Health care What health insurance is available to students?

Anyone who registers with a German university or a state-recognized higher education institution must prove that they have health insurance. Students are generally under obligation to have statutory health insurance (GKV). In addition to health insurance, the insurance obligation automatically extends to long-term care insurance. Exemptions from this compulsory insurance are only available at certain times. To obtain such an exemption, proof of equivalent private health and long-term care insurance (PKV) must be provided.

The insurance obligation also applies during gap years or semesters spent overseas as well as to international students.

There are various options for health and long-term care insurance while studying:

• Family insurance within the scope of statutory health insurance (GKV)
• Compulsory student insurance within the scope of statutory health insurance
• Voluntary insurance within the scope of statutory health insurance
• Student health insurance within the scope of private health and long-term care insurance (PKV)

Compulsory insurance for students generally ends when they complete their studies or in the semester that they turn 30.

Family insurance can be obtained via parents while studying. Alternatively, cover can also be obtained via a spouse or a civil partner. There are no costs for the student. 

However, certain conditions apply in order to obtain family insurance. People who regularly exceed certain income limits are no longer entitled to family insurance cover. Whether family insurance is possible is based on a person’s total income. This includes salary from employment but also severance payments and income from capital assets or rentals. Financial support for education and training (BAföG) is not classed as income. 

Students covered by family insurance are generally not allowed to regularly earn more than 535 euros per month (as at 2025). People in marginal employment must not earn more than 556 euros per month (as at 2025). These income limits change annually. If a job is performed for less than three months, the level of income is irrelevant. Such employment does not affect family insurance.

Family insurance via parents

Students can usually be covered by family insurance at no extra cost up to the age of 25 if at least one of their parents has statutory insurance. If both parents are covered by statutory insurance there are no further restrictions. If one parent has private insurance and the parents are married or live in a registered civil partnership, the parents’ income is also taken into account. Family insurance is no longer possible if the privately insured parent earns above a certain threshold and regularly earns more than the parent with statutory insurance.

Under certain conditions, students can be covered by family insurance via their parents for a maximum of one extra year. This is the case, for example, if they have undertaken voluntary work or completed voluntary military service. In some situations, there is no age limit for family insurance for students with disabilities.

Family insurance via a partner

If students are married and their spouse is covered by statutory insurance, they can also be covered by family insurance at no extra cost. The same applies to registered civil partnerships. There is no age limit in such cases. 

Students under the age of 30 can benefit from a discounted tariff for statutory health insurance: compulsory student insurance. The health insurance obligations for students usually end in the semester in which they turn 30. As such, it is generally no longer possible to be covered by compulsory student insurance after this time. On exceptions, compulsory student insurance can remain valid beyond a student’s 30th birthday. This can be the case if students were ill for more than three months, have a dependent child or care for relatives.

What must people consider if they work while studying?

Compulsory student insurance is generally only available to people who spend most of their time studying. They are deemed to do this if they do not also work for more than 20 hours per week. However, there are some exceptions. If people primarily work in the evening, at night or at the weekend, the 20‑hour limit on the number of weekly working hours can be exceeded. The same applies to people who work in lecture-free periods. However, even then, the limit of 20 working hours per week may only be exceeded for a maximum of 26 weeks at a time. After that, the entitlement to compulsory student insurance is lost. 

What does compulsory student insurance cost?

The contribution to compulsory student insurance generally equates to 70 percent of the general contribution rate, which applies for employees for example. There is also a supplementary contribution, the rate of which is independently set by each health insurance provider. The final amount can therefore differ depending on the health insurance provider. The contribution to long-term care insurance is the same for all health insurance providers. This contribution is slightly lower for people who have children.

People who receive financial support for education and training (BAföG) can receive a subsidy for health and long-term care insurance. This must be applied for from the BAföG office. Since the winter semester 2024/2025, this subsidy has been 137 euros irrespective of the level of BAföG received. 102 euros of this go toward health insurance and 35 euros go toward long-term care insurance (as at 2025). 

If health insurance is no longer compulsory, people can take out voluntary insurance through statutory health insurance after their family insurance or compulsory student insurance has expired. While studying, people can take out voluntary insurance through statutory health insurance providers once the insurance obligation ends when they turn 30. 

What does voluntary health insurance cost?

The contributions for voluntary insurance are based on income. People who receive financial support for education and training (BAföG) can also apply for a subsidy for health and long-term care insurance within the scope of voluntary insurance. As the contributions for voluntary insurance for students are usually higher than those for compulsory student insurance, the subsidy is also slightly higher. Since the winter semester 2024/2025, this has been 233 euros irrespective of the level of BAföG received. 185 euros of this go toward health insurance and 48 euros go toward long-term care insurance (as at 2025).

