutory insurance again before the age of 55 and can cancel private cover.
- Anyone who becomes subject to compulsory insurance after the age of 55 generally cannot return to statutory insurance.
Is Switching to Private Health Insurance Worth It as a Student?
There is no blanket answer, because whether it pays off depends on your age at entry, your health, the tariff and your plans after graduation. Calculate in three phases.
| Phase | What you should calculate |
|---|---|
| Studies | Premium compared with the GKV benchmark, deductible, possible premium adjustments |
| Career start | Compulsory insurance threshold, cancellation of private cover, expectancy cover |
| Long term | Premium trend, tariff changes, return to statutory insurance |
For children of civil servants the calculation during studies looks different. With state aid (Beihilfe), which is usually 80% for eligible children, the private premium can initially be low. The aid usually ends at the 25th birthday, when the family supplement ends, and the burden rises noticeably.
What Does Private Health Insurance Cost During Studies, and What Does It Give You?
Student GKV cover has a fixed basis. With a contribution base of €855 and a contribution rate of 10.22%, the basic contribution is €87.38 per month. Added to this are your insurer’s additional contribution (average 2026: 2.9%) and long-term care insurance of €30.78 (under 23) or €35.91 (23 or older, no children). This produces the roughly €143 and €148 figures. Private insurers, by contrast, calculate each contract individually, based on age at entry, health information, tariff and deductible.
When it comes to benefits, it is worth looking at the items where the GKV has cost shares:
| Item | GKV | Private insurance |
|---|---|---|
| Dentures | Fixed subsidy of 60% of the standard treatment, with a 50% rate decided for 1 January 2027 | Reimbursement according to tariff |
| Glasses (adults) | Entitlement only in cases of severe visual impairment or more than 6.0 diopters of short or long sightedness, frames never | Reimbursement according to tariff |
| Copayments | 10%, at least €5, at most €10, from 2027 at least €7.50 and at most €15 (decided) | Deductible according to tariff |
| Doctor’s bill | Benefit in kind, or reimbursement on request | Pay in advance and submit the bill |
Whether a private tariff provides more is set out in the tariff conditions. Check the reimbursement rates (common are 75, 90 or 100%), the maximum amounts and the aids catalogue. The GKV also caps copayments through the exemption limit of 2% of annual gross income, or 1% for people with a chronic illness.
How Quickly Does a Saving Shrink Over the Years?
Example with assumed figures: Lea is 23, has five years of study left and compares student GKV cover at about €148 per month with a private offer of €120 per month including long-term care and a €500 annual deductible. The premium and deductible are assumed and do not reflect a market price, and the GKV premium stays constant in the calculation. The saving is €28 per month, or €336 per year.
| Scenario | Result over five years |
|---|---|
| Lea stays healthy, the premium stays the same | 5 × €336 = €1,680 saving |
| In two of the five years treatment costs of €500 or more arise | €1,680 minus 2 × €500 = €680 |
| As before, but the premium rises once by 10% from year 3 to €132 | Years 1 and 2: €672, years 3 to 5: 3 × €192 = €576, minus the €1,000 deductible: €248 |
A saving of €28 per month therefore remains high only if Lea’s health and the premium stay stable. The insurer reviews premiums at least once a year, and by law an adjustment applies from a deviation of 10% in the benefits. GKV copayments are not included in this calculation. Use your own figures once you have an offer.
What Changes When You Start Your Career?
After graduation, your income decides. As an employee below the compulsory insurance threshold (2026: €6,450 per month, €77,400 per year), you become compulsorily insured in statutory insurance. Above the threshold there is no compulsory insurance. A minijob is not enough to return to the GKV; you need employment that is subject to compulsory insurance.
Once you become compulsorily insured in statutory insurance, you can cancel private cover within three months, with effect from the start of the compulsory insurance. The cancellation is invalid if you do not prove the start of compulsory insurance within two months of the insurer’s written request, unless you are in arrears without fault. The deadlines and the process are described in our article on cancelling private insurance during studies (in German).
