The Development of the Financial Literacy Program at the Community College of Baltimore County

Abstract

ABSTRACTStudent debt has increasingly become an important topic in higher education. Many students, particularly low-income and first-generation college students, do not have a solid understanding of managing personal finances. This becomes further compounded upon entering college, as these students lack the financial acumen to understand the long-term ramifications of misusing financial aid. Financial literacy education is increasingly viewed as a necessity for the public good of the students and the future economy. The Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) recognized that the institution needed to address financial literacy with its students in some way. To address the needs of their students, the college decided to target the student population of first-time enrolled college students. The institution chose to develop a week-long program and implant it in an existing student success course, Academic Development, ACDV 101. The program, Money Matters, is designed is to teach financial awareness. The program supplies each student with a blue piggy bank to encourage participation in a microsavings program, Silver Savings Challenge, and to encourage savings on a micro level. Although not easily proven, the program is believed to have supplemented student retention. However, due to the structure of the program, it is not possible to separate the results of the financial literacy component from the rest of the course.