NCII partnered with seven colleges across the country that are making student financial stability an institutional priority. These profiles demonstrate how each college has changed its practices and policies to make sure that more students can cover college costs, meet their basic needs, and choose education and career goals that put them on a path toward long-term social and economic mobility. The profiles show that this work is possible in a variety of contexts and provide ideas that colleges can use to strengthen their own students’ financial stability.
The featured colleges are incorporating access to financial stability resources and services in students’ day-to-day experiences, normalizing the use of these supports, and proactively reaching out to students about their financial needs. The colleges are also using an equity lens — identifying which students are experiencing financial instability compared to which students are getting their needs met — to determine how to prioritize resources and improve supports.
While each of these colleges has a unique departure point and is at a different stage of its student financial stability work, none of them is treating students’ financial stability as an isolated effort. Each college is finding ways to incorporate student financial stability into a holistic support strategy designed to increase equitable access, retention, and completion.
