Supplementary insurance is most worthwhile as a student where statutory health insurance only pays part of the cost: for dental prosthetics, glasses, hospital comfort and stays abroad. If you have compulsory student insurance, the statutory insurer provides the standard care, and anything beyond that costs extra. Whether a add-on pays off depends on your needs, your budget and your health when you apply. No supplementary insurance suits everyone.
The key points in brief
- Supplementary insurance is a separate private contract alongside the statutory insurer, usually with health questions when you apply. Truthful answers are mandatory.
- For dental prosthetics, the statutory insurer pays a fixed subsidy of 60% of the standard care in 2026, falling to 50% from 2027 (decided).
- For adults, statutory insurance only contributes to glasses in cases of severe visual impairment or strong refractive errors. It never pays for frames.
- Outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland, you are hardly covered without private travel health insurance, and statutory insurance does not pay for repatriation.
- Read the conditions, waiting periods and exclusions before you sign.
Do students need supplementary insurance at all?
Not automatically. The statutory insurer covers the standard care, and many costs are limited by co-payments. Supplementary insurance fills targeted gaps. The earlier you take out a component, the fewer pre-existing conditions stand in the way, because with health questions, ongoing treatment can lead to refusal, a surcharge or an exclusion. If you give false information, the insurer can withdraw or terminate under the conditions of section 19 VVG.
Why supplementary insurance does not replace health insurance is explained in the difference between full and supplementary insurance (in German). This article deals with the add-ons for statutorily insured people.
Which supplementary insurance for students is worthwhile?
| Component | Gap in statutory cover | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Dental supplement | Fixed subsidy only on the standard care | Reimbursement rates, waiting periods, exclusions, ongoing treatment |
| Glasses | Adults only in cases of severe visual impairment | Annual maximum, interval between benefits, waiting period |
| Hospital | Daily co-payment, no optional benefits | Single room, chief physician treatment, waiting periods |
| Outpatient | Co-payments for therapies and aids | Alternative practitioners, preventive care, visual aids, caps |
| Travel abroad | No repatriation cover, no statutory protection outside the EU | Duration of trip, repatriation, long-term policy for a semester abroad |
When is dental supplementary insurance worth it for students?
If you expect dental prosthetics or fear the out-of-pocket costs. In 2026, the statutory insurer pays a fixed subsidy of 60% of the standard care. With a bonus booklet, it is 70% after five years of regular check-ups and 75% after ten years. The hardship case is 100% of the standard care, and the income limit in 2026 is €1,582 gross per month for single persons. Receiving BAföG can also be enough.
From 1 January 2027, the fixed subsidy falls to 50% of the standard care. This has been decided. Dental supplementary insurance can reduce this gap. Whether it pays off depends on the premium and the benefits. More on the fixed subsidies is available from the National Association of Statutory Dental Insurance Dentists (KZBV, in German). Pay particular attention to waiting periods and whether planned dental prosthetics are excluded.
Does the statutory insurer pay for glasses, and when does glasses supplementary insurance help?
Adults are only entitled to visual aids in cases of severe visual impairment, with more than 6.0 dioptres of short- or long-sightedness, or more than 4.0 dioptres of astigmatism. The statutory insurer never pays for frames. The fixed amounts for glasses and contact lenses were abolished on 1 March 2025. The insurer contributes to the contractually agreed amounts, and the co-payment is 10%, at least €5 and at most €10.
If you do not meet these conditions, you receive nothing from the statutory insurer. A glasses supplementary policy then pays part of the cost, often with annual maximums and intervals between benefits. Calculate in advance whether the premium and the possible reimbursement fit together.
What does hospital supplementary insurance provide?
In hospital, the statutory insurer pays for medically necessary treatment. You pay a co-payment of €10 per calendar day for up to 28 days. According to the law that has been passed, this will be €15 per day from 2027. Hospital add-ons usually target optional benefits such as a single room or treatment by the chief physician. What is insured exactly is set out in the conditions.
How inpatient care works for privately insured people is shown in the article on inpatient benefits of PKV (in German).
Is outpatient supplementary insurance worth it?
For medicines, aids and therapies, co-payments apply. In general, these are 10% of the pharmacy retail price, at least €5 and at most €10, and never more than the costs. For therapies, it is 10% plus €10 per prescription. It has been decided that co-payments will rise from 2027 to at least €7.50 and at most €15.
There is also the co-payment cap: it is 2% of your annual gross income for living expenses, and 1% for people with chronic illnesses. After that, you can be exempted for the calendar year. Because co-payments are capped, outpatient supplementary insurance does not pay off simply because of its amount. More information is available from the consumer advice centre (Verbraucherzentrale, in German).
Do I need travel health insurance abroad?
For trips and a semester abroad, health insurers and the consumer advice centre recommend private travel health insurance. The European Health Insurance Card applies in the EU, the EEA and Switzerland, and covers medically necessary services under the rules of the country you stay in. Local co-payments apply. The statutory insurer does not pay for medically necessary repatriation to Germany.
Outside these countries, you generally need cover in the country of study or private travel health insurance. Standard travel insurance often covers only a limited number of days per trip. For stays of several months, you need a long-term policy.
How do I combine PKV and supplementary insurance?
If you are privately insured, first check your own tariff before you add a component. For aids, for example, the usual reimbursement rates are 75, 90 or 100%, often with maximum amounts, and the aids catalogue is either open or closed. A supplementary policy alongside PKV should only close a specific gap. The overview of PKV benefits for students (in German) helps with the comparison.
You can obtain additional benefits within your tariff through a tariff switch under section 204 VVG. For this, the insurer may require an exclusion of benefits or an appropriate risk surcharge, and possibly a waiting period.
Frequently asked questions
Which supplementary insurance is sensible for students?
It depends on your needs. Dental supplements, glasses, hospital optional benefits and travel health insurance are the most frequently checked. Before you sign, calculate which gap the component closes, what it costs per year, and which waiting periods and exclusions apply.
Is dental supplementary insurance worth it as a student?
If dental prosthetics are foreseeable or you want to cover the out-of-pocket costs, it can be worth it. The statutory insurer pays a fixed subsidy on the standard care, 60% in 2026 and 50% from 2027. Check waiting periods and whether ongoing or planned treatment is excluded.
Does the statutory insurer pay for glasses for students?
Only in cases of severe visual impairment, more than 6.0 dioptres of short- or long-sightedness, or more than 4.0 dioptres of astigmatism. The statutory insurer never pays for frames. Without these conditions, you bear the cost yourself or use a glasses supplementary policy.
Can I take out supplementary insurance alongside statutory insurance as a student?
Yes. Supplementary insurance is a private contract alongside the statutory insurer, and in principle you can take it out during compulsory student insurance just as you can while family-insured. Whether the insurer accepts you depends on its health questions, which you must answer truthfully.
What to do now
- List the costs you realistically expect in the coming years: dental care, glasses, hospital stays and travel.
- Check whether the statutory insurer pays part of them, and calculate the gap.
- Read the conditions, waiting periods and exclusions before you apply. Answer health questions truthfully.
- 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 things, in a press release published by Nachrichten Heute. A full list of mentions is on the press page (in German).
Related articles
- Full insurance or supplementary insurance: the difference (in German)
- PKV benefits for students: an overview (in German)
- PKV in hospital: what inpatient cover pays (in German)
- PKV and medicines: what is reimbursed? (in German)
- Dental supplementary insurance during studies (in German)
Last updated: October 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice. The German version is authoritative.
