Sending your child or going off to college can be a challenging time, especially with type 1 diabetes. This may mean talking with roommates and educators, managing medications and supplies, and navigating blood sugars away from home.

Heading off to college can be both exciting and scary for both the young adult and the parent sending them away. Living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) adds another level of concern.

This time of life can be particularly challenging in general for people with diabetes, transitioning from childhood into adulthood and learning how to manage the autoimmune condition on their own for the first time.

Here are some simple ways to help prepare for college, whether it’s your first time away or you’re years into college life, and whether you live in a dorm or off-campus.

Living in a dorm or apartment with someone who starts off as a stranger can be both exciting and nerve-wracking. With T1D on board, that can be even more daunting if that other person or people aren’t familiar with the condition or how you manage it at all hours.

This can be an important first step when establishing a new relationship, helping those you live with understand what it means to live with T1D. After all, this condition is a shared experience for the person living with it and those around them.

You might discuss some of the following items:

  • high and low blood sugars and what that might mean for those you reside with
  • how diabetes device alarms and alerts can come at any moment, even during sleep
  • how diabetes mixes with alcohol, lack of sleep, and stress
  • how to treat diabetes and low blood sugars, particularly those more severe hypos where you might need assistance
  • the importance of diabetes medication and supply storage, including insulin refrigeration and glucagon for severe hypoglycemia
  • discuss with them the need for having low blood sugar treatments on hand, including glucose tablets as well as juice, candy, or other fast-acting carbohydrates
  • talk about the need to label items in a shared food space, to ensure they aren’t gone when you need them for diabetes treatment
  • who to contact in case of a diabetes-related emergency
Importance of a diabetes care plan

Share details of your diabetes care plan with your roommate or those you live with, to help them best understand different aspects of how you manage diabetes. This might also help them learn more about type 1 diabetes, and what it means for your daily life.

You can worth with your healthcare team to establish a diabetes care plan if you don’t have one, or to make college-specific adjustments to your existing plan.

This may seem like a superficial tip, but it can make all the difference for late-night low blood sugars.

Choosing a low-to-the-ground bed can be safer if you experience hypoglycemia, which can make some people lose consciousness or awareness. Being higher off the ground could be unsafe in these situations.

If you need to awaken overnight to treat a low blood sugar or possibly experience higher blood sugars that lead to more frequent bathroom use, having a lower-level bed that might mean less disruption for both you and those you’re rooming with.

Let your professors and advisors know you have T1D.

This can be helpful information for them to have. Not only does it alert them to the possibility of a medical emergency, but it can also help them plan accordingly if they experience any blood sugar swings that interfere with their attendance or classwork.

In this small 2024 survey that studied T1D students’ experiences in college, some noted how both professors and university services and programs are part of their social support for diabetes management and schooling.

Even though it was a small study with limitations on its scope, it does offer a sampling that can be reflective of larger trends that college students with T1D may experience.

In the research, some participants noted that they received the most support from professors, from helping with disability accommodations to being generally aware of the students’ diabetes-specific needs.

Diabetes organizations recommend letting your college professors and advisors know you have T1D. This can help ensure access to “sick day” accommodations, which may include flexibility with classes, exams, and assignments.

Type 1 is officially a protected medical disability

Under federal laws, such as Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act, diabetes is viewed as an official disability because it substantially limits your endocrine system’s function.

Colleges are legally required to follow these laws and offer accommodations for those who qualify for disability status. These may involve reasonable accommodations that might include:

  • extra time on exams
  • breaks for blood glucose monitoring and treatment
  • access to supplies, food, and bathrooms

You can also let your college administration know and apply for disability assistance, even if you or your child don’t think they need it.

Learn more on what it means that T1D is a protected federal disability.

Stress can affect people differently. The type of stress you experience can also impact your body’s physical response.

When people with diabetes experience mental stress, they generally experience an increase in their blood glucose levels. People with T1D may have a more varied response. This means that they can experience either an increase or a decrease in their blood glucose levels, although it’s most common that people experience higher blood sugars tied to higher stress levels.

This can be particularly important during the college years, when life changes can involve everything from changes in sleeping and eating behaviors, and stress levels tied to academic and social life. A lack of sleep can also affect blood sugar levels.

