Financial Wellness

Financial Literacy for Redhawks

Between academic responsibilities, extracurriculars, and social gatherings, it can be tough to find time to learn about finances and money management. It is important to make informed financial decisions now in order to prepare for a better financial future. See below for resources related to navigating educational and personal finances.

Check out the Financial Literacy for Redhawks presentation that covers information about student loans, credit cards, credit scores, taxes, and budgeting.

Finances and Education

Book a Meeting With Student Persistence!

Schedule an Appointment

Learn more about the Student Persistence Team

Click this video to learn more about FASFA!

Click this video to learn more about different types of Federal Aid!

Watch this video to learn more about how to manage student loans!

Tuition and Costs: Tuition costs may increase each year, and there are often other costs associated with education. Check out the Student Financial Services Cost page for more information.
FAFSA & WAFSA: FAFSA: You will need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to apply for federal student aid, such as college-sponsored financial aid, federal grants, work-study, and loans. The FAFSA needs to be filled out every year and Seattle U's priority deadline is February 1. To find out more, visit SU's Filing the FAFSA page.

WAFSA: Washington State offers financial aid programs to students who are not eligible for federal financial aid because of immigration status. You will need to complete the Washington Application for State Financial Aid (WAFSA).
Loans: Learning how to be a responsible borrower is an important step to setting yourself up for your financial future. Check out Federal Student Aid's guide to different types of loans, information on loan repayment options, and what it means when a loan goes into default.

Read the Credit Karma Student Loans 101 Guide to loans for college.
Scholarships: Check out the Student Persistence Scholarships page for more information on finding external scholarships.

Seattle U's Office of Multicultural Affairs has information on emergency financial assistance and other scholarships.
Parent and Family Information: Information about what parents and families are asked to provide on the FAFSA can be found at Federal Student Aid

Food on a Limited Budget: Check out some strategies geared specifically towards college students at thekitchn and Real Simple.
Housing on a Limited Budget: Housing costs can often be the largest part of a budget. Learn some strategies for finding housing through Money Crashers.

Personal Finance Basics

CashCourse is a free online financial education tool for students. CashCourse includes self-guided assignments, customizable financial tools, a personal dashboard to track your progress, articles and resources on many topics, and a guide to real-life money questions, and more. See more on specific topics below.

Budgeting: Starting a budget from scratch can seem overwhelming but is a vital step to maintaining financial wellness. Federal Student Aid has put together a budgeting overview and guide to creating your budget to help you get started.

Here are 20 of the best free Google Sheets budget templates for 2023. Make a plan for your money, save more, spend smarter, and reach your financial goals. Additionally, here are 19 other Google Sheet Budget Templates with previews to choose from.
Banking: Different banks provide many different types of services and it is important to make informed decisions about which bank to choose. The Consumer Finance Protection Bureau has put together extensive informational resources to help you learn all about banks.
Credit: Building credit and making good decisions about credit cards is essential to ensuring your financial future. Check out the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau's resources on credit cards and credit scores.

moneygeek is a great tool and additional resource to for first time students who are wanting to know more about how to apply for a credit card, what card is the best, and how to manage spending with credit.
Taxes: Information on tax benefits for students can be found on the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrator's website.

Many students may receive a 1098-T form from the university. Student Financial Services has put together a 1098-T Guide on how to read the form.

United Way of King County offers free tax preparation to households that make under $66,000 a year. Check out their website for locations and other useful information.

Financial Wellness

Financial Literacy for Redhawks

Finances and Education

Tuition and Costs

FAFSA & WAFSA

Loans

Scholarships

Parent and Family Information

Food on a Limited Budget

Housing on a Limited Budget

Personal Finance Basics

Budgeting

Banking

Credit

Taxes