If you want student private health insurance, the core question is whether you can be released from compulsory student health insurance. If you are enrolled at a state or state-recognised university, you are generally compulsorily insured with the statutory health insurance (gesetzliche Krankenversicherung, GKV). You must apply for the exemption within three months after your insurance obligation begins. It only takes effect if you can prove other insurance cover. Health questions, age limits for student tariffs and confirmation from a statutory insurer for enrolment come on top. The full picture is in Private health insurance for students (in German).
Student private health insurance at a glance
- Compulsory student insurance applies to anyone enrolled at a state or state-recognised university who is not primarily insured in another way.
- The exemption must be applied for within three months of the start of the insurance obligation and is irrevocable.
- It only takes effect once you prove an entitlement to cover in the event of illness, in practice a private policy.
- Student tariffs are aimed at young people taking out insurance for the first time up to age 30. You must answer the health questions truthfully.
- For enrolment, the university still requires confirmation from a statutory insurer.
Who can be exempted from statutory health insurance?
You can be exempted if enrolment as a student, or a required practical activity, makes you compulsorily insured (section 8(1) no. 5 of the Social Code Book V, SGB V). Without a compulsory insurance obligation, there is nothing to be exempted from. The table below shows typical cases.
| Case | Compulsory student insurance? | Consequence for private insurance |
|---|---|---|
| First degree at a state university, under 30 | Yes | Exemption possible if you apply on time |
| Second degree or master’s degree | Yes, including further and supplementary degrees. The age limit of 30 still applies | Exemption possible |
| Doctorate after completing a degree | No (Federal Social Court, 7 June 2018) | Nothing to be exempted from. As a research assistant you are an employee, with a scholarship you are voluntarily insured under statutory or private insurance |
| Non-state-recognised university, dual or part-time degree | Generally no | The health insurer decides whether a student insurance obligation exists. Your cover depends on your overall situation |
| Employees working more than 20 hours a week | Usually no, because they are primarily insured | No exemption needed |
| Family insured | No, family insurance takes precedence | No exemption needed as long as family insurance continues |
The order of precedence follows section 5 SGB V: anyone who is compulsorily insured under numbers 1 to 8, 11 or 12, or is family insured under section 10, has no compulsory student insurance. You can find the legal text at gesetze-im-internet.de. Whether switching is worthwhile is covered in the comparison of PKV and GKV (in German).
By when must the exemption application be submitted?
The application must be submitted to your health insurer within three months of the start of the insurance obligation. If you have not claimed any benefits by then, it takes effect retrospectively from the start of the obligation. Otherwise it takes effect from the calendar month after the application is submitted. The obligation starts with the beginning of the semester, or on the day of enrolment if you enrol later.
As a rule the exemption applies to the entire course of study and cannot be revoked. If you apply for it, you also leave family insurance, which is free of charge, for that period. The Verbraucherzentrale (German consumer advice centre) summarises the options during your studies.
What is the age limit for students in private health insurance?
Student tariffs are aimed at young people taking out insurance for the first time up to age 30. After that they are usually no longer available. The premium follows your age at entry. On the statutory side, compulsory student insurance ends at the end of the semester in which you turn 30. Beyond 30 it only continues if the type of training or family or personal reasons justify going over the limit.
Which health questions does private health insurance ask?
The application contains health questions that you must answer truthfully. Under section 19 of the German Insurance Contract Act (Versicherungsvertragsgesetz), you must disclose known circumstances that are material to the insurer and about which the insurer asks in text form. If you breach this duty, the insurer can withdraw from the contract. Without intent or gross negligence, withdrawal is excluded and the insurer can then terminate with one month’s notice. These rights only apply if the insurer has informed you in writing of the consequences in a separate notice.
Ongoing treatment and recommended operations often lead to rejection. Before applying, an anonymous risk enquiry is advisable. The principle behind this is explained in how private health insurance works (in German).
What does the university require at enrolment?
