University of Michigan: Why They Switched to GradGuard

For Bryan Howard, Director of Student Business Services at the University of Michigan, partnering with GradGuard came down to something simple: peace of mind. "Just knowing that we had the ability to protect our families was really reassuring for the University of Michigan," he says.

The decision to make a change came as the university's previous vendor contract was winding down. Howard and his team decided to run an RFP process and take a fresh look at the market. Their prior solution had been difficult to market to families, and the number of students purchasing tuition insurance had been on a rapid decline. They wanted something that integrated more directly with their own payment world — and their former vendor didn't have a way to do that. With more universities turning to GradGuard, the team felt comfortable moving forward, and Howard says he started to lose some of his anxiety about the transition during the first couple of weeks of implementation.

The integrated payment piece was a key draw. Families can now see the tuition insurance information more easily, connect directly to make payments, view the refund process, and review what GradGuard is offering — all without leaving the payment flow. According to Howard, connecting the payment piece to the question of how much a family should insure their tuition for has helped families understand the value of the product, and helped his team understand it too. The results speak for themselves: the university saw three times more policies purchased this past fall semester.

Howard has been very happy with the relationship his team has built with GradGuard, noting that the company is constantly checking in to see how things are going. As he puts it, "I couldn't be happier with GradGuard and the process that we undertook with them."