Project Overview
A large public university has partnered with Money$ense to design a comprehensive financial wellbeing platform serving more than 23,000 students. The goal is to create a mobile-first engagement platform that supports students throughout their academic journey—from incoming freshmen building foundational financial skills to graduating seniors preparing for financial independence and career success.
Through a customized Private Community, the university aims to centralize financial education, stimulate participation, incentivize and reward engagement, and measure outcomes.
The Challenge
University leadership identified financial stress as a significant barrier to student success.
Students facing financial challenges often experience:
- Increased stress and anxiety
- Academic disruption
- Lower retention rates
- Reduced confidence in future planning
- Difficulty transitioning into post-graduate life
The university needed a solution that could:
- On-board students into a financial wellness curriculum
- Support the broader financial wellness programming
- Provide mobile app enablement
- Encourage & reward participation through gamification
- Track student progress
- Scale across departments and initiatives
The Approach
Phase 1
On-board Incoming Students
Focused on incoming students providing mobile-enabled literacy education. Money$ense is the first-step to enrolling in financial wellness programming.
Phase 2
Integrate With Other Programming
Support and augment the broader financial well-being program and initiatives within the financial wellness center and career center.
Phase 3
Customized Content & Gamification
Students have access to university supplied content & curriculums, and participate in university exclusive challenges. The university has customized badges, points, and achievements co-branded with the university.
“We wanted to move beyond traditional financial literacy programming and create an experience students would actively engage with… to build a connected ecosystem.”
University Program Leadership