# Insurance for public and private universities and colleges in Germany

> Lecture halls, labs, data centres and thousands of people a day: universities carry the risks of a large company. Public universities and colleges in Germany are usually public law bodies and state institutions at the same time, so many risks are carried by the federal state or handled through framework contracts. Private universities insure themselves like any business. This page sets out honestly what applies where.

Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-university-and-college.php  
Updated: 2026-10-14

## Does a public university need a broker at all?

Often only for parts of its cover. Many public bodies carry property risks themselves or use framework contracts of their federal state, and tenders follow procurement law. Where the university buys cover itself, such as cyber, exhibitions, field trips or spin offs, a broker can compare quotes. Private universities need the full cover of a business.

## At a glance

- **Legal form:** Under the Higher Education Framework Act, universities are as a rule public law corporations and state institutions
- **Students:** Covered by statutory accident insurance during their studies, section 2 (1) no. 8 c SGB VII
- **Responsible body:** For students at private universities, the accident insurer of the federal state, section 128 SGB VII
- **Compulsory:** No general statutory insurance duty for the university itself
- **Often forgotten:** Cyber risks and personal liability of the management, especially at private institutions

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **Cyber attack:** Encrypted servers, stolen exam and research data, a semester in emergency mode.
- **Lab fire:** Chemicals, gases and high voltage: a fire destroys equipment and samples that cannot be replaced.
- **Visitors on campus:** Guests and contractors fall or get hurt; they are not covered by the students' statutory insurance.
- **Management errors:** At private institutions, managing directors and presidents can be personally liable, for example over grants.
- **Field trips abroad:** Research trips and excursions bring health and liability risks away from campus.

**Risk radar** (Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.): Liability 4, Fire and water 4, Theft 3, Cyber 5, Downtime 3, Health 3

## The insurance you need

- **Business liability** (Essential): For private universities the basic cover for injury and damage to third parties on campus and at events. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Cyber insurance** (Strongly advised): Pays forensics, restoration and downtime after an attack, unless the public body carries the risk itself. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-cyber-insurance.php
- **D&O insurance** (Strongly advised): Protects management and boards of private institutions against personal claims. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-directors-and-officers.php
- **Commercial buildings** (Strongly advised): For buildings of private universities against fire, water, storm and hail. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-commercial-buildings.php
- **Electronic equipment** (Strongly advised): For lab equipment, data centres and lecture hall technology. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-electronic-equipment.php
- **Travel insurance** (Depends on the business): Travel cover for field trips and business travel abroad. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-travel-insurance.php

## What it costs: example prices

There are no list prices. Premiums depend on student numbers, floor space, labs, equipment values and IT. The figures below refer to private universities.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Business liability | Private university with 1,500 students, no labs, €10 million limit | about €2,000 to €6,000 a year |
| Cyber insurance | Private university with 1,500 students, €1 million limit | about €4,000 to €12,000 a year |
| D&O insurance | Management of a non profit university company, €2 million | about €1,500 to €4,000 a year |
| Electronic equipment | Lab and IT equipment worth €1 million | about €3,000 to €8,000 a year |

For comparison: Cyber cover for a small private university costs about as much a year as the fees of one or two students.

_Guide figures from our own quoting work, excluding German insurance premium tax, October 2026. For public universities everything depends on state rules and tenders._

- [Higher Education Framework Act, section 58](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/hrg/__58.html)
- [SGB VII, section 2](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/sgb_7/__2.html)
- [SGB VII, section 128](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/sgb_7/__128.html)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Institute** (Public university buying single risks itself): Cyber insurance, Electronic equipment, Travel insurance. Together: individual, by tender
- **Private university** (Private university without labs): Business liability, Commercial buildings, Cyber insurance, D&O insurance. Together: about €10,000 to €30,000 a year
- **With labs** (Private university with labs and research): Business liability, Commercial buildings, Electronic equipment, Cyber insurance, D&O insurance. Together: individual, usually from about €30,000 a year

## The worst day at a university

Five things universities really go through, all in exam week. Click through and see who pays.

- 06:40: Ransomware encrypts the servers; exam registration and email go down. (€250,000, Paid by: Cyber insurance)
- 10:00: A visitor at the open day falls on a wet staircase. (€15,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 13:30: A power surge destroys an analyser in the lab. (€80,000, Paid by: Electronic equipment)
- 17:00: A funder reclaims a grant and holds the management responsible. (€120,000, Paid by: D&O insurance)
- 23:15: A fire in the plant room damages the building. (€400,000, Paid by: Commercial buildings)

**Damage so far:** €865,000

## Practical tips from your broker

- First find out which risks your owner or federal state already carries or covers by framework contract.
- Record equipment values and labs in full; underinsurance is common with large devices.
- Check that cyber cover includes research data and loss of teaching.
- Align field trips abroad with the cover for students and staff.
- At private institutions, extend D&O to every governing body.

## Why NAMMERT for your business

- **Honest about a broker's role:** For public universities we say openly where a broker adds nothing, and help where you buy cover yourself.
- **Broker, not insurer:** Norman Nammert acts as an insurance broker and compares quotes from several insurers. The insurer pays our commission.
- **In English, under German law:** We explain German policies in plain English for international institutions.

## FAQ

### Are students covered by accident insurance in Germany?

Yes, during their studies at universities under section 2 (1) no. 8 c SGB VII. For private universities the federal state accident insurer is responsible under section 128 SGB VII.

### Must a university have liability insurance?

There is no general statutory duty. Private universities should still have it; public ones settle this with their federal state.

### Why does cyber matter so much?

Universities run open networks with many users and valuable data. An attack can stop teaching and exams for weeks.

### What does cover for a private university cost?

Without labs, usually about €10,000 to €30,000 a year for the main lines. These are guide figures from our quoting work.

### Can you take part in tenders?

Insurance tenders by universities follow procurement law. We tell you openly whether taking part makes sense.

## Request quotes

We obtain quotes and come back with a comparison, free of charge. You can write in English. https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-university-and-college.php#anfrage

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Your broker: Norman Nammert, trading as NAMMERT. Insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act. Broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37. NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH is a separate company. It does not arrange your contract.

NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, Karl-Marx-Straße 4, 15711 Königs Wusterhausen, +49 3375 29 12 77, info@nammert.com. Wikidata: Q141141479.