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Private Health Insurance for Students
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Private student health insurance: ottonova’s three Study tariffs
Advertising notice: provider links in this overview are affiliate links — we receive a commission from the provider for sign-ups made through them.
All three tariffs take people in education, such as a degree course, from age 16 until their 39th birthday. If you are enrolled for a degree and under 30, you first need an exemption from statutory student insurance: the application must reach a public fund within three months, and the exemption cannot be revoked.
- Students enrolled at a state or state-recognized university in Germany are compulsorily insured in the public system until they turn 30 (§ 5 (1) no. 9 SGB V). In the 2026/27 winter semester, the student rate is €87.38 a month plus the fund’s additional contribution and long-term care insurance – about €143 in total at the official average rate.
- A private student tariff can replace this only after an exemption. You must apply within three months, and the exemption cannot be revoked for the course of studies it was granted for (§ 8 (2) SGB V).
- For students under 39 who decide on private cover, ottonova’s Study tariffs are our editorial recommendation: ottonova lists them at about €116 to €133 a month (October 2026), handles everything in English and, if you are not then compulsorily insured in the public system, lets you move into a regular tariff after graduation without new health questions.
- Participants in language courses and the Studienkolleg, and doctoral candidates who already hold a degree, are not part of the student scheme, even if the university enrolls them. They need private, expat or incoming cover.
- An expat or incoming policy taken out for the visa does not automatically count for the exemption: the public fund checks whether it gives full cover.
Before choosing private student health insurance, check these points carefully:
- Your exact student status: Are you a regular degree student, language student, Studienkolleg participant, exchange student, PhD candidate, visiting researcher, freelancer, or student over 30?
- Your university requirement: Ask whether your university needs digital confirmation from a statutory health insurance fund, even if you choose private insurance.
- Your visa or residence permit requirement: Confirm that the plan is accepted for your specific visa type and local immigration office.
- Your opt-out deadline: If you are eligible for statutory student insurance but want private insurance, apply for exemption within three months of the start of your student insurance – the start of the semester, or the day you enroll if that is later.
- Your long-term plan: Consider whether you want to stay in Germany after graduation, start employment, become self-employed, or leave after a temporary stay.
- Your medical history: Private insurers can ask health questions and may apply exclusions, risk surcharges, or reject applications for certain pre-existing conditions.
- Your everyday service needs: Check whether the provider offers English support, an English-language app, digital claims submission, and clear reimbursement timelines.
Health insurance options for international students
In Germany, health insurance is compulsory, and it is also required by law for foreign students. If you are coming from abroad to study, you must provide proof of health insurance before entering Germany and to obtain a student visa.
Supplemental German travel health insurance is not an alternative to health insurance for students. If you have applied for a student visa, it will not be accepted by the German embassies when issuing visas.
Foreign students can decide between insurance with a statutory health insurance fund or private insurance for German health insurance. However, statutory health insurance is not possible for all students. Which route is open to you depends on three things: whether you are enrolled for a degree, how old you are, and whether you are still covered from your home country.
The legal starting point is § 5 (1) no. 9 of the Social Code Book V (SGB V). Anyone enrolled at a state or state-recognized university in Germany is compulsorily insured in the public system as a student, wherever they lived before, up to the age of 30. The membership ends at the end of the semester in which you turn 30 (§ 190 (9) SGB V); only reasons such as a second-chance education can extend it. Students who can be treated in Germany at the expense of their home system under EU rules or a social security agreement are not covered by this obligation.
Use this quick decision path before choosing a plan:
- Are you under 25 and covered by a parent in German statutory health insurance? Free family insurance may be the cheapest option if income limits are met.
- Are you under 30 and starting a regular degree program? Statutory student health insurance is the default route unless you actively choose private insurance.
- Do you want private insurance instead of statutory student insurance? You need an exemption from compulsory student insurance, applied for within three months – and it cannot be revoked later.
- Are you over 30? The public student rate no longer applies. If you were insured in the public system before, you can usually stay as a voluntary member; otherwise private student or expat cover is the realistic choice.
- Are you in a language course, Studienkolleg, preparatory course, or temporary academic stay? Statutory student insurance does not apply, so incoming or expat insurance is usually required.
