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Contents:
0. Introduction
1. Possibilities for Studying in Germany
2. Types of Universities in Germany
3. Tuition Fees at German Universities
4. Foreign Students at German Universities
5. Visa
6. Counseling
7. Enrollment
8. Health Insurance
9. Studying
10. Exams and Degrees
11. Culture, Leisure in Germany
Admission is one thing, but everyday life in Germany is quite another.
You will have to face lots of new things if you study in Germany. Certainly you have been to Germany before or you have friends who have. Certainly there have been many difficulties that had to be overcome at first. That gives you a lot of trouble, too. The earlier you prepare for everything though, the more relaxed you can attend to your study or your research.
Many matters can already be settled from at home. The most important issues regarding the life in Germany, like house-hunting, insurance, opening a bank account should be well planned before your entry into Germany
It is advisable to contact the insurance company before your arrival in Germany, so that all questions can be resolved in time and insurance coverage is provided from the first day onwards.
8.1.1. Formal Rules
At the latest from the time of the expiration of your three-month entry visa (issued by the responsible German consulate) you will have to submit proof of health insurance for the issuance of a corresponding residence permit or its extension. In Germany, health insurance is compulsory for researchers, students and accompanying family members.
8.1.2. Contracting Health Insurance in Home Country
In a first step, you should check whether your insurance at home also covers physician and hospital expenses incurring during your stay in Germany.
Medical treatment in case of acute diseases and accidents in Germany has to be covered. Regarding pre-existing conditions you should already stock up on all necessary medication in your home country, since pre-existing conditions are usually not covered by health insurance in Germany and the patient has to bear the costs himself/herself.
The insurance company then has to confirm in writing that its insurance also covers Germany. This is usually only the case with all health insurance companies, if there is a social insurance agreement between Germany and your home country (information is provided by the authorities and the health insurance companies in your home country).
If there is no social insurance agreement or if insurance coverage is not sufficient, you have to contract additional insurance.
8.2. Selection of a Health Insurance in Germany
8.2.1. Health Insurance Funds in Germany. Statutory Health Insurance Funds
Nearly 97 % of all benefits of the statutory health insurance ("gesetzliche Krankenversicherung") funds are prescribed by the legislature. For the insured, this means that the insurer always covers those medical treatments which are necessary and economically advantageous, irrespective of the amount of the insurance contribution.
Compulsory members: The legal period of notice is the current month plus 2 months. Period of commitment: 18 months
Voluntary members: The legal period of notice is the current month plus 2 months. Period of commitment: 18 months in case of a switch to a new statutory insurance fund, no period of commitment in case of a switch to a private insurance fund
The private health insurance ("private Krankenversicherung") can be an alternative to the statutory health insurance. Furthermore, it is possible to contract private complementary insurance ("private Krankenversicherung") in addition to statutory insurance. .
8.2.2. Insurance Contributions
The contributions to the statutory health insurance amount to ca. 50 Euros per month for students (281 Euros per semester) including compulsory long term care insurance ("Pflegeversicherung"). With submission of proof of university admission you get insured at this student rate up to the age of 30.
In other words that means that the statutory health insurance funds are obliged to admit you at this student rate up to this age. The health insurance funds cover, except for a small co-payment which you have to contribute, physician and hospital expenses as well as prescribed medication. If you are older than 30 years at entry, you should definitely contract private health insurance, because physician and hospital expenses are very high in Germany. For instance one day at the hospital costs ca. 205 Euros.
You can contract private health insurance for students here:
Private health insurance for foreign students
8.2.3. Selection of Health Insurance Depending on Purpose of Stay
All students have to submit proof of a health insurance for enrollment! But the selection of a health insurance also depends on the purpose of the stay in Germany.
For instance if you receive a scholarship, you can only get privately insured in the majority of cases - either through an insurance in Germany or through an insurance, which you bring from your home country. You should ask your respective sponsor for recommendations.
8.2.4. Insurance Coverage for Interns
Before the internship begins, proof of insurance has to be provided to the employer. Due to the high expenses which might result from diseases and be incurred by interns in Germany, this insurance coverage is indispensable. If this coverage can't be guaranteed from your home country, which is mostly the case, the intern definitely has to get insured by a German statutory insurance fund.
