A student moving into a dorm or an off-campus apartment does not usually need a whole new set of insurance policies. Most of what they need is already in place through their parents, but only if someone checks the terms and makes a few phone calls. Here is how the three coverages that matter, health, belongings and car, typically handle a student living away from home, and what to confirm with your own insurer.

Health insurance

A child can stay on a parent’s job-based health plan until age 26. That holds even if the student is married, has a child of their own, starts or leaves school, lives away from home, is no longer a tax dependent, or turns down coverage from their own employer. Job-based plans set their own rule for exactly when coverage ends around the 26th birthday, so ask the plan administrator; marketplace plans cover a child through December 31 of the year they turn 26, or the age your state permits.

Staying on the family plan is usually the most comprehensive option, but check the network. If the parents’ plan is an HMO or has a narrow network, a student attending school in another region may have in-network access only for emergencies, which is the case where a school-sponsored student health plan earns its keep. Many schools require enrolled students to carry health coverage and ask for proof of other insurance to waive the school plan, so watch for that deadline in the summer paperwork.

For a student who cannot stay on a parent’s plan, the marketplace has an option built for this age group. Catastrophic plans are available to people under 30, and to anyone with a hardship or affordability exemption. They cover the same essential health benefits as other marketplace plans, include free preventive care, and pay for at least three primary care visits a year before the deductible is met; the deductible itself equals the plan’s annual out-of-pocket maximum, so they are protection against a bad year, not a way to make routine care cheap. If the student qualifies for premium tax credits, a bronze or silver plan may be the better value, because the credits cannot be applied to a catastrophic plan. As of 2026, both bronze and catastrophic marketplace plans also qualify for a health savings account.

Belongings: dorm versus apartment

Under the standard homeowners form, a full-time student who lived in your household before leaving for school still counts as an insured while under 24, or under 21 if the student is in your care rather than your relative. Their laptop, bike and clothes in a dorm are covered by your policy for the same perils as the rest of your property, subject to your deductible. The limit is the thing to check: personal property kept at an insured’s residence other than your home is capped at 10% of your contents coverage or $1,000, whichever is greater. A policy with $100,000 of contents coverage would cover up to $10,000 at the dorm, which is plenty for most students and thin for one with a serious camera, instrument or gaming setup. Also ask whether your deductible makes a small dorm claim pointless to file.

Off-campus housing is murkier. Depending on the policy and whether the student still counts as a member of your household, the Insurance Information Institute’s guidance is that off-campus students may need their own renters policy. Renters insurance is inexpensive: the average renters premium was $173 a year in 2023, the latest NAIC data, and small policies cost less, with contents coverage under $10,000 averaging $115 a year and $10,000 to $15,000 of coverage averaging $140. The policy also carries personal liability, typically starting around $100,000, which covers the student if a guest is hurt in the apartment. Buy replacement-cost coverage rather than actual cash value; it runs about 10% more and pays what it costs to replace a three-year-old laptop instead of what the old one was worth. Your landlord’s policy will not replace a tenant’s possessions. The details are in How to Protect Your Belongings With Renters Insurance.

Auto insurance

This is where the phone call can save money. If the student goes to school without a car, tell your insurer. Most carriers offer a distant-student discount for a student who lives far from home and leaves the car behind. State Farm’s version applies to a student under 25 who lives at school more than 100 miles from home, keeps the car at home, and drives it only during vacations and holidays; Progressive’s applies to a full-time student 22 or younger living more than 100 miles away without a vehicle at school. The student stays on the policy and is covered during breaks, but the rate reflects that they are not a daily driver.

Stack the good-student discount on top. State Farm advertises up to 25% off for a student with a 3.0 GPA or better, a top-20% class rank, or a spot on the dean’s list or honor roll, and the discount can continue to age 25. Progressive’s starts at 5% for a full-time student maintaining a B average. Discount names and thresholds vary by carrier and state, so ask for both by name.

If the car goes to school, tell the insurer that too. Premiums are set partly by where the car is garaged, so the rate can go up or down with the school’s ZIP code, and a policy that does not know where the car actually lives can become a problem at claim time. If the school is in another state, ask how the policy handles that state’s minimum coverage requirements. Full-coverage premiums have finally stopped climbing, averaging in the $2,300s nationally in 2026 after a 17% surge in 2024, so this is a good year to shop the policy rather than renew on autopilot; see Auto Insurance in 2026: Premiums Finally Cool.

The checklist

  • Health: confirm the student is on a parent’s plan through 26, check the network near campus, and file the school’s insurance waiver on time.
  • Dorm: confirm the student qualifies as an insured on your homeowners policy and that 10% of your contents coverage is enough.
  • Apartment: buy a renters policy in the student’s name with replacement-cost contents and liability.
  • Car at home: ask for the distant-student discount and the good-student discount.
  • Car at school: update the garaging address and check out-of-state requirements.

Most of this is one call to the agent who already has the family’s policies.