The Consumer Advice Center (Verbraucherzentrale) provides information about how the health insurance and other social insurance contributions are calculated and current contribution rates.

Students can apply for an exemption from the obligation to have student insurance within the first 3 months of starting their studies. On doing so, they must provide proof of private health insurance cover. Exemption is possible, for example, if people were privately insured prior to their studies. 

The exemption usually applies to the entire duration of the studies and cannot be revoked. In some circumstances, people can also obtain an exemption from the obligation to have student insurance at a later point in their studies. This applies, for example, if previously existing family insurance cover ends. The exemption again applies to the entire remaining study duration.

Once people have been exempted from their insurance obligations, they are unable to switch to statutory health insurance at any point during their studies. This decision should therefore be considered carefully. 

Many young people work during their studies to cover their living costs or earn extra spending money. How the income affects health insurance depends on the type of work.

Marginal employment

Marginal employment is also referred to as a mini job. With such jobs, the number of monthly working hours is limited and a certain income threshold must not be exceeded. Marginal employment is also deemed to exist if people work for less than three months or 70 days per year. 

For employment to be classed as marginal, people must generally not earn more than 556 euros per month (as at 2025). This income threshold changes annually and is based on the minimum wage. People in marginal employment with no further income are therefore usually able to be covered by family insurance. Marginal employment does not affect the entitlement to compulsory student insurance cover if people work fewer than 20 hours per week.

Working students

Working students are duly enrolled in a higher education institution and work on more than a marginal basis. The studies must also still represent the main focus of their life. As working students earn more than people in marginal employment, they cannot usually be covered by family insurance. 

Working students can obtain cover via compulsory student insurance, for example. This is possible as long as the employment is not performed for more than 20 hours per week. However, people who predominantly work in the evening, at night or on weekends can work more than 20 hours per week. The 20‑hour limit on weekly working hours can also be exceeded in lecture-free periods. However, anyone who works over 20 hours per week for more than 26 weeks per year can no longer be covered by compulsory student insurance. In such cases, people need to take out health insurance as an employee.

Work-study degrees

Anyone who completes a work-study degree usually receives payment. This can be in the form of a salary or a grant. They are therefore obliged to take out insurance as an employee both during the work-study degree and during their training. They are not entitled to compulsory student insurance cover. 

Internships

An internship can be an important part of a person’s career path. A compulsory internship as part of a study program does not usually affect people’s insurance status with regard to health insurance. It does not matter how long the internship lasts or how many working hours it takes up. 

Voluntary internships during a study program are essentially subject to the same conditions as a part-time student job. If the internship is not performed for more than 20 hours per week, people can still be covered by compulsory student insurance. This limit on weekly working hours can also be exceeded if an internship is performed during lecture-free periods. 

Payments received for work only have an impact if people are covered by family insurance at no extra cost during their internship. This is because the income from the internship is classed as part of the person’s total income. This total income must not exceed certain thresholds for people to remain covered by family insurance. This applies to both compulsory and voluntary internships.

Students can only be covered by compulsory student insurance while enrolled at a university. As a result, such insurance cover is not possible during internships that take place before or after a student’s studies. If the internship is mandatory for the intended course of study, people need to take out health and long-term care insurance. This is possible within the scope of existing family insurance, for example. In the case of a voluntary internship before or after the course of study, the types of cover available depend on several factors including the amount of any earnings.

Several things should be considered with regard to international students in Germany or German students who study abroad: 

• International students in Germany: International students usually also require health insurance. However, this does not apply during a preparatory language course or other courses that proceed the studies. Depending on the students’ country of origin, the health insurance from their home country may be recognized as equivalent insurance in Germany. If this is not the case, international students in Germany must obtain health insurance cover. 
• Study abroad: In some cases, German students must continue to be covered by statutory health insurance even when studying abroad. This partly depends on the rules that exist between Germany and the country in which the studies are taking place. Students of a German university also have to be covered by health insurance during a semester abroad. 

The German Liaison Office for Health Insurance Abroad (Deutsche Verbindungsstelle Krankenversicherung Ausland – DVKA) provides information for both German students who study in other EU countries and international students in Germany.

There are various places from which advice can be obtained in relation to health insurance while studying:

Your health insurance provider will advise you on all matters that relate to your health insurance.

Student service organizations (Studierendenwerke) also provide assistance in the form of social counseling for students. 

The German Liaison Office for Health Insurance Abroad (DVKA) provides detailed information for international students in Germany and German students studying abroad. 

Information on health insurance while studying can also be obtained from the citizens’ hotline operated by the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG). You can access the hotline on 030 / 340 60 66 – 01 Monday to Wednesday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday 8 a.m. to 12 noon.

Advice can also be obtained from the Consumer Advice Centers and the Independent Patient Advice Service for Germany (Unabhängige Patientenberatung Deutschland – UPD).