In case the risk of an occupational accident is not covered by the insurance of the intern, an accident insurance should be contracted at the responsible employers' liability insurance association ("Berufsgenossenschaft") after prior consultation with the employer.
8.2.5. Insurance Coverage for Stay under Work Contract
If you want to teach at a German university as an exchange lecturer and want to take advanced courses along the way, that counts as a stay under a work contract. If you are employed on the basis of a work contract, whether you can get health insured privately or statutorily depends on your income.
In Germany, there is a legal obligation to insure for all employees. Up to a gross annual income of 47,250 Euros you have to insure yourself in a statutory substitute or company health insurance fund ("Ersatz- or Betriebskrankenkasse"). The contributions to these statutory health insurance funds are set at a certain percentage of the gross income (between 12% and 15%). The choice of a statutory health insurance fund is up to you and it is worthwhile to draw comparisons.
If you earn a gross annual income of more than 47,250 Euros, you have the free choice among statutory or private health insurance funds (voluntary health insurance). Since you have to fulfill the prerequisite of the so-called standard qualifying period ("Vorversicherungszeit", i.e. having been statutorily insured at least continuously over the course of the last year or at least 24 months over the course of the last 5 years) in order to insure yourself as a voluntary member in a statutory health insurance, this results in foreigners, who earn more than 47,250 Euros as employees or who are self-employed, usually only being able to insure themselves privately.
You can request a comparison with a private health insurance for employees with an income of more than 47,250 Euros or for self-employed here:
Private Health Insurance
The selected health insurance fund has to be disclosed to the employer. It is the employer's duty to register new employees with the statutory health insurance fund (this duty does not apply to private health insurance). The health insurance fund forwards this registration to the other carriers of the social insurance. The contributions to the statutory health insurance are directly subtracted from the gross income of the employee (with private health insurance, the insured pays the contributions himself/herself and receives a corresponding employer's contribution at the end of the month). Usually, the employer bears half of the expenses and the employee bears the other half. Self-employed pay their contributions on their own.
8.3. Benefits of Health Insurance in Germany
8.3.1. Scope of a Contracted Insurance
The scope of a contracted insurance should be clarified with the corresponding insurance company at all events.
With many insurance companies, you get one insurance card for Germany and one for abroad. In the majority of cases, insurance coverage also includes a stay in more than one host country, if the relocation is due to language acquisition or studying/training. Short-term holidays in the home country and in third countries up to six weeks per year are possible.
8.3.2. Contractual Obligation
The contracts begins and ends at the said dates in the insurance policy; it has to be contracted within 31 days after entry into Germany or before the onset of the trip abroad and it ends at the latest after the respective completion. In other words, if you are no longer enrolled at a German university or if the stay for the purpose of studying or researching has been completed, you are no longer entitled to health insurance at student rates.
8.3.3. Cancellation
If the insured person leaves Germany or returns from a trip abroad ahead of time, a premature cancellation of the insurance and a reimbursement for excess payments are possible. In the majority of cases, only full amounts can be reimbursed.
8.3.4. Payment Options
Authorizing direct debit is the simplest and safest mode of payment. Unfortunately, this is only possible from German checking accounts. When authorizing direct debit, make sure your account never bounces.
But it is also possible to transfer the contribution monthly to the respective health insurance.
8.3.5. Last But Not Least
As a student you should get informed extensively about insurance funds before contracting German health insurance.
Although the benefits as well as the contributions to the individual health insurance funds hardly differ among each other, details sometimes matter.
In addition to that, it might be worthwhile to ask fellow students about the respective service of the individual health insurance companies. After all, you have to get in touch with your health insurance company, e.g. if you switch to another field of study or if you travel abroad etc. And then, good service matters.
One more advice: A private liability insurance ("Haftpflichtversicherung") is strongly recommended, in case you have none. It covers damages you inflicted upon third persons or things or averts unsubstantiated claims.
8.4. Private Health Insurance for Students
8.4.1. Exemption from Statutory Health Insurance
Whoever becomes liable to insurance deductions through enrollment as a student, can be exempted from this liability on request.
The application for exemption has to be submitted to the responsible health insurance fund within 3 months after the onset of insurance liability.
Please note that the exemption from insurance liability cannot be revoked; it lasts for the entire duration of the study.
