Guide step

Phase 7: University Enrolment and Acceptance

Health Insurance

German student health cover — you cannot enrol without it.

Health insurance: the thing that blocks enrolment

German student health cover is not optional and not an afterthought. Without proof of it you cannot enrol, however good your admission letter is.

Why this sits before enrolment

Without proof of valid health insurance cover you cannot enrol at a German university. Health insurance is compulsory in Germany, and the university checks it as a condition of matriculation — so this has to be arranged in the gap between accepting your offer and enrolling, not after.

Statutory or private — and why the choice is permanent

There are two systems: statutory (gesetzliche Krankenversicherung, GKV — providers like TK, AOK, Barmer, DAK) and private (private Krankenversicherung, PKV). As a student under 30 you are normally subject to compulsory statutory insurance at the reduced student rate. You can apply to be exempted and go private instead.

Exemption is a once-and-for-all decision

If you opt out of compulsory statutory insurance, you cannot reverse it. Someone who chooses private health insurance may not normally return to the statutory system for the rest of their studies — not next semester, not if the private premium rises, not if their health changes.

The exemption also has a deadline: it must be applied for within three months of compulsory insurance starting. Cheap private student policies advertised to international applicants are exactly how people get locked out of the statutory system without realising what they gave up. Unless you have a specific reason, take statutory cover.

What it costs

Student contributions are calculated from the BAföG maintenance rate, not from your income, so they are the same whether or not you work. The figures below are TK's published rates valid from 1 January 2026; the health component includes each provider's supplementary contribution, so another insurer's total will differ by a few euros.

Compulsorily insured student	Health	Long-term care	Total / month
Up to 23, no children	€110.38	€30.78	€141.16
23 or over, no children	€110.38	€35.91	€146.29
With one or more children	€110.38	€30.78	€141.16

The higher long-term care rate for the childless over-23s is a surcharge, not a mistake. Contributions can be paid monthly by direct debit or a full semester in advance. Budget roughly €1,700–1,800 a year.

The age-30 cliff

The reduced student rate runs to your 30th birthday; it can only be extended beyond that in limited circumstances. After 30 you pay a standard voluntary contribution, which is substantially more. If you will turn 30 during your Master's, work out what the second half costs before you build your budget — this is the single largest avoidable surprise in student living costs, and it applies to a lot of Pakistani applicants doing a Master's after working for a few years.

How the university actually gets the proof

You do not hand in a certificate. Since the process was digitised, your insurer notifies the university electronically:

You apply to a statutory insurer for student cover, quoting the university you are enrolling at.
The insurer sends notification of your cover directly to the university.
The university's enrolment system picks it up. If it has not arrived, your enrolment stalls — so start early enough to chase it.

Start before you fly. Contact an insurer before travelling to Germany and they will set the cover up for your enrolment. Note that paying monthly by direct debit needs a European IBAN, which you will not have until you open a German account — so expect a short gap, and ask the insurer how they want the first payment handled.

Travel insurance is not enough

The travel or incoming policy you may take out for the journey and the first days is not German student health insurance, and universities will not accept it for enrolment. The two do different jobs:

Travel/incoming cover — bridges the days between landing and your student cover starting, and is often what the visa file needs for that window. Check what the German mission asks for; the visa steps in this guide cover their requirements.
Statutory student cover — starts with your studies, satisfies compulsory insurance, and is what the university's enrolment check is looking for.

✅ Quick action plan

As soon as you have the admission letter, apply to a statutory insurer — TK, AOK, Barmer, DAK — for student cover.
Give them your university and course so they can send the electronic notification to the right place.
Do not take an exemption to go private unless you have a specific reason: it cannot be reversed.
Budget about €141–146 a month, and check what changes if you turn 30 mid-degree.
Confirm with the university that the notification has arrived before the enrolment deadline.
Keep separate travel cover for the gap between landing and your student cover starting.

Next step: University Enrolment →

Step-by-Step Relocation Guide