Citibank Offers Credit Education Workshops to College Students Across the U.S.

By Lydia H. Verret, CardRatings.com Staff Writer


CitiGroup recently launched the Credit-ED Challenge, an hour long, interactive, free financial educational workshop for college students.    According to a recent study, only 25% of students surveyed believe their college offers them the knowledge to use credit wisely.

In addition to the Credit-ED Challenge being offered at college campuses across the U.S., it is also available online .    Once the Credit-ED Challenge is completed, students are encouraged to take the Credit-ED Challenge Certification quiz to become Credit-ED Certified.    To promote this program, September 26-30, 2005 has been designated “Get Credit-ED Certified Week.”

The Credit-ED Challenge program strives to educate students by helping to:

- Look at their spending habits and attitudes towards money
- See how a budget helps them reach their financial goals
- Learn the importance of a credit history
- Understand the rewards and responsibilities of credit card use

According to Rosella Bannister, Manager, Jump$tart Personal Finance Clearinghouse and Director Emeritus of Consumer Education at Eastern Michigan University:

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"College students will like the Credit-ED Challenge - it cuts to the chase on credit card issues that students need to know.    A nice package bundled into a one-hour workshop - this learning experience promises to make a significant difference in the lifelong financial well-being of college students."

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CitiGroup’s Credit-ED program has provided over 1 million free credit education materials to students, administrators and parents since its inception in 2000.    In 2004, the CitiGroup Foundation announced a 10 year, $200 million financial education commitment by forming an Office of Financial Education.    It encourages its 3,000 employees worldwide to volunteer in financial education programs in their community.

Jeff Schumacher, Senior Vice President, CitiCards, noted:

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"It’s critical that college students have the resources to learn responsible personal financial management because their spending and payment habits today can impact their financial future.    The innovative Credit-ED Challenge strengthens our ongoing commitment to providing young adults with the right information to help them develop good money management skills and begin building a good credit history."

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Related educational resources can be find in the free credit education materials section of CardRatings.com.

We welcome your comments about student credit card issues in our popular credit forum!

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