The University of Iowa Supports Students With Renters Insurance

For Dr. Von Stange, Assistant Vice President for Student Life and Senior Director of University Housing and Dining at the University of Iowa, GradGuard isn't just a vendor relationship — it's something he believes in personally. "I love GradGuard because again, I'm not only an institution who supports it, but I'm a person who supports it as well as a customer," he says.

That dual perspective shapes how Stange thinks about the product. He believes it's important for students to know whether they're covered — by the institution, by GradGuard, or on their own. Many students don't think about that question during the move-in process, and more independent students often have parents who don't think about it either. There's also a common misconception that an existing homeowner's insurance policy will cover everything.

Stange pushes back on that assumption from his own experience. Even as someone who already has homeowner's insurance, he bought GradGuard because the economics made sense. The deductible on the GradGuard policy was low enough that filing a claim through it would save him roughly 50% compared to going through his homeowner's policy.

The benefits show up in day-to-day operations, too. When students have GradGuard, they often know where to go when something happens — or their parents point them to the policy directly — and the housing team doesn't have to get involved at all. For Stange, that's a wonderful thing. It's a good tool, and a great thing to be able to offer students as a form of support.