- Are you a PhD student or researcher without a German employment contract? You may need private, doctoral, or expat insurance instead of regular student GKV.
- Do you plan to work in Germany after graduation? Your next insurance status may depend on employment type and salary, not only on your student policy.
Statutory health insurance for students
The GKV-Spitzenverband, the umbrella body of the public funds, lists 91 statutory health insurance funds (as of 4 October 2026). They all charge students the same base rate and differ in their additional contribution, from 2.18% to 4.39%. Some are open only in certain federal states or only to employees of one company.
Your contribution is not based on what you earn. The law takes a fixed amount instead: the monthly BAföG need for students who do not live with their parents, currently €855 (€475 basic need plus €380 for housing, § 13 BAföG, § 236 SGB V). Students pay seven tenths of the general rate of 14.6% on it, which makes 10.22% or €87.38 a month (§ 245 SGB V). On the same €855 come your fund’s additional contribution and the long-term care insurance, and you pay all of it yourself (§ 250 (1) no. 3 SGB V).
| Component | Rate on €855 | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Health insurance, student rate | 10.22% | €87.38 |
| Additional contribution of your fund | 2.18% to 4.39%, official average 2.9% | €18.64 to €37.53, at the average €24.80 |
| Long-term care insurance | 3.6%, or 4.2% if you are childless and 23 or older | €30.78 or €35.91 |
| Total at the official average additional contribution | – | €142.96, or €148.09 if childless and 23 or older |
| Source: § 236, § 245 and § 250 SGB V, § 13 BAföG, § 55 SGB XI; average additional contribution for 2026 published by the Federal Ministry of Health; range of the funds from the GKV-Spitzenverband list of 4 October 2026. As of: 2026/27 winter semester. | ||
Before you insure yourself, check whether you are still covered through a parent: up to the age of 25, students may be family-insured free of charge in a parent’s public fund as long as their own income stays below €565 a month, or €603 with a mini-job. Details are on our page on public student health insurance.
If you already live in Germany and have public health insurance, you can decide at the start of your studies whether you want to switch to private health insurance. If you prefer private insurance, you must be exempted from compulsory statutory health insurance if you are younger than 30. The application goes to the public fund that would otherwise insure you, which decides on it and sends you a written or electronic notice. Your new insurance company usually helps with the exemption application.
If you come to Germany from abroad to study, you can decide whether to take out private or statutory health insurance under certain conditions. You can apply for health insurance in Germany with a statutory health insurance fund or a private health insurance provider before you apply for a student visa. If you start a regular course of study straight away and want to take out private insurance, you must apply to any statutory health insurance fund for exemption from compulsory statutory insurance.
§ 8 (2) SGB V leaves no room for second thoughts: once granted, the exemption from statutory student insurance cannot be revoked. If your private premium rises, your health changes or you simply regret the choice, there is no way back into the student rate for that course of studies. A missed deadline works the other way round: after three months, the right to opt out is gone, and the next semester does not open a new window, as the GKV-Spitzenverband points out with reference to a Federal Social Court ruling of 1994.
The exemption only concerns your insurance as a student. After graduation, a job as an employee with a salary below the compulsory insurance threshold makes you compulsorily insured in the public system. And according to the GKV-Spitzenverband, a later degree course starts a new insurance obligation – with a new three-month window to opt out.
Before applying for exemption from statutory student health insurance, check:
- Deadline: Are you still within three months of the start of your student insurance? If you were family-insured when you enrolled, the three months only start when the family insurance ends.
- University enrollment: Has a statutory health insurance fund sent the required electronic status notification to your university?
- Visa or residence permit: Does the private plan provide documents accepted for your exact residence purpose?
- Proof of full cover: The exemption only takes effect once you prove other health cover. A policy designed for a temporary stay on a fixed-term residence permit is not enough in itself; the fund checks exclusions and limits case by case.
- Binding effect: Do you accept that the exemption cannot be revoked for this course of studies?
- Health questions: Can you answer the private insurer’s medical questions completely and truthfully?
- Future plans: Have you considered what happens after graduation, employment, self-employment, or leaving Germany?
