Student Away at School Car Insurance Discount: How to Qualify, Potential Savings, and More
Excellent
Been here before? Get your quotes back.
)
)
Written byMandy Sleight
)
Mandy Sleight has over 15 years of insurance knowledge and expertise in auto, home, life, health, pet, supplemental benefits, and other insurance products. She’s a sought-after insurance expert, appearing in Bankrate.com, Moneygeek.com, U.S. News & World Report, Reviews.com, CNET, and other publications, and she's been writing for Compare.com since 2023.
Mandy uses her background and experience working for well-known insurance companies like State Farm and Nationwide Insurance to create engaging and easy-to-understand content that helps readers make smarter insurance choices that have a positive effect on their budgets and finances.
)
Edited byLequita Westbrooks
)
Lequita WestbrooksSenior Editor
Lequita Westbrooks is an insurance editor at Compare.com. Her writing and editing experiences span several industries, including insurance, personal finance, higher education, and more. She excels at explaining complex topics like auto insurance in simple, easy-to-understand language and is passionate about helping readers save money. Lequita graduated from the University of South Florida, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in English.
Updated
Why You Can Trust Compare.com: At Compare.com, it’s our mission to find simple ways to help our customers save money on the things they need. While we partner with some of the companies and brands we talk about in our articles, all of our content is written and reviewed by our independent editorial team and never influenced by our partnerships. Learn about how we make money, review our editorial standards, and reference our data methodology to learn more about why you can trust Compare.com.
Advertiser Disclosure
At Compare.com, it’s our mission to give you the tools to find the best (and most affordable) insurance for your unique needs and budget. We strive to provide information that’s helpful, clear, and unbiased, and we believe that comparing insurance companies should never put you at risk of spam. Our editorial team — which is made up of experienced writers, editors, insurance agents, and data analysts — has spent thousands of hours researching and creating the coverage overviews, side-by-side comparisons, and detailed reviews you see across our site.
While we make money through partnerships with some of the brands we discuss in our articles, our editorial team operates 100% independently, and these partners never influence or affect the topics, reviews, ratings, or recommendations we provide. We never guarantee favorable reviews or mentions in exchange for compensation from any brands or partners, and we uphold strict editorial standards to ensure our content is always independent, truthful, and unbiased.
Table of contents
Going off to college is an exciting time for students and parents alike. If your child’s college choice is more than 100 miles away from home and they aren’t taking a car to campus with them, you may qualify for the student away at school discount.
Auto-Owners, State Farm, and Progressive are a few companies offering a distant student discount. Let’s examine how and where to get the student away at school discount, plus other ways to save on your auto insurance policy.
How Much You Can Save With a Student Away at School Discount
)
The student away at school discount allows families to save money on car insurance costs when their child goes away to college and doesn’t take a vehicle with them to school.
Insurers don’t advertise how much you can save with the discount, and savings vary by car insurance company and state. The easiest way to determine how much the discount will lower your premium is to contact your insurance agent or company.
How to Get a Student Away at School Discount
Eligibility requirements for the student away at school discount are relatively standard across car insurance companies. Student drivers must meet the following criteria:
Your parents list you as an assigned driver on their policy.
You go to college more than 100 miles away from your home address.
You don’t take a vehicle to school with you.
Your auto policy will still cover college students if they drive the car occasionally when they come home for holidays and school breaks.
You’ll have to contact your insurance agent or company to get the discount. You may need to provide proof of enrollment, such as a bill showing the college’s address or a class schedule with the school’s information on it.
Get Cheaper Coverage in Minutes
Compare personalized quotes from some of America’s top insurers.
Secure. Free. Easy-to-use.
Based on 1395+ reviews
4.7/5
Where to Get a Student Away at School Discount
Many car insurance companies will give you a student away at school discount if you’re an unmarried student who’s an assigned driver on your parents’ auto insurance policy. Here are some companies offering a distant student discount:
The age limit varies by company. With most insurers, the driver can’t be older than 25 years of age. But Farmers caps the age at 23, and Progressive at 22, for example.
The Best Student Away Discounts Currently Available
)
The student away discount is only available for teens and young adults who live more than 100 miles away from home without a household vehicle. If you or your child fits this demographic, it can help lower your car insurance rates.
We’ve researched several companies to find the best savings potential. You might get the most savings with one of the three companies below.
State Farm
Average premium: $85 per month
Compare.com Rating: 4.90 out of 5
State Farm offers many ways for teens and younger drivers to save on car insurance, including the student away at school discount. The company also offers a good student discount for full-time students with good grades, a driver training discount if you complete a training course, and Steer Clear, its safe driving program for young drivers.
Farmers
Average premium: $181 per month
Compare.com Rating: 4.53 out of 5
Farmers offers several discounts for young drivers and their parents, including the distant and good student discounts. If there are more assigned drivers than vehicles in the household, you may qualify for the shared family car discount. And the affinity discount may apply if your child belongs to a sorority, fraternity, honor society, or other college group.
