Student Assurance Services
Student Assurance Services is a privately held Minnesota-based insurance broker and administrator that has specialized since 1971 in group student blanket accident and health insurance for K-12 districts, colleges, universities, and specialty groups such as camps and clinics.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1971
- HeadquartersStillwater, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Student Assurance Services does
Student Assurance Services, Inc. (SAS) is a privately held insurance broker and plan administrator incorporated in Minnesota and headquartered in Stillwater. Founded by Mark Desch in 1971/1972, the company specializes exclusively in group student blanket accident and health insurance, serving K-12 public and private school districts, colleges, universities, technical schools, and specialty groups such as summer camps and sports clinics. SAS operates as a licensed broker/administrator rather than an underwriting carrier, distributing coverage through dedicated sales representatives who are licensed producers across more than 20 U.S. states, with schools contracting directly to offer or administer accident and health plans to their students.
The product portfolio spans six core lines: voluntary and group accident insurance (24-hour or at-school-only), intercollegiate and intramural sports coverage including football, special risk program coverage for camps/clinics/events, college student health insurance, catastrophic injury coverage, and liability and property & casualty insurance. Underwriting risk is placed with carrier partners including Ameritas Life Insurance Corp. and Wellfleet Student Insurance (the latter handling comprehensive accident and sickness health claims), while electronic payments and ERA/EFT processing are delivered through U.S. Bank Payment Accelerator powered by InstaMed. SAS runs K-12 and College student-facing platforms with self-service school lookup, enrollment, and administrator login portals, plus a dedicated Special Risk Claims Portal.
The business model is a recurring, subscription-style premium administration stream: SAS collects premiums in-house per student on an annual cadence, administers claims, and distributes through direct school contracts and account representatives. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and varies by school, district, and coverage type. The company employs 11-50 staff, has remained independent and family-led (Mark Desch as Founder & President, Ryan Desch as Vice President), and has no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, or M&A activity.
Student Assurance Services firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Student Assurance Services
- Legal name
- Student Assurance Services, Inc.
- Website
- https://sas-mn.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1971
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Student Assurance Services is a privately held Minnesota-based insurance broker and administrator that has specialized since 1971 in group student blanket accident and health insurance for K-12 districts, colleges, universities, and specialty groups such as camps and clinics.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Student Assurance Services industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Student Accident and Health Insurance
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411), Accident & Health Insurance (6321)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Student Health Insurance & Benefits Administration (EDALAFAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Student Health Insurance Plans (University-Sponsored) (FSAIAFAI), Student Health Insurance (Individual) (FSAIAEAJ), Student AD&D Insurance (School-Sponsored) (FSAIALAG)
Keywords
Where Student Assurance Services is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Stillwater
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Student Assurance Services business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Insurance Premium Administration: Collects premiums from students/parents for group accident and health insurance plans. Premiums are collected in-house and used to fund insurance coverage provided through carrier partnerships.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Voluntary and Group Accident Insurance |
| Subscription | Annual | Catastrophic Insurance Coverage |
| Subscription | Annual | Special Risk Programs |
| Subscription | Annual | College Student Health Insurance |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Student Assurance Services product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Student Assurance Services is a licensed insurance broker and administrator that creates, markets, and administers group blanket accident and health insurance plans for K-12 schools, colleges, universities, and specialty groups. The company offers voluntary and group accident coverage (24-hour or at-school), intercollegiate/intramural sports coverage, special risk programs for camps and events, college student health insurance, catastrophic injury protection, and liability and property & casualty insurance. It collects premiums in-house and administers claims adjudication through carrier partnerships.
Product overview
Student Assurance Services is a licensed broker/administrator specializing in group student blanket accident and health insurance since 1971. The company operates multiple product lines: (1) Voluntary and Group Accident Insurance Plans offering 24-hour or at-school coverage; (2) Intercollegiate and Intramural Sports Coverage for various sports including football; (3) Special Risk Program Coverage for camps, clinics, and events; (4) College Student Health Insurance for college and university students; (5) Catastrophic Insurance Coverage for serious injuries; and (6) Liability and Property & Casualty Insurance for special risk accident coverage. The company also provides two administrative platforms—a K-12 Student Accident Insurance Platform and a College Student Insurance Platform—along with a Special Risk Claims Portal. Services are delivered through partnerships with insurance carriers (including Ameritas Life Insurance Corp.) and claims processors (Wellfleet Student Insurance for health claims, InstaMed for payment processing).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Voluntary and Group Accident Insurance Plans Voluntary and group accident insurance plans providing either 24-hours-a-day coverage or at-school-only coverage for students in K-12 and college settings, administered through contracted schools.
- Intercollegiate and Intramural Sports Coverage Group accident insurance plans covering intercollegiate, interscholastic, club, and intramural sports, including football, for school-sponsored sports programs at all levels.
- Special Risk Program Coverage Group accident insurance plans providing coverage for special risk programs including summer camps, sports camps, clinics, and events outside traditional school settings.
- College Student Health Insurance Voluntary and group health insurance coverage for students attending a college or university, with claims processed in partnership with Wellfleet Student Insurance.