The following groups are not insured as students, even if a university has enrolled them:
- Participants in study-preparatory language courses, the Studienkolleg or other preparatory courses – even if the university certifies a first semester (GKV-Spitzenverband guidance of 23 December 2025)
- Doctoral candidates who already hold a degree and are enrolled while writing their dissertation (Federal Social Court, ruling of 7 June 2018)
- Students over 30, from the end of the semester in which they turn 30
- Visiting academics and foreign researchers who are not enrolled as students; with a residence permit for research under § 18d of the Residence Act, they can join a public fund voluntarily within three months of arriving (§ 9 (1) no. 6 SGB V)
- Students whose main occupation is self-employment (§ 5 (5) SGB V)
Unless they are employed or were insured in the public system before, people in these groups usually cannot join it: voluntary membership requires earlier periods of public insurance (§ 9 (1) no. 1 SGB V), with exceptions such as the research permit.
Students with foreign health insurance
Students from the EU, the European Economic Area, and countries with which Germany has concluded a social security agreement may not have to take out new health insurance in Germany. In this case, you can have your home country’s health insurance recognized in Germany. You will need a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) to use healthcare services.
Recognition of your home country’s health insurance will mainly apply to public health insurance. However, in some cases, foreign private policies are also recognized.
Your home country’s health insurance is not sufficient for a paid internship or a part-time job. In this case, you will need German health insurance.
Students over 30
Statutory student insurance ends at the end of the semester in which you turn 30. If you were insured as a student until then, your public insurance continues automatically as a voluntary membership unless you leave within two weeks of your fund’s notice and prove other cover (§ 188 (4) SGB V). As a voluntary member you pay at least the minimum contribution: in 2026, €222.80 for health insurance on a notional income of €1,318.33, plus long-term care insurance – about €270 a month, or €278 if you are childless. That is almost twice the student rate.
If you are already over 30 when you start your studies in Germany and have never been insured in the German public system, you must usually take out a private policy. ottonova accepts students in its Study tariffs until their 39th birthday and states a price of around €171 to €197 a month for private cover from age 30.
These examples show how different students often end up with different insurance routes:
- Regular master’s student, age 24: Usually starts with statutory student insurance unless they actively opt out into private insurance.
- Language course student before university admission: Needs incoming or expat insurance first, because the language course does not count as studies for public student insurance.
- Student aged 31 arriving from abroad: Without earlier public insurance there is no voluntary membership, so the choice is between a private student tariff and expat cover.
- PhD student with a scholarship but no employment contract: Is usually not insured as a student, even when enrolled, and needs private, doctoral, or expat insurance.
- Student with chronic health conditions: Should be especially cautious with private insurance because medical underwriting can lead to exclusions, surcharges, or rejection.
Private health insurance for international students
Private student health insurance works like any other private health insurance: the insurance company offers one or more tariffs, each with a specific scope of benefits. The amount of the insurance premium depends on the customer’s risk profile. Age, personal health status, and other professional or private risk factors play a role here. Such risks are queried before the insurance contract is concluded as part of the health questions.
The health questions for private insurance must be answered completely and truthfully – otherwise, you risk losing your health insurance coverage in case of a claim.
Only benefits that have been explicitly agreed in the contract are covered. In the case of pre-existing conditions, the insurance provider may charge a risk premium, exclude certain illnesses from cover or refuse to insure them. If you have pre-existing conditions, it can be helpful to work with an independent insurance broker. The broker can first make anonymous inquiries with various insurance companies to determine your eligibility for private insurance and the conditions for the policy.
You will receive an invoice from your doctors and other healthcare providers, which you submit to your insurer. The invoice amount will be transferred to your account. Direct billing between the hospital and your health insurance is usually possible for inpatient treatment.
Private health insurance comes with a second obligation: whoever is privately insured has to take out private long-term care insurance as well, normally with the same company (§ 23 SGB XI). When you hold a private quote against the public student rate, which already contains long-term care, ask whether the quote includes it.
