31 Insurance
Medical Insurance
By German law, all students are required to carry German health insurance while they are enrolled as regular students at a German university. AYF students are required to enroll in Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) starting October 2025. Your home university will take out a US insurance policy on your behalf that provides coverage for the program duration (GeoBlue – U of Michigan, International SOS – MSU; or CISI – U of Iowa, UW-Madison and anyone joining AYF via the UW). These respective insurances are your primary coverage for the month of September. Information will be provided during orientation, but students should contact their study abroad office for important additional insurance information.
TK is a so-called gesetzliche Krankenkasse, a statutory health insurance, because it is for people who are required by German law to have this type of insurance. Most of the necessary steps will have been taken care of by the time you arrive, and you will have full TK coverage as of October 1, 2025. Payment for TK coverage will be arranged by AYF staff on your behalf.
The TK medical insurance policy covers all doctor office visits, hospital care, prescriptions, x-rays, and dental care. Eyeglasses (lenses and frames), bi-yearly dental cleanings, and birth control are generally not covered (birth control is covered, however, under the age of 21 and later when it is medically indicated). Dental crown work and prescriptions involve co-payment which may be waived or reduced by the insurance upon application depending on personal financial need. Whenever you see a dentist, be sure to ask whether all or only part of the bill will be paid by your insurance before authorizing treatment. Co-pays are required for hospital stays (€10 per day for up to 28 days maximum per year, an amount that may be reduced for students) and for transportation by ambulance (€10 per medical transport). After your arrival in Freiburg, you will receive a TK insurance card (Versichertenkarte) to present at the doctor’s office any time you have an appointment. You will receive more detailed information about TK coverage during orientation.
Your TK medical insurance policy is valid in all European Union countries, but not in Eastern European countries nor in the United States. For travels to countries that are not covered by your TK medical insurance policy, you can call on the U.S. health insurance policies offered through your home universities.
You will therefore generally have at least two different health insurance policies as an AYF participant: one for the whole program taken out on your behalf by your home university and a second, German one for the remainder of the academic year. If you intend to travel to Germany prior to September 1, you may wish to obtain a separate short-term travel medical insurance for your trip or inquire about options to extend the insurance offered by your home university for additional contiguous travel days.
Information on Freiburg doctors, including feedback and recommendations from past AYFers, is available at the AYF Program Center. The AYF staff will also assist you if you want to find a doctor or make an appointment.
It should be noted as well that it is not permitted to import medication to Germany from outside the European Union. Some food supplements are classified as medication by customs officers. Accordingly, customs will destroy packages found to contain medications or return them to the sender which makes shipping medications by mail an illegal and unreliable option. If you are managing a chronic illness or any other situation that requires regular use of medication, it would be highly advisable to bring at least three months’ worth of medication with you in person (if at all possible, with a formal doctor’s note on letterhead that the medication is for your use and no one else; naturally, you would be well advised to adhere to this doctor’s order and not share medication with another person to whom it has not been prescribed). This will give you enough time to establish a working relationship with a Freiburg physician and obtain German prescriptions. Most medications – including for mental health conditions and gender-affirming care – will be available on the German market. In the end, your medication costs could very well be lower than in the U.S. due to the generous TK coverage, but you will need some time to set it all up to your satisfaction. Please do not hesitate to contact the AYF Program Director in advance for assistance in researching the availability of specific medications in Germany, and to discuss any related questions.
Liability Insurance
AYF students are required to carry personal liability insurance. All necessary arrangements for enrollment in a group policy will have been made prior to your arrival in Germany. This insurance will save you substantial expenses if you should cause an accident, damage another person’s property inadvertently, etc. In the past, students who did not have liability insurance and were involved in accidents that resulted in personal injury or property damage had to cover all the costs out of their own pocket. Please note: Items that you borrow from someone else, regardless of whether the lender is a private person or a business, are not covered by personal liability insurance.