American Student Assistance offers essential educational resources to CUSO Owners

American Student Assistance offers essential educational resources to CUSO’s Owners
St. Petersburg, Fla. (June 19, 2017) – As new high school graduates fill out financial aid forms and recent college graduates plan to pay back their loan debt, PSCU and American Student Assistance (ASA) are launching a new partnership to provide financial education to students and families to help reduce the stress and confusion that goes along with one of the most impactful financial decisions of their life.

With the cost of a four-year degree continuing to rise every year, families need answers to the tough questions about how to afford a good education. “We have partnered with American Student Assistance to provide the best resources to teach students and their families about the financial complexities of paying for higher education,” said Myles Bristowe, PSCU Vice President of Marketing Strategy. “We are offering them to our Owner credit unions so their members can make informed decisions about paying for college and give them the best chance to have as little debt as possible after they graduate.”

This partnership will allow PSCU to provide selected articles from ASA’s wealth of online educational materials, including tools and calculators, budgeting worksheets, a glossary of financial aid terms, and step-by-step lessons for all the major requirements for securing funding for college. Much of this great educational material will be available on PSCU’s Engagement Builder social media and content marketing platform. One curated monthly article will be available for free to credit unions that have signed up for access to the platform. Additional material will also available through ASA’s Salt website for those Owner credit unions that wish to expand their financial education offerings.

“We are thrilled to partner with PSCU to help credit unions educate their members on how to make higher education dreams financially possible,” said Susan Nathan, ASA chief operating officer. “College is the gateway to opportunity, but far too many students and families feel lost and hopeless when it comes to paying for an education and repaying student loans. Salt gives them the tools and knowledge they need to take control of their financial lives.”

Examples of upcoming Salt content for Engagement Builder users include, “The Pros and Cons of Student Loan Consolidation,” “How To Save Money On Textbooks And Supplies,” and “6 Questions Freshmen Must Ask Their College Financial Aid Office.” With hundreds of credit unions passing this informative and motivational content on to thousands of families with college age children, tomorrow’s college students will be better equipped to responsibly finance their education and be more prepared to pay off any remaining debt as quickly as possible.
“Whether they are going to college for the first time, young professionals going back for a graduate degree, or non-traditional students learning skills for a new career, PSCU is proud to provide this educational content to give credit union members the information they need to succeed,” added Bristowe.

About PSCU

Established in 1977, PSCU (St. Petersburg, Fla.) is the nation's leading credit union service organization (CUSO). The company was recognized as CUSO of the Year in 2016 by the National Association of Credit Union Service Organizations. PSCU’s products, financial services solutions and service model collectively support over 850 Owner credit unions representing more than 20 million credit, debit, prepaid, online bill payment and mobile accounts; protect over 2 billion transactions annually from fraud; and optimize credit union performance and growth. Comprehensive 24/7/365 member support is delivered through call centers located throughout the United States. For more information, visit www.pscu.com.

About American Student Assistance (ASA)

American Student Assistance is a private nonprofit dedicated to eliminating finance as a barrier to education and the dreams education enables. ASA today combines its 60 years of experience, knowledge and best practices into its College Planning Services, Center for Consumer Advocacy and Salt® (saltmoney.org), a multidimensional program that teaches education consumers how to make better decisions about financing higher education and repaying student loans. Today Salt is adopted by more than 300 higher education institutions, nonprofits, and corporations nationwide to reach more than 4 million education consumers. For more information, visit http://www.asa.org/.