In a new report, the U.S. Financial Literacy and Education Commission “recommends that institutions of higher education require mandatory financial literacy courses.” It is about time. View the article "It’s time for colleges to require mandated financial literacy courses".

If you come across a job that makes you think that it’s too good to be true, there’s a good chance that it probably is. College students are a prime target for job scammers, and should be aware of potential scams floating around in the job market.

All jobs and contacts on the Jobs for Aggies are reviewed and checked for legitimacy by Texas A&M staff prior to being posted on the job board.

The TAMU Student Employment Office makes no particular recommendations regarding employers. We make no representations or guarantees about positions posted by this office. We are not responsible for safety, wages, working conditions, or any other aspect of off-campus employment. Students are urged to perform due diligence in researching employers when applying for or accepting private, off-campus employment. Student Employment staff members are available for consultation on how to research prospective employers.

STUDENT LOAN COUNSELING is mandated by law for those who borrow federal loans to pay for college or graduate school. Yet each year, students graduate or leave school unaware of how much money they borrowed, or worse, that they have debt at all.

To more effectively educate students and temper overborrowing, legislators are considering additional student loan counseling requirements – a piece of the puzzle in addressing the nation's overwhelming student loan debt.

This could be in the form of annual mandatory loan counseling, or more targeted counseling for students hitting certain financial milestones or who are exhibiting signs they may be at risk of making a financial misstep.

View the full article on Student Loan Counseling.

Attached is a memo from Delisa Falks, Assistant Vice President of Scholarships and Financial Aid, detailing the new student employment enhancement initiatives that will be launched in the 2019-2020 school year. For more information please see JobsforAggies.tamu.edu or contact the Student Employment Office.

View the Student Employment Enhancement memorandum.

When Aggies graduate, there are many opportunities offered by the university and the Texas A&M community that remain with them for life.

Through systems like the Aggie Network, the Career Center and the Money Education Center, former students can seek advice and connect to all Aggies when in need of assistance, whether they’re settling into a new area, building successful career tools or redesigning their budget. Although these systems are based on campus, students can still access resources from other cities, states or countries.

View the full article about Aggie lifetime support opportunities.

Lacking the skills needed to make informed financial decisions hurts individuals and the economy. What can advisers do to help?

View the article on Financial Literacy.

The money will help students whose lives were upended by Hurricane Harvey and who slipped through the existing safety net at campuses in College Station, Galveston, Kingsville, Prairie View and Corpus Christi.

To view the full article, visit the Qatar Harvey Fund article.

You can get all of the following student credit cards with no credit. Credit card companies actually roll out the red carpet for students despite their lack of credit history (some offers are from WalletHub partners). They do this because of students’ earning potential and decades of forthcoming financial independence, which can be very profitable for banking institutions. To qualify, all a student must do is demonstrate the independent income or assets needed to pay at least their minimum monthly bill (usually around $10 for student cards). But if that’s not possible, it’s worth looking into having a parent co-sign, given the importance of credit building at this stage in your life.

As long as you pay your bill on time and avoid maxing out your credit line after opening one of the following cards, you will begin building the credit needed to rent an apartment, buy a car, take out a good loan and save on insurance premiums once you graduate. It may even help you get a job if you plan on working in a field that requires a security clearance or the handling of money. So make sure to browse the available student credit cards for no credit, including both secured and unsecured offers, and submit an application for the card that will allow you to build credit at the lowest possible cost.

If you’d like a recommendation, WalletHub’s editors compared all of the student credit cards in our database of 1,000+ credit card offers. We looked at their fees, rates and rewards. And we picked the best options for different types of students. You can find an overview below and more info at the bottom of the page.

On March 31, 2019, we will implement several enhancements to improve the FSA ID experience. These enhancements are part of our continuous improvement of Federal Student Aid (FSA) systems and are an important step toward realizing our vision for the Next Generation (Next Gen) Financial Services Environment.

The FSA ID—a user-created username and password—is required for students, parents, and borrowers to authenticate their identity and access their federal student aid information online. The websites and applications that use an FSA ID to log in are fafsa.gov, the myStudentAid mobile app, StudentLoans.gov, NSLDS Student Access, StudentAid.gov, the Application for Borrower Defense to Loan Repayment, and the Federal Student Aid Feedback System.

"It’s one of the oldest cons around. Come up with the cash to pay a small fee up front, and there is a big pot of money just waiting for you," Acorns reports. 

"You might recognize this classic grift from some of its common versions, which often appear out of the blue in your email inbox. Your long-lost uncle has named you in his will! You won an overseas lottery! Or that timeless classic—a Nigerian prince needs your help getting cash out of his country!

The name for these is 'advance fee scams,' and unfortunately for college students, there is another variety: The scholarship scam.

To view the article, Watch Out for These 3 Red Flags of Scholarship Scams.