TAMIU Offers Students, Alumni Online Financial, Debt Management Program
Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) has teamed up with American Student Assistance (ASA) to address the college affordability issue by revolutionizing how students and alumni finance and repay their higher education.
Through an educational membership program called SALT, TAMIU and ASA are helping students to better navigate higher education financing, successfully manage any resulting debt, and build money skills for life.
TAMIU and ASA have partnered to present SALT, a dynamic, multichannel educational program that combines online and offline interactions to deliver decision support, engaging content, and one-on-one loan repayment guidance in a simple, useful, and motivating experience. SALT launched at TAMIU on December 5 and is free of charge to students and alumni members.
Dr. Minita Ramírez, TAMIU vice president of Student Success, said the SALT effort at TAMIU is fitting for a University that wants to empower its students.
“We’re pleased to be part of the SALT program because we truly champion the principles of financial education and empowerment to address college affordability and student debt,” Dr. Ramirez said. “Students and alumni deserve the proper support network to help them finance their education and manage any resulting debt. SALT affirms our commitment to ensuring that students and alumni have access to critical education debt management and financial education services,” she added.
SALT engages with student and alumni members to positively influence behavior. Members receive proactive communication about student loan repayment options; one-on-one repayment counseling with student loan experts; a personalized online dashboard to track all their federal and private student loans in one place and compare payment options, an interactive Web financial education curriculum and other educational content.
In addition, multiple self-serve web tools and calculators assist with budgeting; in-person group financial education training is offered at TAMIU as well as advocacy and assistance with resolving complex student loan related problems. Members can also tap into meaningful benefits and incentives relevant to the higher education experience or financial needs they face after completing college, including assistance with job/internship and scholarship searches.
To become TAMIU-SALT members, students and alumni members can visit: www.saltmoney.org/tamiu
Membership is completely free of charge. TAMIU is the only Laredo member of SALT and joins other campuses of The Texas A&M University System, in addition to colleges and universities across the nation.
ASA is a public purpose non-profit organization, committed to offering SALT services free of charge to members whose higher education institutions participate in the program.
To do so, ASA established a contribution-based model where multiple stakeholders interested in student success, including federal or state government entities, colleges and universities, foundations or other non-profit organizations, and corporate sponsors contribute to the cost of delivering service. Established in 1956 and based in Boston, ASA employs approximately 450 associates and has been recognized by the Boston Business Journal and Boston Globe as one of the region’s best places to work.
For additional information on TAMIU’s SALT program, contact the TAMIU Office of Financial Aid at 956.326.2225, email financialaid@tamiu.edu or visit offices in the State Senator Judith Zaffirini Student Success Center. Information is also available on the University’s web site, tamiu.edu
For more about ASA, visit asa.org or call 617.728.4631.
Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at prmis@tamiu.edu