You can work with your diabetes care team to best understand how stress may affect your blood sugars and diabetes management.

Having the necessary diabetes medications and supplies on hand is just as important during college as it is at any other time.

You may want to have a month’s supply on hand in case you have challenges getting more supplies or medications ordered in time. Some may have these filled to their home address, but if you are attending school in another state or country or a long distance from your parents’ home, it may not make sense to have supplies or medications sent elsewhere.

Keep your diabetes supplies and medications in a safe and appropriate storage place where you live.

This involves proper refrigeration or room temperature, and keeping those in an adequate storage container where they aren’t exposed or out of reach when you need them.

Eating in college can be sporadic, with more flexibility and freedom allowing for scattered meals and less nutritious foods and drinks.

Understand your schedule and meal planning options, including food services on campus in a dining hall or other locations.

Alcohol can lead to swings in blood glucose levels, depending on what you drink and how much of that you consume. Combining the blood-sugar-lowering effects of insulin with alcohol can lead to hypoglycemia.

You may not always notice this because of the carb counts in certain drinks, including beers and alcohol beverages combined with sugary juices or mixers. While blood sugars may initially rise, prompting you to dose insulin to compensate for those consumed carbs.

But over time, alcohol can cause your blood sugar levels to drop within a few minutes and up to 12 hours afterward.

After consuming alcohol, always check your blood glucose level to make sure it is in the safe zone. If your blood glucose is low, eat a snack to bring it up.

College is also a time when many young adults experience new relationships and start exploring more intimate, sexual relationships.

This can be even more challenging when it comes to life with diabetes.

Those in college with T1D may also be learning to navigate sexual relationships and how that intersects with blood sugar levels, diabetes devices worn on the body, and the psychosocial aspects and stigma so often tied to diabetes.

The American Diabetes Association is one of the many diabetes organizations that point to blood sugar management as a key part of sexual health, whether it’s in college or other points in life.

Most colleges and universities offer medical services, including nurses and clinics. These can be options to consider for anyone in college with T1D, to keep up with medical care and routine doctor visits to accessing medication and supplies in an emergency.

This may also include a college’s mental health services, which could be beneficial for students who might experience anxiety or distress that complicates diabetes management.

This 2025 research found that many young T1Ds in college may not use their campus medical services or even know about what’s offered for them to help manage diabetes.

One step that college students with T1D and their parents might take is to explore online resources offered by a particular university or school, to help identify and make use of campus medical services.

They may also use social media and support resources online to help connect with other young adults and college students, about managing their condition during school.

Wear a diabetes medical alert

Consider a medical ID to let people know you live with diabetes.

This can be important in many situations around college campuses if you experience low blood sugar and may lose consciousness or not be able to communicate with people to tell them about your condition. These might include classrooms, around campus, at events, or off-campus at restaurants, bars, and clubs.

This can also be a way to help others understand that you may be experiencing a medical emergency, versus exhibiting signs of intoxication or recreational drug use.

The Diabetes Link (formerly known as the College Diabetes Network) is a valuable resource for those in college trying to manage diabetes.

With chapters across the United States, this group offers many tools and resources for people to connect with. This includes social support, and personal stories that discuss everything from managing diabetes on campus, to joining a Greek fraternity or sorority, and how to organize a dorm or student apartment.

Recognizing the psychosocial aspects of life with T1D can be even more challenging during college.

Things like feeling awkward about sharing your diagnosis or worrying about what others might think are not unusual.

They can also make managing diabetes more challenging.

You might wonder how your roommates or classmates will react, or worry that people will treat you differently. Maybe you’re nervous about explaining what your devices do or what to do if your blood sugar drops during class.

But here’s the truth: You’re not alone, and many other students are figuring this out, too.

College is a time that brings many changes for young adults and their parents, and that’s especially true for those who live with type 1 diabetes.

Life and college stressors can mean many things for those with T1D, from living accommodations to how students manage their condition in classrooms and on and off campus. This can range from managing blood sugars to eating and sleeping changes to learning how to navigate intimacy and social situations with T1D.

Working with your healthcare team and campus medical professionals can be an important part of diabetes management in college.