American Family
Average premium: $126 per month
Compare.com Rating: 4.98 per month
American Family offers a unique discount for teens and college students who volunteer. To get the young volunteer discount, you must complete 40 volunteer service hours annually. American Family also has distant and good student discounts. Once you’re ready for your own policy, you can get the generational discount if you stay with the same company.
How to Maximize Your Student Away at School Discount Savings
If the distant student discount doesn’t offer the savings you’re hoping for, the good news is there are other ways to get lower rates. Here are some things to consider:
Evaluate your specific needs. Now is a good time to evaluate your auto insurance coverage to determine if your policy meets your family’s needs. For instance, if the car the student drives is older, you may not need full-coverage insurance.
Consider usage-based insurance. A telematics program could help you save more if you drive fewer miles and practice safe driving habits. You’ll get an initial discount and, depending on your mileage and driving behavior, an additional participation discount.
Compare quotes. After evaluating your situation, it’s a good idea to get a car insurance quote from several companies to determine if you’re getting the best deal on car insurance.
Get Cheaper Rates in Minutes
Compare personalized quotes and find the best policy for you.
Secure. Free. Easy-to-use.
Based on 1395+ reviews
4.7/5
Other Common Car Insurance Discounts
)
The student away at school discount isn’t the only way you can lower your insurance rates. Here are some other common auto insurance discounts you may qualify for:
Good student: Full-time high school and college students with good grades can save with a good student discount. To qualify, you must earn a B average or higher, be on the honor roll, or be on the dean’s list.
Safe driver: Good drivers are less risky to insure, so avoid tickets and at-fault accidents to get a safe driver discount.
Driver training: Young drivers 21 and under can complete an approved driver training program to get a driver safety discount.
Multi-policy: To get the multi-policy discount, bundle your car insurance with a home, renters, condo, or life insurance policy from the same company.
Student Away at School Discount FAQs
We answered common questions about adding the student away at school discount to your car insurance policy.
What’s the maximum student away at school discount percentage?
We didn’t find any advertised discounts, so it’s hard to say. The amount you can save with the student away at school discount varies by insurer and by the state you live in. Contact your insurance agent to find out how much you can save.
How do you get a student away at school discount?
You can get a student away at school discount if you’re below your insurer’s required age limit for the discount and go to college more than 100 miles away from home without taking a household vehicle with you. You may have to provide proof of enrollment. Contact your insurance agent or company to add the discount.
How do you know if you qualify for a student away at school discount?
You can qualify for a student away at school discount if you go to college more than 100 miles away from home, don’t take a car to school with you, and drive your parent’s car only occasionally (during school breaks, for example). You also have to be under the age limit, which ranges from 22 to 25, depending on the insurance company.
Does the student away at school discount have an age limit?
Yes, there’s usually an age limit to qualify for the student away at school discount, but it varies by insurance company. For example, Travelers, Allstate, Elephant, State Farm, and American Family have a discount for college students 25 and under. Farmers’ discount is for students under 23. Progressive’s discount is for students 22 and younger.
Sources:
Insurance Information Institute, “Auto insurance for teen drivers,” accessed November 9, 2024.
About Compare.com
Compare.com's #1 goal is to save you money. We publish resources that are based on hard-hitting data and years of industry experience to help you make more informed decisions with your wallet.
- All of Compare.com's content is written and reviewed for accuracy by a team of experienced writers and editors who are experts on the topics they cover.
- None of Compare.com's content is ever influenced by the companies and brands we partner with.
- Compare.com's editorial team operates independently of any of the company's partnership or business development interests. We publish unbiased information strictly for the benefit of our readers.
- All of the content you see on Compare.com is based on comprehensive analysis and all data is gathered and vetted from trustworthy sources.
Learn more about us, our team, and what makes us tick.
)
Mandy SleightInsurance Writer
Mandy Sleight has over 15 years of insurance knowledge and expertise in auto, home, life, health, pet, supplemental benefits, and other insurance products. She’s a sought-after insurance expert, appearing in Bankrate.com, Moneygeek.com, U.S. News & World Report, Reviews.com, CNET, and other publications, and she's been writing for Compare.com since 2023.
Mandy uses her background and experience working for well-known insurance companies like State Farm and Nationwide Insurance to create engaging and easy-to-understand content that helps readers make smarter insurance choices that have a positive effect on their budgets and finances.
Lequita WestbrooksSenior Editor
Lequita Westbrooks is an insurance editor at Compare.com. Her writing and editing experiences span several industries, including insurance, personal finance, higher education, and more. She excels at explaining complex topics like auto insurance in simple, easy-to-understand language and is passionate about helping readers save money. Lequita graduated from the University of South Florida, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in English.