Selection criteria to choose private health insurance
Important selection criteria for private student health insurance are:
- Premium amount
- Deductibles
- Health insurance coverage (outpatient and inpatient care, dental treatment, and dental prophylaxis)
- Additional benefits – for example, treatment by an alternative practitioner, alternative therapies, benefits for remedies and aids such as physiotherapy or visual aids, reimbursement of psychotherapies
- Worldwide cover for study-related stays abroad and private trips abroad
- Contract terms and notice periods
- Age limits for student tariffs
- Whether you can move to a regular tariff after your studies without new health questions
- Quality and accessibility of customer service
- Digital services of the insurance company
Before buying a private student or expat health insurance plan, check whether the provider’s app and online account actually support how you want to use the insurance in Germany:
- English interface: Can you use the app, policy documents, and customer service in English?
- Digital claims: Can you upload doctor invoices directly through the app?
- Fast reimbursement: Does the provider explain how long reimbursements usually take?
- Medical documents: Can you store prescriptions, invoices, sick notes, or reports digitally?
- Doctor support: Does the plan include appointment help, telemedicine, or a concierge service?
- Visa documents: Can the provider issue insurance certificates accepted for visa or residence permit purposes?
- Cancellation rules: Is it clear what happens if you switch status, leave Germany, or move into statutory insurance?
Age limits for student tariffs
Generally, you can expect very affordable insurance premiums if you take out a private policy at a young age and without pre-existing conditions. Student tariffs are cheap for a structural reason as well: ottonova’s Study tariffs, for example, set aside no aging reserve, the savings component that a regular private tariff builds up to cushion premiums in old age.
Private health insurance companies offer special tariffs for students, although certain age limits apply. Some tariffs, like the student tariff of statutory health insurance, apply up to the age of 30, while other insurers offer training tariffs into the late 30s. Keep these age limits in mind when comparing PKV vs GKV options.
Within a student tariff, the premium also steps up with age. ottonova moves you into the next age group at 20, 25, 30 and 35 in the Study tariff (Study Protect and Study Free) and at 18, 23, 28, 30 and 34 in Study Smart.
| Feature / Factor | Private Health Insurance (PKV) | Public Insurance (GKV) |
|---|---|---|
| Age Limit | Student tariffs may be available into the late 30s, depending on provider; ottonova accepts students until their 39th birthday. | Student rate until the end of the semester in which you turn 30; afterwards voluntary membership at a much higher minimum contribution. |
| Coverage Level | Benefits as agreed in the tariff, often above the statutory catalog, for example for dental care, glasses or hospital rooms. | Standardized benefits defined by law with limited flexibility. |
| Doctor & Specialist Access | Depends on the tariff: ottonova’s Study tariffs start with a primary doctor or the concierge service, who refer you to specialists. | Standard access; referrals may be required in practice. |
| Eligibility (International Students) | ottonova’s student tariffs require enrollment; language students, PhDs, and researchers can turn to expat or incoming plans, depending on residence status. | Not available for certain groups, such as language courses, Studienkolleg, most PhDs, and researchers. |
| Expats / Short-Term Study | Expat plans available for temporary stays, typically up to 5 years. | Often not available or not applicable for short-term or non-degree stays. |
| Flexibility of Coverage | Adjustable tariffs, add-ons, and benefit levels. | Limited customization; benefits largely fixed. |
| Monthly Cost (Students) | ottonova Study tariffs about €116 to €133, rising with age group; ask whether long-term care insurance is included. | €142.96 at the average additional contribution, €148.09 if childless and 23 or older (2026/27 winter semester). |
| Source: § 5, § 190 and § 236 SGB V; ottonova student page and tariff conditions Study (08/2022) and Study Smart (08/2023); prices retrieved on 4 October 2026. | ||
Private Student Health Insurance Plan Comparison
Side by side, the realistic routes for students differ more in who may take them than in price. Exact benefits, exclusions, deductibles, visa acceptance, and prices can change by tariff, age, health status, and residence purpose, so always check the official policy documents before applying.
