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Should students in Germany take out private health insurance?

In short

Should students in Germany take out private health insurance? Usually not: public student insurance costs around EUR 145 to 152 a month with care cover in 2026, and the exemption for private insurance lasts for your whole course. Private mainly makes sense for children of civil servants with Beihilfe. Student tariffs cost about EUR 80 to 400 a month.

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What it costs

Monthly premiums 2026 for students in Germany, public and private, from published examples.

Example	Typical range
Public student insurance, childless from 23, with care cover	around EUR 145 to 152 a month
Private student tariff, age 20, low cost tariff	about EUR 80 to 95 a month, with EUR 1,000 excess a year
Private student tariff, age 20 to 26, mid level cover	about EUR 115 to 150 a month
Private student tariff with high cover, age 21 to 29	about EUR 210 to 380 a month
Private full cover after studies, career starter	about EUR 521 to 834 a month

Guide values as of October 2026, from published premium examples and figures by Stiftung Warentest.

Private premiums depend on age, health, excess and cover; we get the exact quote for you.

Worked example

Student, 22, parents privately insured, not civil servants

He is not family insured and compares public insurance with a low cost private student tariff with EUR 1,000 excess.

Public with care cover, 12 × around EUR 148	around EUR 1,776 a year
Private, 12 × around EUR 95	around EUR 1,140 a year
Private, excess on medical bills up to	EUR 1,000 a year
Private in a bad year	up to about EUR 2,140

If he stays healthy, private saves around EUR 636 a year. If he needs treatment, he pays up to EUR 364 more, and he is locked in until graduation. Guide values from the examples above.

Who can choose at all

If you are enrolled at a state or state recognised university in Germany, you become compulsorily insured in public health insurance (GKV), under § 5 (1) no. 9 SGB V. This generally ends at your 30th birthday, with exceptions.

If you are covered through a parent with public insurance (Familienversicherung), you are not compulsorily insured as a student under § 5 (7) SGB V. Family insurance is free, and private insurance almost never gives you an advantage then.

So the choice mainly matters for students whose parents are privately insured, and for everyone who drops out of family insurance because of age or income.

Your situation	What makes sense
Parents public, you under 25, little income	family insurance, EUR 0
Parents civil servants, Beihilfe for you as a child	private often cheap while child benefit is paid
Parents private, not civil servants	compare, public is usually easier to plan
Over 25, no longer family insured	public student insurance, around EUR 145 to 152
Later surely self employed or civil servant	private can fit, keep the lock in in mind

The exemption: three months, no way back

To be privately insured, you apply to a public health insurer (Krankenkasse) for exemption from compulsory insurance. Under § 8 (2) SGB V the application must be made within three months after compulsory insurance starts, usually after enrolment. You must prove other health cover.

The exemption cannot be revoked. According to the consumer testing foundation Stiftung Warentest it applies for your whole course. One exception is a gap of at least one month with de-registration between bachelor and master, after which you can choose again.

For you this means: if you start private and find after two semesters that the premiums hurt, you cannot return to public insurance until you finish.

Who private insurance suits

Children of civil servants (Beamte) get Beihilfe from their parents' employer. The private insurer only covers the rest, so premiums are low. The catch: when child benefit (Kindergeld) ends, usually at 25, Beihilfe ends too and the premium rises sharply.

If you will surely become a civil servant or self employed after your studies, you will end up in private insurance anyway. For everyone else, public student insurance is usually the calmer path.

Student tariffs and what comes after

Many private insurers offer training tariffs for students. They are cheap because they build little or no ageing reserves, that is no cushion for higher costs in old age. After your studies you move into a regular tariff, which can cost about EUR 521 to 834 a month for career starters.

Check the compulsory care insurance: some student tariffs include it, others do not. A tariff with a high excess looks cheap, but in a year with doctor visits it can cost more than public insurance.

The risks after graduation

If after graduating you take a job paying below the compulsory insurance threshold, EUR 77,400 a year in 2026, you become compulsorily insured in public insurance again. So the private route often ends after a few years.

It is harder without a job: if you do not find work straight away, you may pay the private premium largely yourself. If you become self employed, you stay privately insured even if income is low at first. There is no hardship rule for unpaid premiums.

Step by step

Check whether you are family insured through your parents: then stay there.
With civil servant parents, ask how long Beihilfe is paid for you.
Compare the public premium with two or three private student tariffs of equal cover.
Ask what the private tariff costs after your studies and whether care insurance is included.
Only then apply for exemption, within three months after compulsory insurance starts.
Hand in the certificate for the university in time.

Checklist

Family insurance ruled out
Beihilfe entitlement and its end known
Excess included in the yearly cost
Compulsory care insurance in the tariff or taken out separately
Premium after studies asked
Plan for the time after graduation, also without a job straight away

Common mistakes

Comparing only the monthly premium and overlooking the excess
Applying for exemption without knowing it binds you until graduation
As a civil servant's child, not planning that Beihilfe ends with child benefit
Missing the three month deadline and staying publicly insured by accident

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

Can I go back to public health insurance as a student?

Usually not during your studies, the exemption cannot be revoked.

One exception is a gap of at least one month with de-registration between bachelor and master.

How long do I have for the exemption?

Three months from the start of compulsory insurance, usually from enrolment.

After that, exemption is no longer possible.

Is private insurance worth it for children of civil servants?

Usually yes, as long as Beihilfe is paid.

Plan for it ending with child benefit, when the premium rises.

Do I get a BAföG supplement for private insurance?

Yes, under § 13a BAföG your need increases by up to EUR 102 for health and EUR 35 for care

insurance if the private cover meets the requirements.

What happens to my private insurance when I start a job after studying?

If your salary is below the compulsory insurance threshold, EUR 77,400 a year in 2026,

you become compulsorily insured in public insurance again.

Why is public insurance cheaper for students?

It is based on the BAföG need,

and under § 245 SGB V the rate is only seven tenths of the general rate.

The insurer's additional contribution and care insurance come on top.

Sources

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