It’s that time of year again, the time of massive dorm move-ins, rush week, tailgating and textbooks. Your student is off to college and you’ve covered all the bases. Except, perhaps, the insurance.

Insurance coverage is one of the most important, yet overlooked aspects of sending your child to college. Is your student adequately covered?

You can gauge if your student’s coverage by asking yourself (and your insurance agent) four simple questions:

1. Are my student’s belongings covered under my home insurance policy?
2. If my student drives another person’s car, will she be covered by my auto insurance policy?
3. Is my student covered under my health insurance policy while at school?
4. What benefits will my health insurance policy provide to her while she’s at school?

Not sure? You’re not alone. Most parents aren’t sure what protections their student has while they’re away at college. But we’ve got some some tips and resources for you to make sure your student’s coverages are up to snuff.

Renter’s Insurance

Renter’s insurance is a biggie. While some homeowner’s insurance policies protect belongings outside of the primary dwelling (read: your house), most do not. Be sure to ask your agent whether your student’s belongings and liability (in case, God forbid, they leave the hot plate on and torch the place) are protected by your policy.

If not, renter’s insurance is the way to go. And cheap renter’s insurance isn’t hard to find. In fact, most annual premiums fall between $150 and $200 per year for $15,000 worth of coverage. Of course buying an additional policy will also save you some money on current policies like home and auto.

Auto Insurance

You could be in for some serious auto insurance savings (up to 20 percent) if you student doesn’t take a car to college. However, most experts warn parents about dropping their son or daughter from the policy all together–if they get into an accident with a friend’s car at school, they won’t be covered.

Conversely, your premiums could go up if you’re student takes a vehicle to school out of state (remember, some areas, like metropolitan areas, are associated with higher insurance rates). Either way, be sure to contact your agent to see what kind of coverages your student will have at school and what kind of premium adjustments to expect.

Health Insurance

Health insurance is another student biggie, what with all the germs flying around dorms and classrooms. Most health insurance policies do not cover college students if they’re going to school part-time, or if they’re over the age of 23. Some policies also do not cover students if they’re going to school in a state other than where the policy was purchased. Make sure to contact your health insurer to verify what coverages are available for your student.

In the event that your student needs additional health coverage, your best bet is to see what kind of coverage is offered by the university’s student health program. Various short-term medical insurance policies are also available through private insurers.

College is a big deal. And I can tell you from personal experience that adequate coverage is definitely a must-have. I had to make use of my auto and health insurance while I was in school and both my parents and I were glad to have it.

To read an extended version of this post, check out our article, Coverage for College-Bound Kids: Is Your Student Protected? Of course, if you find that your student does need insurance for school, you can always shop for student insurance using InsureMe’s free referral service. I know it’s a pathetic company plug, but I just couldn’t help myself.

Feel free to post any questions about student health coverage; we’ll answer them for you as best we can!

[Related post]: Surprise! College-Bound Kids Can $ave Your Money on Car Insurance