| Plan / Route | Monthly from | Best suited for | Key strengths | Main cautions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statutory student insurance | €136.80 to €155.69 depending on the fund (€5.13 more if childless, 23+) | Degree students under 30 | No health questions, fixed contribution, family insurance for dependents | Price depends on the fund’s additional contribution; ends with the semester in which you turn 30 |
| ottonova Study Smart | about €117 | Enrolled students up to their 39th birthday | No deductible, English digital service | Reimburses doctors only up to the maximum rates of the official fee scale; glasses €100 within 60 months |
| ottonova Study Protect | about €116 | Enrolled students who rarely see a doctor | Wider extras than Study Smart, such as €550 for glasses within 36 months | €500 deductible per calendar year on outpatient and dental treatment (vaccinations, check-ups and dental cleaning excepted) |
| ottonova Study Free | about €133 | Enrolled students who want no deductible | Extras of Study Protect without a deductible; alternative practitioners up to €2,000 within 36 months | Highest premium of the three |
| Expat or incoming plan, e.g. Feather Expat | about €72 | Language courses, Studienkolleg, students over 30, temporary stays | Designed to meet visa requirements, no lock-in contract | No pre-existing conditions or preventive care; time-limited; not automatically accepted for an exemption |
| Training tariffs of other private insurers | Individual quote | Students who prefer a traditional insurer | Can offer strong hospital, dental, and outpatient coverage depending on tariff | Age limits, deductibles and switching rules differ; ask about all three before signing |
| Voluntary public insurance after 30 | about €270 (€278 if childless) | Students over 30 who were insured as students before | No private health underwriting, predictable statutory system | Almost twice the student rate |
| Source: ottonova student page and tariff conditions, Feather expat page (retrieved on 4 October 2026); public rates according to § 236 and § 245 SGB V and § 55 SGB XI for the 2026/27 winter semester; minimum contribution after 30 according to the Federal Ministry of Health (2026). | ||||
The cheapest plan is not always the safest choice. Only an enrolled degree student under 30 has the full choice between public and private cover. A language student may need a temporary expat plan, while a regular degree student may need a student-specific private tariff or statutory student insurance. Students over 30 should compare voluntary public insurance with private options before assuming one system is automatically better.
Private expat health insurance
An alternative to private comprehensive health insurance for students can sometimes be health insurance for expats, which some insurance companies offer. This type of insurance is suitable for customers who need health insurance for a limited period – usually for a maximum of five years. More on the options for newcomers is on our page on health insurance for expats.
Such offers can, for example, be an adequate solution for students in language and preparatory courses who want to opt later for public health insurance or foreign researchers and postdocs who are not eligible for public health insurance.
For enrolled degree students, an expat plan is rarely the answer. According to the GKV-Spitzenverband, a private contract designed for a temporary stay on a fixed-term residence permit is not in itself enough for the exemption from student insurance. Not every expat tariff accepts students either: ottonova’s expat tariff, for instance, is only open to people working in Germany as employees, managing directors or self-employed.
Private expat insurance can be useful, but it is not always the same as regular student health insurance. Before choosing it, check:
- Maximum duration: How many years can the policy run?
- Residence purpose: Is it accepted for your visa, residence permit, or university status?
- Coverage limits: Are dental care, psychotherapy, vaccinations, preventive care, and pre-existing conditions excluded or limited?
- Switching plan: Can you move into statutory insurance once your regular degree program begins?
- End date: What happens when the policy expires after several years?
Best Private Health Insurance for Students in Germany (2026 Guide)
By comparing different student health insurance offers, you can find a private policy that best meets your requirements. To make an intelligent choice, it can be helpful to seek expert advice before deciding on a particular health insurance provider and tariff.
In addition to traditional insurance companies, several digital providers have established themselves in Germany. For students, two of them matter: ottonova, a private health insurer with its own student tariffs, and Feather, an insurance agent that helps with public sign-up and arranges expat cover. Both offer their websites and customer service in English, and you can handle most insurance matters online or in their mobile apps.
ottonova: private student health insurance in English
ottonova Krankenversicherung AG is a private health insurer, licensed by Germany’s financial supervisor BaFin since 2017. In addition to private comprehensive health insurance, it also offers private supplementary dental insurance and supplementary hospital insurance for private consumers. According to ottonova, all of its rated plans received the top mark in the M&M rating in each of the past five years.
The insurer bundles its services in a mobile app, which also stores medical documents such as X-rays and medical reports. Medical appointments including video chats with doctors and other medical services are ordered via a concierge service. Insurance bookings, sick notes and the billing of insurance benefits are also carried out directly in the app.