How Easy Is It to Return to Statutory Insurance?
Before the age of 55, returning is generally possible, for example through employment subject to compulsory insurance below the compulsory insurance threshold. Anyone who becomes subject to compulsory insurance only later remains insurance-exempt if they were not statutorily insured in the last five years and if at least half of that period was spent insurance-exempt, exempted or not subject to compulsory insurance. This generally rules out a return. One exception is family insurance free of contributions through a statutorily insured spouse or civil partner, as long as your own total income does not exceed €565 per month.
If you want to keep the option of returning to private insurance open, you can take out an expectancy policy (Anwartschaft). The small expectancy policy secures your health status, and the later premium depends on your age when you resume cover. The large expectancy policy also secures your age at entry and builds up further ageing provisions. Both cost an ongoing premium. Reactivation usually has to take place within two months of the reason for the exemption ending.
What Role Does the Health Check Play?
The application contains health questions that you must answer truthfully. Ongoing treatment or recommended operations often lead to refusal. If you breach the duty to disclose, the insurer may under some circumstances withdraw from the contract. It must assert its rights within one month of becoming aware of the breach, and they lapse five years after the contract is concluded, or ten years in the case of intent or fraudulent deception. An anonymous risk enquiry clarifies your chances in advance. Our article on the health check for private insurance (in German) explains what is examined.
Can the Tariff Be Adjusted Later?
You are entitled to switch to other tariffs from the same insurer that offer similar cover, and you keep acquired rights as well as your ageing provisions. For additional benefits, the insurer may require an exclusion of benefits or a reasonable risk surcharge, and possibly a waiting period. A lower deductible counts as an additional benefit. You cannot simply obtain a lower deductible at any time without a surcharge, exclusion or waiting period. Our guide on switching private tariffs (in German) describes how this works.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is private health insurance financially worth it as a student?
That can only be answered for the individual case. Add up the premium, the deductible, possible premium adjustments and the value of the benefits, and compare the result with the GKV benchmark of about €143 or €148 per month. For children of civil servants, state aid also comes into play, which usually ends at 25.
Is private or statutory insurance cheaper for students?
During your studies, the GKV has a fixed contribution that you can calculate yourself from the basic contribution, the additional contribution and long-term care insurance. Private insurance is below or above that depending on the offer. In the long run, what counts is how the private premium develops and what you would pay in the GKV once you are working.
Can I return to statutory insurance after my studies?
Yes, as a rule through employment subject to compulsory insurance below the compulsory insurance threshold (2026: €77,400 per year). A minijob is not enough. After the age of 55 a return is normally ruled out, with an exception through family insurance via a statutorily insured partner.
Can I cancel private insurance if I become compulsorily insured in statutory insurance?
Yes, you can cancel within three months, with effect from the start of compulsory insurance. The insurer may request proof, which you must provide within two months of its written request. Otherwise the cancellation is invalid, unless you are in arrears without fault.
Here Is How to Proceed Now
- Calculate the GKV premium with your insurer’s additional contribution and note it as the benchmark.
- If you have pre-existing conditions, make an anonymous risk enquiry before applying.
- Run through an offer using the pattern from the worked example: saving, deductible, premium adjustment.
- Note the three-month deadline for the exemption and clarify the return options for career start and age 55.
If you want to talk through your situation, you will find the way to advice on the Academycon homepage (in German).
You can find reviews of us on ProvenExpert, Trustlocal and Trustindex. Academycon was mentioned, among other places, in a press release in the Münchner Merkur. An overview of all mentions is on the press page (in German).
Related Articles
- What does private health insurance cost for students? Premiums overview (in German)
- Private or statutory insurance as a student: what pays off more? (in German)
- The disadvantages of private insurance for students at a glance (in German)
Last updated: October 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice. The German version is authoritative.
