Insurance
Krankenversicherung
Krankenversicherung is health insurance, mandatory for everyone living in Germany and a prerequisite for enrollment and residence permits. Students under 30 pay a discounted statutory rate of roughly €130 to €150 per month; working student jobs do not add health contributions thanks to the Werkstudentenprivileg.
Germany requires health insurance without exception. The system splits into statutory insurance (gesetzliche Krankenversicherung, GKV), covering about 90% of residents through public Krankenkassen, and private insurance (private Krankenversicherung, PKV) with individually priced contracts. Universities verify coverage at enrollment, and foreigners' offices verify it for every residence permit.
Students under 30 get the favorable studentische Krankenversicherung in the GKV at a legally standardized rate, roughly €130 to €150 per month including nursing-care insurance depending on the Krankenkasse's supplementary rate. Over 30 or after the 14th subject semester, the student rate ends and costs rise.
What it means for working students
Choose GKV versus PKV carefully at the start: switching from private back to statutory insurance as a student is severely restricted once you have opted out. Exchange students with EHIC coverage or short-stay private plans face exactly this trap when they later start degree programs or working student jobs. With a Werkstudent contract your health insurance stays student-rated and self-paid, not payroll-deducted, so budget it as a fixed cost; the tax calculator on this site includes it as an option when estimating net income.