GradGuard Makes it Easy to Support Students at the University of South Carolina

For Dr. April Barnes, Assistant Vice President for University Housing at the University of South Carolina, the value of partnering with GradGuard extends well beyond logistics — it ties directly into the university's broader mission of keeping students on the path to graduation.

Barnes serves on a graduation and retention committee made up of representatives from across the university who come together to address how to keep students in school. Through that work, the team discovered that many students were stopping out for mental health concerns, medical reasons, and other serious issues that genuinely required them to step away. As Barnes puts it, the tuition insurance piece is so wonderful because when students are making the difficult decision to step away, the institution wants to be supportive of that decision while also keeping a clear pathway open for them to come back.

That's what GradGuard helps make possible. The tuition insurance eliminates the financial barriers that would otherwise keep students from returning to school. For the institution, that translates into peace of mind, stronger retention numbers, and a tool that aligns well with the mission of helping students get to graduation.

Part of what has made the partnership work is how directly it integrates into the university's processes. GradGuard is built right into the application, and Barnes says the company has made it easy. As she puts it, it's a wonderful opportunity to make the process seamless for students to get the coverage they need.

For Dr. April Barnes, Assistant Vice President for University Housing at the University of South Carolina, the partnership with GradGuard goes back more than ten years — and it has only grown stronger over time.

The relationship began after a major water event on campus left students with hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage. The incident made it clear that the university had some issues to address. After looking at a variety of options, Barnes and her team found GradGuard, and it has been an excellent partnership ever since.

What stands out to Barnes is how easy GradGuard has made the process. "Do you have renter's insurance?" she asks, walking through the experience. "If you click over to the GradGuard page, it says yes, no, maybe." That simple flow puts families at ease — they can click through, get the coverage their students need to protect their belongings, and move right on to the other parts of the application.

The partnership continues to evolve. One of the newer capabilities Barnes is taking advantage of this year allows students to upload their policy directly. She sees that ongoing evolution as one of the really cool things about the relationship. As she puts it, it's a wonderful opportunity to make the process easy and seamless for students to get the coverage they need.