Enhancing health literacy is of the utmost importance to enhance the physical and mental well-being of college students. Unfortunately, there has been limited research investigating the means of improving college students’ health literacy through the perspective of families. Family health is an interdisciplinary and complex concept that involves multiple factors, and it provides a holistic perspective on the overall well-being of the family unit. Thus, this study aims to examine the relationship between family health and health literacy and scrutinize the mediating role of psychological resilience. A valid sample of 5473 students was collected from a university in November–December 2022 and was assessed using regression analysis. The findings reveal that family health has a positive association with the health literacy of college students (β= 0.56,p< 0.001), with psychological resilience playing a critical mediating role (β= 0.11, 95% CI: [0.09, 0.13]). Therefore, the family ought to be recognized as a fundamental mechanism to enhance college students’ health literacy. Additionally, it is essential to emphasize the amelioration of psychological distress among college students and enhance their psychological resilience, which will be helpful for their overall health consciousness and proficiency.