This certificate of exemption, which can be issued by any health insurance fund, has to be submitted by the student to the university at the time of enrollment. Proof of private insurance coverage is not required; particularly, enrollment and enrollment confirmation don't depend on that proof (exception: Saarland).
8.4.2. Basic Principles of Private Health Insurance
In a private health insurance fund, for every insured person a separate contribution has to be paid. The amount of this contribution depends on age, sex and state of health of the insured person at the time of the contract as well as on the selected rate. Equitably calculated contributions are charged according to actuarial principles.
Age-related higher claims of health benefits are taken into account through an aging reserve. The calculation assumes that the expenses in health care don't rise and that the contributions don't rise just because of the aging of the insured (see information sheet of the BaFin in accordance with § 10a Abs. 1a VAG).
8.4.3. Structure of Private Health Insurance
Private health insurance generally consists of 4 important building blocks.
With the help of those building blocks, the catalogue of benefits of private health insurance companies can be adapted to individual needs.
1. Inpatient benefits
The inpatient tariff refunds expenses for treatment, accommodation and care in a hospital. It is possible to decide for accommodation in a single or double room with treatment by the head physician or in a shared room with treatment by the ward physician.
2. Dental care benefits
The dental tariff refunds expenses for dental treatment, dental prostheses and orthodontics (e.g. braces). For dental treatment, you can choose reimbursement between 70% and 100%, for dental prostheses and orthodontics between 40% and 90%.
3. Compulsory long term care insurance ("Pflegepflichtversicherung")
Since January 1, 1995, the long term care insurance ("Pflegeversicherung") is compulsory. In private health insurance funds, the amount of the contribution depends on age and state of health at entry; the contribution may never exceed the maximum amount for the social long term care insurance (1.7% of the gross income). The regulations concerning the employer's contribution to the long term care insurance comply with those to the health insurance.
4. Outpatient benefits
The outpatient tariff refunds expenses for physicians' consultations, medication, remedies and aids (e.g. visual and hearing aids).
8.4.4. Uniform Tariff Model
The exemption is effective from the beginning of the insurance liability, if no benefits have been claimed since this point in time. Otherwise, it is effective from the beginning of the calendar month which succeeds the filing of the application.
The tariff "PSKV" ("Private Studentische Krankenversicherung" = private student health insurance) is a uniform tariff among the private health insurance companies and can be selected up to age 34. Unlike the tariffs of the individual companies, the tariff "PSKV" limits payments of medical benefits to the 1.7-fold of the scale of fees for medical benefits ("Gebührenordnung für ärztliche Leistungen") and payments of dental benefits to the 2.0-fold of the scale of fees for dental benefits ("zahnärztliche Gebührenordnung"). In the hospital, the tariff "PSKV" includes the general hospital benefits, however it excludes optional benefits (free choice of hospital, treatment by head physician and accommodation in a single or double room).
Generally the following applies: Whoever gets exempted from statutory insurance liability as a student or drops out of the statutory insurance liability, can get private health insurance. The individual private health insurance companies also offer special tariffs for students in addition to the tariff "PSKV".
8.4.5. A Comparison of Contributions of the Statutory and Private Health Insurance
For students liable to insurance deductions, the contribution to statutory health insurance is 46.60 Euros and the contribution to the social long term care insurance is 7.92 Euros, i.e. altogether 54.52 Euros.
For the first six months after the completion of the compulsory membership and further insurance as a voluntary member in the statutory health insurance fund, the monthly sum amounts to 80.50 Euros.
The contribution to private health insurance depends on the selected tariff, the age at the onset of the contract, the sex as well as the state of health at the time of the filing of the application. The contributions (including private long term care insurance) start from 59.07 Euros.
8.4.6. Further Differences between Statutory and Private Health Insurance
Statutory health insurance applies until the 14th semester. Then the contribution to the statutory health insurance funds rises to a minimum (including long term care insurance) of 120 to 130 Euros per month depending on the individual funds.
The restriction to 14 semesters always only applies to one field of study. Therefore, semesters spent with different fields of study may not be added together. Sabbaticals don't count as semesters, therefore are not credited against the maximum of 14 semesters.
The tariff "PSKV" applies independently of the number of semesters and up to the age of 34.
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