Students heading into college step into a whole new world of excitement, challenges, and independence. Some, they have been prepared for—like managing coursework and pursuing academic passions. But college is also a financial commitment, and navigating how to pay for it, how to manage daily finances, and how to set yourself up for financial success in college and beyond is one area of education high schools often do not cover.

In fact, only ten states require financial literacy coursework to graduate high school, even though students are interested in learning the basics of financial literacy. Recent surveys have shown that only 40% of students attending four-year colleges have taken a personal finance course, and only 53% of college students felt prepared to manage their money. And given that six out of 10 students take out loans to pay for college (and 85% of those borrowers anticipate loan repayment will cause financial hardship), Credit Union 1 believes it is essential to set students up for success with financial education to handle everyday finances, save money, wisely manage debt, and build a financial foundation for the future.

Credit Union 1 wants to help bridge that gap and has partnered with collegiate conferences across the country to provide financial literacy education to their student populations. Credit Union 1 provides students at our partner colleges and universities with:

  • Financial wellness seminars taught by CU1 experts 
  • Access to CU1 Financial Wellbeing, a personalized financial education platform with engaging video tutorials and individualized lesson plans 
  • Top financial products, including Free Checking with no monthly maintenance fees
  • Accessible banking technology that makes it easy to build a financial foundation
  • Access to credit score monitoring, analysis, and education tools through CU1 Digital Banking

With these tools, CU1 aims to help students build financial confidence that will help them excel, both during their time in school and in the real world.  

Credit Union 1 is a proud partner of Notre Dame Athletics, University of Illinois Chicago, West Coast Conference, Mountain West, The Big West, Southland Conference, Missouri Valley Conference, Mid-American Conference, National Junior College Athletic Association, Coastal Athletic Association, and the Patriot League.

If you are interested in Credit Union 1 speaking to your students or employees on financial wellness, please submit this form.