It's that time of year. College students are returning for another school year. You may be helping someone move in or preparing to send a child off to school.

Once you've packed the TV, the computer, and other expensive possessions, there is still one thing you may want to look into: insurance.

Thousands of James Madison University students are moving back. They're bringing expensive items with them too.

According to a recent study conducted by Opinion Research Corp. for Allstate, only about 40 percent of renters have their valuables like TV's, laptops, and DVD players insured.

Junior Tara Schleinkofer recalls when her friends had a thief come in and clear them out.

"The person came in and just swept everything off of their desks," says Schleinkofer, who got renters' insurance this year. "Their computer, their expensive laptop, their TV, jewelry. Everything they could find. They took everything."

"We're not in a real high-crime area around here, but I would say the majority of the theft claims come during break," says Allstate agent Steve Johnson.

He says it's easier these days to catalog everything digitally instead of going through the tedious process of writing it all down.

"It covers your contents as well as your liability protection," says Johnson.

The average policy runs about $120 to $160 per year, but when that's on top of cable, electric, and other expenses, some students feel like it's just another bill.

"It kind of seems like an extra cost. I mean, you don't really need to pay it," says junior Emily Brown.

According to Allstate, about 30 percent of people thought the insurance was three times higher than it actually cost. Still, some students and families want the added security.

"It's definitely worth it to have it insured in case something does happen," says Schleinkofer.

For students living on-campus, Allstate encourages families to look at their existing home owners' insurance. Many can get their policies extended to cover students living in dorms too. Johnson also adds that students can sometimes save money on auto insurance by getting it in Virginia.