- Catastrophic Insurance Coverage Group catastrophic insurance coverage for students who sustain a serious or life-altering injury during school-sponsored or covered activities.
- Liability and Property & Casualty Insurance Liability and Property & Casualty insurance for special risk accident coverage offerings such as summer camps, clinics, and events.
- K-12 Student Accident Insurance Platform Online platform for K-12 students and parents to access accident insurance plans, including enrollment, school lookup, and claim form access.
- College Student Insurance Platform Online platform for college students to access accident and health insurance plans, including enrollment, school lookup, and claim management.
Companies that use Student Assurance Services
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Student Assurance Services technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Student Assurance Services partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- U.S. Bank Payment Accelerator (powered by InstaMed)coreStudent Assurance Services partners with the U.S. Bank Payment Accelerator program powered by InstaMed to provide electronic payments and claim information processing.
- Wellfleet Student InsurancecoreFor comprehensive accident and sickness insurance plans, Student Assurance Services partners with Wellfleet Student Insurance to process health claims. Wellfleet handles claims processing and benefit verification for these plans.
- Ameritas Life Insurance Corp.coreInsurance carrier partner referenced in privacy notices as one of the insurance companies providing coverage for student plans administered by Student Assurance Services.
- Insurance Companies and Health Plan AdministratorscoreEstablished strong alliances with insurance companies and health plan administrators who share commitment to provide high-quality products and services to meet clients and students insurance needs.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Student Assurance Services competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Wellfleet Student Insurance: Both a partner (claims processor for SAS) and a direct competitor in college student health insurance; Wellfleet underwrites and administers student health plans for hundreds of US universities with its own distribution force.
- HealthSpecial Risk, Inc. Third-party administrator and broker focused on student accident and health insurance for K-12 and college markets; provides enrollment, claims administration, and carrier access, closely mirroring SAS's service offering.
- K&K Insurance Group: Specialty program administrator and broker offering accident and special risk insurance for sports, camps, and recreation programs — directly overlapping with SAS's intercollegiate sports, special risk, and summer camp product lines.
- Bollinger Specialty Group: Program administrator and managing general agent offering specialty accident and health products including scholastic and student accident programs; comparable distribution model and product overlap with SAS.
- GeoBlue Student Health Insurance: Specializes in international student and study-abroad health insurance plans for US universities, overlapping with SAS's college health segment for non-resident and travel-study populations.
- UnitedHealthcare Student Resources: Largest direct competitor in the US student health insurance market, offering university-sponsored and individual student health plans with national distribution and significant technology investment. Closest one-to-one comparable to SAS's college health insurance line.
Broad incumbents
- Markel Insurance: Specialty insurer with significant presence in scholastic sports, camp, and youth activity accident insurance through programs like Markel First Protector. Competes in the special risk and scholastic accident space but offers it as part of a broader specialty insurance portfolio.
- Aetna Student Health (CVS Health): Subsidiary of CVS Health offering university-sponsored student health insurance plans nationally. Operates as part of a much larger health benefits portfolio rather than as a student-specialist, but competes head-to-head for university contracts.
- Cigna Student Health: Major carrier offering university-sponsored student health plans as part of Cigna's broader group benefits portfolio. Competes for the same university contracts as SAS but distributes through Cigna's national employer benefits channel.
Others
- Brown & Brown, Inc. Large US insurance brokerage that distributes employee benefits and specialty insurance programs including accident and supplemental products to school districts and universities; not a direct product competitor but shares the institutional distribution channel.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Student Assurance Services financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Student Assurance Services leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Student Assurance Services funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Student Assurance Services M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Student Assurance Services
What does Student Assurance Services do?
Student Assurance Services is a licensed insurance broker and administrator that creates, markets, and administers group blanket accident and health insurance plans for K-12 schools, colleges, universities, and specialty groups. The company offers voluntary and group accident coverage (24-hour or at-school), intercollegiate/intramural sports coverage, special risk programs for camps and events, college student health insurance, catastrophic injury protection, and liability and property & casualty insurance. It collects premiums in-house and administers claims adjudication through carrier partnerships.
Is Student Assurance Services a public or private company?
Student Assurance Services is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Student Assurance Services founded?
Student Assurance Services was founded in 1971. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Student Assurance Services based?
Student Assurance Services is headquartered in Stillwater, United States, in the North America region.
How does Student Assurance Services make money?
One revenue line is on record: insurance Premium Administration.
Who are Student Assurance Services's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Wellfleet Student Insurance, HealthSpecial Risk, Inc., K&K Insurance Group, Bollinger Specialty Group, GeoBlue Student Health Insurance and UnitedHealthcare Student Resources. Broad incumbents are Markel Insurance, Aetna Student Health (CVS Health) and Cigna Student Health. Brown & Brown, Inc. is listed as an others.
Does Student Assurance Services have an API?
No public API is recorded for Student Assurance Services.
What industry is Student Assurance Services in?
Student Assurance Services's product category is Student Accident and Health Insurance. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDALAFAL, Student Health Insurance & Benefits Administration, with a secondary code of FSAIAFAI, Student Health Insurance Plans (University-Sponsored). Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 6411.