For students under 39 who decide on private cover, ottonova’s Study tariffs are our editorial recommendation: they accept students until their 39th birthday, everything from the application to claims works in English, and the policy can be continued in a regular ottonova tariff after graduation without new health questions.
ottonova Private Student Health Insurance
ottonova’s student health insurance is available in three tariffs:
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In all three tariffs, your first point of contact is a primary doctor: a GP, a gynecologist, an ophthalmologist, a pediatrician, a psychotherapist or psychiatrist, or a doctor reached through a telephone or digital service arranged by ottonova. Other specialists need a referral from that doctor or a confirmation from ottonova’s concierge service. In hospital, the tariffs pay for a double room and treatment by the chief physician, and repatriation from abroad is included; ottonova also advertises preventive check-ups without age limits.
The Study tariff, with its two levels Study Protect and Study Free, reimburses doctors above the official fee scale’s maximum rates where you have a valid fee agreement, up to 5.0 times the base rate. Study Smart pays only up to those maximum rates and has smaller allowances, for example €100 for glasses within 60 months instead of €550 within 36 months.
You can join ottonova’s student tariffs until age 38 and remain insured under the student rate until your 39th birthday. The student rate is not unlimited: it depends on active student status and must be supported by enrollment verification. After graduation, loss of student status, or reaching the age limit, the Study tariff ends, and your new status decides how you are insured.
Feather: expat health insurance for students outside the student scheme
Feather is a digital insurance agent, not an insurer: the brand belongs to Popsure Deutschland GmbH in Berlin, registered as an insurance agent under § 34d (1) of the German Trade Regulation Act. For students under 30 at an accredited university, Feather itself recommends public student insurance, which it helps you sign up for. Its expat policy is meant for those who cannot join the student scheme, such as students over 30, students at non-accredited institutions, and language learners.
Feather’s expat health insurance starts at about €72 a month (October 2026) and covers you for up to five years; after that, Feather offers a move into its long-term tariff. It covers accidents, emergencies and new illnesses, in and out of hospital, but not pre-existing conditions or preventive care. Cover applies across the EU and the Schengen area, and in your home country for six weeks a year once the policy has run for twelve months.
After graduation: staying private or returning to the public system
When your studies end, your student tariff ends too. Whether you can stay private then depends on your new status, not on the old policy:
- Employee earning more than the compulsory insurance threshold (€77,400 a year): you are free to stay private (§ 6 (1) no. 1 SGB V), and your employer contributes to the premium (§ 257 SGB V).
- Employee earning less: you are compulsorily insured in the public system as an employee (§ 5 (1) no. 1 SGB V).
- Self-employed or freelancer: there is no compulsory public insurance for you (§ 5 (5) SGB V), so you can stay private.
If you stay private, ottonova lets you continue your Study cover in any of its regular tariffs that are open to new customers, without new health questions or waiting periods. Two conditions apply: you apply within three months after your student eligibility ends, and you are not compulsorily insured in the public system at that point (tariff conditions Study and Study Smart, section E). Existing exclusions carry over. These are ottonova’s regular tariffs:
Advertising notice: provider links in this overview are affiliate links — we receive a commission from the provider for sign-ups made through them.
Who may choose private insurance as an employee, and how the threshold is set, is explained on our page on eligibility for private health insurance. Moving back from private to public insurance later is restricted and, from the age of 55, largely closed; the rules are on our page on switching back to statutory health insurance.
Conclusion
Health insurance is compulsory for every student in Germany, but only enrolled degree students under 30 have a real choice: they are in the public student scheme unless they opt out within three months, and that decision holds for the whole course of studies.
For students under 39 who choose private cover, ottonova’s Study tariffs are the offer we recommend, at about €116 to €133 a month against roughly €143 for the public student rate. Participants in language courses and the Studienkolleg, doctoral candidates with a degree and newcomers over 30 have no public student option and need private, expat or incoming cover. An expat policy may be accepted for the visa, but it is not automatically enough for an exemption from student insurance.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. The exemption from statutory student insurance cannot be revoked (§ 8 (2) SGB V), and it applies to the course of studies you requested it for. The public system only becomes an option again if your status changes: for example, when you start working as an employee with a salary below the compulsory insurance threshold, or when a later degree course begins a new insurance obligation. According to the GKV-Spitzenverband, such a new course also opens a new three-month window to opt out.
