New PSCU partnership aims to teach members about college finances
American Student Assistance offers essential educational resources to CUSO’s Owners
ST. PETERSBURG, FL (July 6, 2017) — As new high school graduates fill out financial aid forms and recent college graduates plan to pay back their loan debt, PSCU and American Student Assistance (ASA) are launching a new partnership to provide financial education to students and families to help reduce the stress and confusion that goes along with one of the most impactful financial decisions of their lives.
With the cost of a four-year degree continuing to rise every year, families need answers to the tough questions about how to afford a good education. “We have partnered with American Student Assistance to provide the best resources to teach students and their families about the financial complexities of paying for higher education,” said Myles Bristowe, PSCU Vice President of Marketing Strategy. “We are offering them to our Owner credit unions so their members can make informed decisions about paying for college and give them the best chance to have as little debt as possible after they graduate.”
This partnership will allow PSCU to provide selected articles from ASA’s wealth of online educational materials, including tools and calculators, budgeting worksheets, a glossary of financial aid terms, and step-by-step lessons for all the major requirements for securing funding for college. Much of this great educational material will be available on PSCU’s Engagement Builder social media and content marketing platform. One curated monthly article will be available for no charge to credit unions that have signed up for access to the platform. Additional material will also be available through ASA’s Salt website for those Owner credit unions that wish to expand their financial education offerings.
“We are thrilled to partner with PSCU to help credit unions educate their members on how to make higher education dreams financially possible,” said Susan Nathan, ASA Chief Operating Officer. “College is the gateway to opportunity, but far too many students and families feel lost and hopeless when it comes to paying for an education and repaying student loans. Salt gives them the tools and knowledge they need to take control of their financial lives.”
Examples of upcoming Salt content for Engagement Builder users include, “The Pros and Cons of Student Loan Consolidation,” “How To Save Money On Textbooks And Supplies,” and “6 Questions Freshmen Must Ask Their College Financial Aid Office.” With hundreds of credit unions passing this informative and motivational content on to thousands of families with college age children, tomorrow’s college students will be better equipped to responsibly finance their education and more prepared to pay off any remaining debt as quickly as possible.
This new partnership with ASA will complement PSCU’s existing relationship with Credit Union Student Choice, a CUSO that offers private student loan solutions to help credit union members achieve their dreams of a higher education. Founded in 2008, Student Choice has helped nearly 275 credit unions deliver more than $2 billion in fair-value loans to students in search of a college degree, as well as young professionals looking to take control of their student loan debt. PSCU is proud to be a founding member of Student Choice.
“Whether they are enrolling in college for the first time, pursuing an advanced degree, learning skills for a new career, or refinancing or consolidating existing student loans, PSCU is proud to provide educational content and financial assistance to help credit union members succeed,” added Bristowe.
About PSCU
PSCU/Co-op Solutions is the nation’s premier payments credit union service organization (CUSO) and an integrated financial technology solutions provider. With over four decades of industry experience and a commitment to service excellence and innovation, the company serves more than 4,000 financial institutions throughout North America. PSCU/Co-op Solutions leverages its expertise and resources on behalf of credit unions and their members, offering an end-to-end product portfolio that includes payment processing, fraud and risk management, data and analytics, digital banking, instant payments, strategic consulting, collections, ATM and POS networks, shared branching and 24/7/365 member support via its contact centers. For more information, visit pscu.com and coop.org.
About American Student Assistance (ASA)
American Student Assistance is a private nonprofit dedicated to eliminating finance as a barrier to education and the dreams education enables. ASA today combines its 60 years of experience, knowledge and best practices into its College Planning Services, Center for Consumer Advocacy and Salt® (saltmoney.org), a multidimensional program that teaches education consumers how to make better decisions about financing higher education and repaying student loans. Today Salt is adopted by more than 300 higher education institutions, nonprofits, and corporations nationwide to reach more than 4 million education consumers. For more information, visit http://www.asa.org/.
