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How to Get a Nationwide Good Student Discount

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A Nationwide good student discount is an easy way to save on the cost of a policy for drivers aged 16 to 24. To qualify, drivers in this age bracket must maintain a B average as a full-time student in high school or college or test in the top 20% for national performance as a homeschooled student.
Policyholders who think they’re getting affordable
car insurance
might see all that change once a young driver is thrown into the mix. Insurance companies associate any driver under the age of 25 with higher risk thanks to some national data and statistics, and that means higher rates. Luckily, your young driver’s performance in school could help to combat the extra expense.
Many insurance companies offer discounts to young drivers who get good grades, but not all of them work the same. We’ll explain how to help you lower your family’s
Nationwide car insurance quotes
with a good student discount. 

How to get Nationwide’s good student discount

Nationwide’s good student discount is available to all drivers between the ages of 16 and 24, so long as they meet certain requirements—namely a minimum 3.0 GPA/B average in school.

How to qualify

You can get a good student discount from Nationwide, so long as you or your dependent fit the following criteria:
  • Between the ages of 16 and 24
  • Enrolled full-time in high school, college, or homeschool
  • Maintain a 3.0 GPA/B average (for high school and college students) OR test in the top 20% of national performance (for homeschooled students)
All you have to do to prove that you meet these requirements is submit a current report card and a letter from a school administrator OR a copy of your standardized testing results (if you are a homeschooled student).
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How long does Nationwide’s good student discount last?

You can take advantage of the Nationwide good student discount as long as you continue to meet the criteria. That means up to nine years of savings from the age of 16 to 24 so long as you are in school full-time with that minimum B average!

Why do auto insurers offer good student discounts?

Much like standardized testing and grading systems, a good student discount may not exactly seem fair. After all, why should a letter on a piece of paper have anything to do with how much you spend on car insurance? Well, it just so happens that there’s a high correlation between good grades and responsibility.
Insurance providers like Nationwide love using data to
calculate insurance quotes
and discounts. Students who maintain good grades in school are statistically more likely to be responsible drivers and to keep up with payment deadlines. While it’s not exactly a perfect science, car insurance quotes rarely are.

The best Nationwide car insurance discounts for students

Nationwide doesn’t share any numbers when it comes to the actual amount you could save with a good student discount, but Nationwide policyholders with this discount save an average of 15% on their premiums. If you think that’s good, just wait—there’s more!
Nationwide offers plenty of
car insurance discounts
and programs that can help young drivers in school save. Students aren’t limited to just one—you can combine multiple discounts to shave even more off your Nationwide premium! 

SmartRide® discount

Nationwide’s SmartRide is a usage-based
telematics
program that rewards drivers for exhibiting
safe driving habits
. Any Nationwide policyholder can enroll in this program, and the savings can start rolling in within 80 days.
Download the Nationwide SmartRide app after enrolling and check it often to track your discount progress. Here’s what the app tracks to assess your driving patterns:
  • How many miles you drive: Fewer miles means less chance of getting into an accident.
  • How fast you brake: Hard braking is often a sign of
    distracted driving
    .
  • How fast you accelerate: Accelerating beyond 7.7 mph per second is a sign of aggressive driving.
  • How often you drive at night: Avoid driving between midnight and 5 A.M. to earn some savings on your Nationwide premium.
The program tracks about four to six months of driving to establish your initial discount, but you can increase the discount at every renewal—up to 40% for all drivers covered by your policy!
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SmartMiles® discount

Nationwide’s SmartMiles is a pay-as-you-go insurance program that combines a reduced, fixed base rate with a variable rate based on how many miles you drive. This is a great option for students who take the bus to school or live on or near campus and don’t need to use their car that often as a result.
For example, a driver who’s not enrolled in SmartMiles may pay a monthly premium of $225. Once the same driver enrolls in SmartMiles, they could see their monthly premium drop to $125 to start, plus $0.07 per mile driven. If the student only drives 500 miles in a month, their total monthly premium would come out to $160—that’s a hypothetical savings of nearly 30%.
Qualifying drivers enrolled in SmartMiles may even get a 10%
safe driver discount
after their first renewal!

Multi-policy discount

You can usually get a discount for insuring multiple vehicles or
bundling multiple insurance products
with the same provider. 
Perhaps you’re a family that’s adding another vehicle for your young driver. Or you're a college student who also needs to buy
renters insurance
for an off-campus apartment. Nationwide customers who bundle multiple insurance products save an average of $646 a year.

On Your Side® review

This one isn’t exactly a discount, but it’s a great program offered by Nationwide to make sure you fully understand your policy and that you’re taking advantage of as many discounts as you could get. 
On Your Side is free to all Nationwide policyholders and consists of a brief one-on-one chat with a Nationwide insurance representative to determine a few things:
  • Whether your current insurance coverage makes sense for you or if it’s time for an update
  • How recent or upcoming life changes (like adding a young driver to your policy) could affect your coverage
  • If all eligible discounts are being applied to lower your premium
“I’m a young adult in college. I paid overpriced insurance regularly, until
Jerry
found me a fast and easy quote. It reduced my costs by 60%.” —Niveah M.
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