Student Health Insurance Costs by Age in Germany

Student health insurance costs between €0 and about €280 per month, depending on your age. Until 25, you are generally family insured free of contribution through a statutorily insured parent. After that, in the student health insurance (studentische Krankenversicherung, KVdS), you pay about €143 to €148 per month in 2026. From 30, as a voluntary member, the cost is about €270 to €278. These figures assume the average supplementary contribution of 2.9%. Age determines the cost most of all. The fund affects the price only through its supplementary contribution.

The essentials in brief

• Under 25 and studying: contribution-free family insurance through a statutorily insured parent, as long as your total income is at most €565 per month (mini-job: €603).
• 25 to 29: compulsory KVdS insurance with a fixed contribution basis of €855, plus your fund’s supplementary contribution and nursing care insurance, in total about €143 (with a child) or €148 (childless).
• From 30: voluntary insurance, with a contribution based on at least €1,318.33, at 2.9% supplementary contribution about €270 (with a child) or €278 (childless).
• Your choice of fund affects the contribution only through its supplementary contribution. In the KVdS, the difference between the lowest and highest rate is up to €18.90 per month.

What does student health insurance cost per month?

The monthly contributions in 2026 depend on three phases: family insurance, the KVdS, and voluntary insurance. The table uses the average supplementary contribution of 2.9% and shows health and nursing care insurance together.

The contribution-free phase applies as long as a parent is statutorily insured. Family insurance runs until 25, and the KVdS ends at the end of the semester in which you turn 30. The age limit is set out in § 190 SGB V (in German).

When is it free under 25?

As a child of statutorily insured parents, you are contribution-free through family insurance until 25, as long as you are studying. Family insurance applies only if your total income is at most €565 per month. For a mini-job as your only employment, the limit is €603. BAföG, child benefit and parental maintenance do not count. The conditions are explained in detail in the article on family insurance under 25 (in German).

If you regularly exceed the limit, family insurance ends and you move into the KVdS. The contribution from the next section then applies, even if you are not yet 25.

What changes with the contribution at 25?

At 25, family insurance ends and you move into the KVdS. The contribution jumps from €0 to about €148 per month, or about €143 if you have a child. Family insurance can be extended only in narrow cases, for example by the duration of the service if you do a voluntary social or ecological year, a federal volunteer service or a voluntary military service. If you are already 25 while studying, the details and alternatives are in the article on health insurance over 25 (in German).

What does student health insurance cost between 25 and 29?

The KVdS is the compulsory statutory insurance for students at state or state-recognised universities. Its contribution consists of three parts, all based on a fixed contribution basis of €855. This €855 corresponds to the BAföG requirement for the basic needs allowance (€475) and the housing allowance (€380), and it applies regardless of whether you receive BAföG.

Nursing care insurance protects you if you need long-term care. Its contribution is the same for all funds, but the supplementary contribution is not. Students with several children pay less: with two children under 25, nursing care costs €28.64.

What does health insurance cost as a student over 30?

When the KVdS ends, your membership with the fund continues as voluntary insurance, unless you terminate within two weeks of the fund’s notice and prove other cover. The contribution is then based on your total income, but at least €1,318.33 per month. As a student over 30, you usually pay the reduced rate of 14.0% plus your supplementary contribution.

At a 2.9% supplementary contribution, health insurance costs €222.80. Nursing care adds €55.37 for childless people (4.2%) or €47.46 with a child (3.6%). Together, that is €278.17 or €270.26 per month. How you stay insured in this phase is explained in the article on health insurance over 30 (in German).

How do the KVdS and voluntary insurance differ?

The KVdS uses a fixed flat-rate basis and the reduced rate for students. Voluntary insurance uses your actual income, but never less than the minimum basis.

How do income and work affect the contribution?

In family insurance, your income decides whether you stay contribution-free. Up to €565 per month, everything is in order. For exclusively marginal employment, the limit is €603. For employment subject to social insurance, a flat employee allowance of €102.50 is deducted, so earnings of up to €667.50 are possible.

In the KVdS, your earnings do not change the contribution. The condition is that you work no more than 20 hours per week during term time. If you regularly work more, you are generally treated as an employee, and that employment takes priority over the KVdS.

Voluntary members pay on their total income, which includes the grant portion of BAföG. Up to €1,318.33, the contribution stays the same. Above that, it rises up to the contribution assessment ceiling of €5,812.50. For example, with €1,500 in income, a supplementary contribution of 2.9% and no children, the cost is €253.50 for health insurance plus €63.00 for nursing care, €316.50 per month. The calculation with a part-time job is set out in the guide on students over 30 with a mini-job or part-time job.

Is there a BAföG supplement for health insurance?

