What is the NYU Office of Financial Education and what does it do?

We are a team of certified personal finance coaches dedicated to supporting and empowering our students and their families with a wealth of financial literacy tools. Our office helps students and families understand overall college costs and equips  them to make sustainable financial plans for their student life and beyond in this rapidly changing world. We are within the Office of Student Success- so your success is our priority!

What other types of information does your office supply?

We offer information on how to search for outside scholarships, budgeting, student loan management, and managing credit cards and credit scores. Living as a student goes beyond tuition and fees, and we are here as a resource to help students and families navigate through their financial lifestyle as a whole with a good plan. We also are very active on social media providing weekly definitions of common financial terms, the ‘best financial advice’ from some of our NYU colleagues, and even highlight some free and low cost events around the city!

What is the most important thing for students to know about financing their education at NYU?

It is important to understand this is a big financial decision. Attending any college or university is a multi-year conversation that should be discussed regularly. We want you to succeed academically and financially and there are many different options to financing your education.  Your journey is yours, so we want you and your family to do what is best financially for you and we are here to get you all the information you need for that informed decision.

What can students do to prepare themselves financially for college?

There are three things we think students can do to prepare themselves financially for college:

  1. Talk about it: The first big step is to start having a conversation about your finances. Speak with your family and support network about what resources are available to sustain your plan through graduation. Talking about finances can feel overwhelming at times,  but it is very important to be honest and realistic about what you can contribute to funding your education. 
  2. Search for scholarships: It is never too early to start researching scholarship opportunities, so do that now and often. Apply for as many as possible, especially as you get more focused in your major as there are many opportunities out there. Every cent counts!
  3. Ask questions: Sometimes award letters and financial terms are viewed as a new language, so understanding what you are reading will help you have more supportive conversations around finances.

So as a student, we want finances to not be tricky for you throughout your career and want to make sure your college experience is filled with growth in all areas- finances being one of them. If you just wanna talk it out, the NYU Financial Education team is here for you

Kelci Koonce (she/her) is NYU’s Financial Education Specialist and dedicated to supporting students and families with lifelong financial literacy skills to help them maintain their financial plans and reach goals. Supporting Student Success is a huge passion of mine, and I  want to be the bridge to help folks progress academically and financially successfully through life.