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In 2025, financial wellbeing is about much more than budgeting; it is about supporting students and staff to handle complex economic realities with confidence.

College communities have the unique opportunity to create a culture of financial literacy through inclusive, practical, and innovative initiatives. Let us explore creative ways a campus can promote the financial wellbeing of students and staff.

1. Start Peer-Led Financial Literacy Clubs

Students usually learn from each other. In many colleges in 2025, they have started peer-led financial literacy clubs and held informal peer-led sessions to informally discuss helpful topics such as budgeting, understanding credit scores, student loans, and saving strategies. The peer-led clubs help to normalize financial conversations and create a shared, judgment-free space to discuss personal finance experiences.

2. Provide Legal Literacy Workshops

Being able to understand financial contracts and legal documents is an important consideration when becoming an adult. A legal literacy workshop can teach learners about rental agreements, employment contracts and basic tax law. In addition, these workshops can teach relevant housing-related topics such as quitclaim deeds, especially for students considering shared ownership of real estate or housing transitions with family.

A quitclaim deed is a legal document that allows one party to transfer their property interest to another party without any warranties. In California, for example, real estate laws can be complicated. Institutions can recommend quitclaim deed California lawyers to help students. Understanding the implications of a quitclaim deed can help students avoid unsafe or ambiguous housing arrangements.

3. Embed Personal Finance into General Studies

Some progressive institutions of higher learning are already embedding personal finance education into the curriculum. They could apply it in modules on compound interest taught to math classes, or real-world budgeting taught in economics. When personal finance education is embedded into courses, it ensures that every student graduates with money management skills.

4. Micro-Credentialing in Financial Competency

Colleges can offer students a certificate (or credential) online in budgeting, investing, or debt management. Micro-credentials will demonstrate a commitment to financial responsibility and initiate important conversations. Micro-credentials can be excellent additions to a student’s resume.

5. Promote Co-Housing and Co-Living Development

With housing costs increasing every year, more and more students have opted for co-living arrangements. College counselors can support co-living arrangements by helping them with templates, sharing information on utilities and splitting costs, and aiding in legal issues concerning shared ownership or occupancy. 

If it is a situation where a student may be co-owning property (for example, with a parent or sibling), they will need careful documentation such as quitclaim deeds.

6. Promote Campus-Based Side Hustle Incubators

Students usually take up gig economy jobs and freelance work. Colleges can encourage that by creating side hustle incubators-places where there is mentorship, co-working space, and legal guidance to start side hustles. These spaces help students learn to monetize their skills ethically and responsibly and track their income for tax purposes.

Endnote

Increasing financial wellbeing on campus doesn’t just happen by luck-it takes forethought and intentional actions.  As we face different economic pressures and possibilities in 2025, college communities that foster education, transparency, and collaboration will help prepare their students to not only survive-but thrive financially.