Insurance for students

Health and nursing insurance for students

A proof of health insurance is required upon enrolment. Students are normally compulsorily insured by status in the statutory health insurance, similar to the status of dependent employment for employees. Within the first three months of their studies, however, students can apply for an exemption from compulsory insurance. You must then take out private insurance. This exemption is final: it applies to the entire course of study and, if necessary, beyond. There is therefore no way back to the statutory compulsory student insurance.

Possible forms of insurance are:

Family insurance with legally insured parents

If your parents are insured in the statutory health insurance, your health insurance will probably run through the so-called family insurance at the beginning of your studies. If you are under 25 years of age, have no more than €395 (if you are not self-employed and self-employed) or €450 (if you are in marginal employment / mini-job) in monthly income and your parents are legally insured, you can usually take out family insurance through your parents free of charge. Family insurance is also possible for spouses, although the age limit is irrelevant.

In order to avoid confusion about the additional income, it is best to ask the parents' health insurance company.

If the age limit is exceeded, periods of civil and military service as well as recognized voluntary services (FSJ, FÖJ) may be extended. Anyone who exceeds the limits must take out compulsory student insurance or, if this is not possible, voluntary statutory insurance.

Compulsory student insurance

Students are compulsorily insured in accordance with § 5 para. 1 no. 9 SGB V in the statutory health insurance. The contribution is prescribed uniformly for each health insurance company and amounts to approximately 70 € (plus 17 € nursing care insurance) per month. An additional contribution may be charged for individual insurance companies.

This price is uniformly prescribed for each health insurance company. The compulsory insurance is subject to a time limit: after the 14th semester or if an age limit of 30 years is exceeded, the insurance cover expires. An extension is only possible in certain exceptional cases. Otherwise, voluntary insurance must be taken out.

In general, please note that you must be an "ordinary" student if you are working at the same time. This means that you are generally not allowed to work more than 20 hours per week during the lecture period and a maximum of 26 weeks over 20 hours per week during the year. In exceptional cases, however, it is possible to deviate from this rule. Please ask the social counselling service for more information.

Voluntary insurance

The possibility of voluntary insurance with a statutory health insurance company always exists when a compulsory insurance ends. For students, this is possible after the expiration of the student's compulsory insurance (after exceeding the semester or age limit). Applications for voluntary insurance must be submitted within three months of the end of compulsory insurance (§ 9 (2) SGB V).

Students who wish to apply for voluntary insurance must provide proof of previous insurance periods: Either at least one year of uninterrupted membership prior to the end of compulsory insurance or at least two years (also with interruptions) within the last five years (§ 9 (1) No.1 SGB V).
After leaving the tariff of the compulsory student insurance, a transitional tariff can be granted for up to six months, which is cheaper than the following basic tariff. Please enquire about this at your health insurance company.

The basic tariff no longer differs between the insurance companies according to the statutory uniform contribution fixing. It currently stands at € 142.10 (plus nursing care insurance and possible additional contributions from individual health insurance companies).

Private health insurance

Private health insurance is not a voluntary alternative for the majority of students, because the statutory compulsory student insurance is cheaper. If, as a student, you are exempted from the statutory compulsory insurance and take out private insurance, you must remain privately insured throughout your studies. This also applies to subsequent studies (e.g. Master, second degree, etc.) as well as to the transition to working life (e.g. in case of unemployment before starting work).

Since every private health insurance company offers its own range of services and differentiated co-payment regulations make it difficult to keep track, a precise price-performance comparison should be made before choosing the insurance company. Information on the offers for students can be found on various internet portals.