PHOENIX, Aug. 06, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As nearly 20 million college students return to campus this fall, GradGuard is asking families to look past the sticker price and consider a question few think to ask before move-in day: what happens to that investment if the unexpected happens? GradGuard, the authority in helping schools reduce financial losses while protecting students from the risks of college life, has spent the back-to-school season reminding families that college costs are only part of the financial picture.
The price of admission keeps rising. According to the College Board’s 2025-26 Trends in College Pricing report, average published tuition and fees reached $11,950 at public four-year in-state schools, $31,880 for out-of-state students, and $45,000 at private nonprofit institutions, each up from the year before. Layer on housing, food, books, and fees, and total cost of attendance regularly tops $30,000 for in-state public school students and climbs well beyond that elsewhere.
What’s harder to see is everything that can put that spending at risk once the semester starts. A recent Gallup-Lumina Foundation study found nearly 1 in 3 current students have considered stopping out of their degree program, often for reasons that have nothing to do with academics. Separately, the American College Health Association’s Fall 2024 National College Health Assessment found that 30% of students said anxiety had negatively affected their academic performance in the past year, and federal Clery Act data shows tens of thousands of on-campus crimes, from burglary to theft, are reported each year. Any one of these risks can derail a semester and the money already spent on it.
“Families spend months preparing for the academic side of college, choosing a major, picking classes, finding a roommate, but very little time preparing for the financial risks that come with it,” said John Fees, co-founder and CEO of GradGuard. “A medical withdrawal, a stolen laptop, or an illness that sidelines a student are common, ordinary things that happen to families every year, and most don’t realize how exposed they are until it’s already happened to them.”
GradGuard’s own claims experience mirrors the industry reports: the most common reasons families submit a tuition insurance claim are mental health-related withdrawals or injuries or illnesses, not the rare catastrophic events people tend to picture when they think about insurance.
“This isn’t about predicting disaster,” Fees added. “It’s about making sure an unexpected illness or injury doesn’t turn into a permanent setback. When a family has already protected their investment, stepping away from school to get well becomes a pause, not a financial crisis that keeps a student from ever going back.”
Ahead of the semester, GradGuard recommends families take three steps:
- Confirm your school’s refund policy: Review your campus refund policy for tuition, housing, and fees, and ask what happens in the event of a withdrawal. Tuition insurance can fill the gap most refund policies leave open.
- Don’t assume your homeowners policy has you covered. Many homeowners insurance policies limit or exclude coverage for a student’s belongings once they’re living away from home. A standalone renters insurance policy with a low deductible is a practical way to cover electronics, bikes, and personal items against theft or damage on or off campus.
- Talk about money before move-in, not after a crisis: A brief family conversation about budgeting, managing expenses, and the importance of financial preparedness for unexpected situations takes the guesswork out of a stressful moment down the line.
For more information and to find a tuition or renters insurance plan that is right for your family, visit www.gradguard.com.
About GradGuard:
GradGuard is the authority on helping schools educate and protect students from the risks of college life. As the #1 source of college tuition and renters insurance, GradGuard’s pioneering protections have served more than 2 million students at more than 1,900 unique institutions.
To learn more, visit www.gradguard.com.
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