The student rate for health insurance is €87.38 a month: 10.22% of a fixed €855, the BAföG need for students who do not live with their parents. Your fund adds its additional contribution on the same amount, between €18.64 and €37.53 a month depending on the fund, or €24.80 at the official 2026 average of 2.9%. Long-term care insurance costs €30.78, or €35.91 if you are childless and 23 or older. At the average rate that makes €142.96 or €148.09 a month, which you pay yourself.
Mainly because they set aside no aging reserve. In a regular private tariff, part of every premium is saved to cushion higher costs in old age; ottonova’s Study tariffs, for example, expressly build none. The low price therefore only lasts while you are in education, at ottonova until your 39th birthday at the latest, and you have to prove that you are enrolled.
Yes, if your new status allows it. Self-employed people and freelancers can stay private. Employees can only stay private if their salary exceeds the compulsory insurance threshold (€77,400 a year in 2026); below it, they are compulsorily insured in the public system. ottonova lets you continue a Study policy in one of its regular tariffs without new health questions, provided you apply within three months after your student eligibility ends and are not compulsorily insured in the public system at that point.
If you have to join the public system, ask your private insurer about an option policy (Anwartschaftsversicherung), which can keep the door open for a later return to private insurance without new health questions.
Yes. Participants in study-preparatory language courses, the Studienkolleg or other preparatory courses are not insured as students in the public system, even if the university issues a semester certificate (GKV-Spitzenverband, guidance of 23 December 2025). Unless you are covered through a job or your home country, you need a private, expat or incoming policy that the immigration office accepts for your visa. ottonova’s Study tariffs require enrollment at a German university; Feather’s expat policy, for example, accepts language learners.
Several private health insurers have student or training tariffs, with different age limits and conditions. ottonova sells its Study tariffs entirely in English and accepts students until their 39th birthday, which is why we recommend it to students who decide on private cover. Whichever tariff you consider, ask three things before you sign: up to what age the student price applies, whether you can move to a regular tariff without new health questions, and whether the quote includes the private long-term care insurance you need alongside it.
Sources and legal basis (as of 4 October 2026)
Statutes (Federal Ministry of Justice, gesetze-im-internet.de): Social Code Book V (SGB V) § 5, § 6, § 8, § 9, § 186, § 188, § 190, § 236, § 240, § 242, § 245, § 250, § 257 (compulsory and voluntary insurance, exemption, membership, contributions of students, employer subsidy); Social Code Book XI (SGB XI) § 23 (long-term care insurance for the privately insured) and § 55 (contribution rate, with the 2025 contribution rate ordinance); Federal Training Assistance Act § 13 BAföG (need rates). Retrieved on 7 September 2026; § 186 SGB V, § 23 SGB XI and § 13 BAföG retrieved on 4 October 2026.
Public bodies: GKV-Spitzenverband, Grundsätzliche Hinweise zur Kranken- und Pflegeversicherung der Studenten, 23 December 2025 (published by the vdek; language courses, Studienkolleg, doctoral candidates, exemption deadline and effect, with the Federal Social Court rulings of 23 June 1994 and 7 June 2018 cited there); GKV-Spitzenverband, list of statutory health insurance funds and their additional contribution rates (as of 4 October 2026); Federal Ministry of Health, contribution rates in statutory health insurance 2026 (average additional contribution rate, minimum contribution of voluntary members; retrieved on 4 October 2026); BaFin company database, ottonova Krankenversicherung AG (license as a health insurer since 20 June 2017; retrieved on 7 September 2026).
Providers (retrieved on 4 October 2026): ottonova, private health insurance for students (prices of Study Smart, Study Protect and Study Free, enrollment requirement, price from age 30); ottonova tariff conditions Study, edition 08/2022, Study Smart, edition 08/2023 and First Class Expats (retrieved on 7 September 2026, unchanged on 4 October 2026); Feather, student health insurance, Feather, expat health insurance and Feather legal notice (Popsure Deutschland GmbH, insurance agent under § 34d (1) GewO, register no. D-E6HJ-UVL9S-62).