FALLS CHURCH, Va. –
Going to college is an exciting milestone for many young adults. From signing up for classes to buying dorm supplies, summer can be a busy time for new college students and their families. During this time, you’ll also need to make sure your child’s TRICARE coverage will be ready when the semester starts, especially if he or she is moving away from home.
“Different TRICARE plans have different rules for getting care, so it’s important to know how your child’s current plan will work in the new location,” said Debra Fisher, TRICARE health system specialist, TRICARE Health Plan, at the Defense Health Agency. “You may be able to change your child’s plan when he or she moves away for college.”
As you help your child prepare for the start of college, keep these things in mind.
1. Which TRICARE plan will work best for your child
Your child’s TRICARE plan and school’s location may affect how he or she gets care when away at college. Moving to a new location may also affect your child’s TRICARE plan options. These things are especially true if your child has a
TRICARE Prime plan.
With TRICARE Prime, you may pay point-of-service fees if your child gets nonemergency care without a referral from their primary care manager. This may include care your child gets at the college’s student health center.
If your child moves far away from home, you may want to consider TRICARE Select. Your child can visit any TRICARE-authorized provider while at school without a referral. He or she will also have more flexibility for getting care when home during school breaks.
There are a few ways to change your child’s TRICARE plan:
- Change his or her address in DEERS to their college address. This will trigger a TRICARE Qualifying Life Event. A QLE opens a 90-day window for your child to change plans. (Other members of your family may be able to change plans during this window too.)
- Make changes during TRICARE Open Season. The next TRICARE Open Season is Nov. 9–Dec. 8, 2026. Keep in mind that changes you make during open season won’t take effect until Jan. 1, 2027.
You can check the Plan Finder to see which TRICARE plans may be available to your child.
Is your child enrolled in TRICARE Reserve Select or TRICARE Retired Reserve? You don’t need to make changes to their plan. With these plans, your child can visit any TRICARE-authorized provider without a referral.
2. The college’s requirements
Most U.S. colleges require full-time students to have health insurance. In general, TRICARE health plans meet this requirement. However, be sure to check with your child’s college to confirm its requirements.
The college will have a deadline for submitting proof of TRICARE coverage or other health coverage each year. If you don’t do this by the deadline, your student may be required to buy the school’s health insurance plan. If your child is enrolled in the school’s health insurance plan, this is considered other health insurance. You must report OHI to TRICARE.
The college may also require your child to get a physical exam. TRICARE covers physicals when they’re required for school enrollment. (Keep in mind that TRICARE doesn’t cover sports physicals.)
3. Staying eligible for TRICARE
Being enrolled in college full-time may allow your child to stay enrolled in a TRICARE health plan until he or she graduates or turns age 23—whichever comes first. (Otherwise, eligibility for “regular” TRICARE coverage will end at age 21.)
Before your child turns 21, you’ll need to go to your local Uniformed Services ID card office to show that your child:
- Is a full-time student at an approved institution of higher learning in pursuit of an associate’s degree or higher—you’ll need a letter from the school’s registrar office to demonstrate this.
- Isn’t married
- Depends on you (their sponsor) for more than 50% of his or her financial support
Go to milConnect to learn more about these requirements and staying eligible for TRICARE as a full-time student.
After your child’s eligibility for “regular” TRICARE coverage ends, your child may be able to buy TRICARE Young Adult coverage until age 26. Eligibility for TYA is based on several factors, as outlined in the TRICARE Young Adult Fact Sheet. These factors include your child’s marital status and eligibility for employer-sponsored health insurance. Children who are eligible can buy TYA at any time. TRICARE Open Season and TRICARE Qualifying Life Events don’t apply to TYA.
After losing eligibility for TRICARE or TYA, your child may be eligible to buy Continued Health Care Benefit Program coverage.
TYA and CHCBP might not be your child’s only health coverage options when losing eligibility for TRICARE. For example, your child may be able to buy a health plan through the Health Insurance Marketplace.
By knowing how your child’s health coverage options may change during college and after graduation, you can help your child have the health coverage that meets his or her needs.
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