Yes. If you receive BAföG and insure yourself for health and nursing care, the BAföG requirement includes a supplement of €102 for health insurance and €35 for nursing care. From 30, the amounts are €185 and €48. The supplements form part of the BAföG requirement. Whether and in what amount they reach you is decided by the BAföG office at the Studierendenwerk. Which rules apply to private and statutory insurance is explained in the article on the BAföG contribution to health insurance (in German).

A government draft proposes raising the supplements from 1 April 2027 to €121 and €39 for compulsorily insured students and to €223 and €56 for voluntarily insured members. It has not yet been passed.

What does a year of study cost?

The example uses three people, each with a supplementary contribution of 2.9% and twelve months of contributions. It assumes that BAföG is granted and that the full supplement is paid. Lea, 22, is by way of exception not family insured, for example because her income is above the limit.

The supplements for Lea and Jonas come to €137 per month (€102 plus €35), and for Mara to €233 (€185 plus €48). Without an entitlement to BAföG, you pay the full amount.

Why do the contributions differ between funds?

The general contribution rate is the same for all statutory funds, and so is the nursing care contribution. Each fund sets its own supplementary contribution. According to the GKV-Spitzenverband fund list (in German), status 16 October 2026, it ranges in 2026 from 2.18% to 4.39%. Some company funds are open only to certain employees. The statutory benefits are largely the same at all funds.

In the KVdS, the gap between the lowest and highest rate is €18.90 per month, or about €227 per year. In voluntary insurance, it is €29.13 per month. You can find the supplementary contributions of all funds in the overview supplementary contributions of the funds (in German).

When do the contributions change?

Supplementary contributions can change every year. The general rate stays at 14.6% in 2027 under the law. The Federal Ministry of Health sets the average supplementary contribution for the following year by 1 November, and each fund sets its own rate. If your fund raises its supplementary contribution, you can terminate by the end of the month for which the increase applies. However, the termination takes effect only if you prove other cover, for example through membership with the new fund.

A cabinet draft on nursing care proposes higher contributions for childless people. Whether and when this will happen is open. All amounts in this guide apply to 2026.

Frequently asked questions

How much does health insurance cost students per month?

It depends on your age. Under 25, you pay nothing with family insurance. In the KVdS, in 2026 at the average supplementary contribution, you pay about €143 (under 23 or with a child) or €148 (childless from 23). From 30, as a voluntary member, you pay about €270 to €278. The exact amount depends on your fund’s supplementary contribution.

What changes with the contribution at 25?

Family insurance through your parents ends, and you move into the student compulsory insurance. Instead of €0, you then pay about €148 per month, or about €143 with a child. Your income does not change this contribution, as long as you meet the KVdS conditions and work no more than 20 hours per week.

What does it cost at 30?

The KVdS ends with the semester in which you turn 30. After that, your insurance continues voluntarily unless you terminate. At a 2.9% supplementary contribution, the contribution is at least about €270 (with a child) or €278 (childless) per month, and more if your income is above €1,318.33.

Is there a BAföG supplement for health insurance?

Yes, if you receive BAföG and are insured in your own right. Up to age 30, the supplement totals €137 per month (€102 for health insurance and €35 for nursing care). From 30, it is €233. The BAföG office at the Studierendenwerk decides whether you receive it, and in what amount. A government draft proposes higher amounts from 1 April 2027.

Why do the contributions differ between funds?

Because each fund sets its own supplementary contribution. The general rate and the nursing care contribution are the same for all. In 2026, the supplementary contribution ranges from 2.18% to 4.39%. In the KVdS, that makes a difference of up to €18.90 per month, and in voluntary insurance up to €29.13 per month.

What to do now

1. Check which phase you are in: family insurance, the KVdS, or voluntary insurance.
2. Compare your fund’s supplementary contribution with the average of 2.9% and with the overview of supplementary contributions.
3. If you receive BAföG and pay your own health and nursing care contributions, check a BAföG application. The supplements can cover a large part of the contribution.
4. Plan the contribution into your budget, for example using the overview of the money students need each month (in German).
5. If you are considering exemption and private insurance, remember that it usually applies for the whole course of study and is irrevocable. The costs of private insurance for students (in German) are covered in a separate article.

If you want to talk through your situation, you will find the way to advice on the Academycon homepage (in German).

Sources

• § 5, § 236, § 241 and § 245 SGB V, gesetze-im-internet.de, retrieved 20.10.2026.
• Fact sheet on calculation figures for contribution law 2026, GKV-Spitzenverband, as of 1.1.2026.
• Federal Ministry of Health, contributions in statutory health insurance; Schätzerkreis of 13/14 October 2026.
• Bundestag printed paper 21/8405 (draft 30th BAföG amendment act), planned and not yet decided.

Related guides

• Health insurance for students in Germany
• Student Health Insurance in Germany 2026: Key Figures
• Health Insurance for Students Over 30 in Germany
• Extending Student Health Insurance Beyond Age 30
• German original (in German)

Information, not individual advice. The German version is authoritative. Last reviewed: 21 October 2026.