Before enrolment, the university requires a digital confirmation from a statutory health insurer (section 199a(2) SGB V). This also applies to privately insured students and civil servants. 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.
At enrolment you also prove that you are statutorily insured or exempt and have other health insurance cover. If you work as a working student for up to 20 hours a week during the lecture period, compulsory student insurance continues. How this works together with a private policy is explained under the working student privilege (in German).
What applies to international students?
Before enrolment you must prove that you are statutorily insured, or that you are not statutorily insured for another reason. The insurer reports the status to the university, and the report can take up to 24 hours. Without proof, the university refuses enrolment or re-registration.
You also apply for the exemption within three months here. It only takes effect with proof of another entitlement to cover, is irrevocable, and applies for as long as your studies are not interrupted for at least one month. A leave semester does not interrupt your studies. Since the end of 2025, insurers have been checking incoming contracts more closely. The Studierendenwerke (student services organisations) summarise the rules for international students.
Does this also apply during the legal traineeship?
Civil service trainees are usually civil servants on probation and are exempt from contributions to health, long-term care and unemployment insurance. They secure themselves privately or voluntarily through statutory insurance, on the principle of self-provision, supplemented by civil service allowances (Beihilfe). Legal trainees are, depending on the state, civil servants on probation or are in a public-law training relationship with compulsory statutory insurance. The appointment notice is decisive.
Civil servants on probation can also use the opening campaign of private insurers: the application must be submitted within the first six months after the first appointment as a civil servant, the risk surcharge is at most 30%, and there are no exclusions of benefits. The entitlement only covers tariffs that comply with civil service allowance rules. The information sheet of the PKV association sets out the conditions.
What do statutory and private insurance cover for glasses, aids and transport?
A look at the benefit rules of statutory insurance shows what matters in a tariff. For adults, the insurer only pays for glasses in cases of severe visual impairment or more than 6.0 dioptres of short- or long-sightedness. Frames are never covered. The insurer pays for aids where they are necessary in the individual case, with a 10% co-payment of at least 5 and at most 10 euros (from 2027, a range of 7.50 to 15 euros has been agreed). Medical transport is only covered when it is medically necessary and prescribed, usually with prior approval.
In private insurance, the tariff decides. An open aids catalogue covers all medically necessary aids, a closed one only the aids explicitly listed. Reimbursement rates of 75, 90 or 100% are common. You submit the invoices yourself, and the deadline is three years from the end of the year in which the invoice was issued.
Frequently asked questions
Who can be exempted from compulsory health insurance during their studies?
Anyone who becomes compulsorily insured through enrolment at a state or state-recognised university can apply for an exemption. The application must be submitted within three months of the start of the obligation and only takes effect with proof of other insurance cover.
Up to what age can I take out private health insurance as a student?
Student tariffs are aimed at young people taking out insurance for the first time up to age 30. Compulsory student insurance ends with the semester in which you turn 30, except for special reasons that justify an extension.
Do I have to answer health questions?
Yes, you must answer the health questions in the application truthfully. A breach of this duty to disclose can lead to withdrawal from the contract. Ongoing treatment and recommended operations often lead to rejection.
Do I still need a statutory insurer for enrolment?
Yes. The university requires a digital confirmation from a statutory insurer, including from privately insured students. It 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 to do now
- Check whether you are enrolled at a state or state-recognised university and whether a primary insurance applies to you.
- Note the start of your insurance obligation and the three-month deadline.
- If you are unsure, make an anonymous risk enquiry and go through the health questions.
- Ask your statutory insurer for the confirmation needed for enrolment.
If you want to talk through your situation, you will find the route to advice on the Academycon homepage. What to expect in a private health insurance advice session (in German) is described in a separate article.
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Related articles
- Private health insurance for students: costs and benefits (in German)
- Private health insurance for students: advice and process (in German)
- What is student private health insurance? Structure, principle and process (in German)
- Private health insurance for working students: what applies to cover and contributions (in German)
- Health insurance at enrolment (in German)
Last updated: October 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice. The German version is authoritative.
