Confused about what a credit score actually means? Wondering how student loan interest works? Do not worry, not all students have the opportunity to take a personal finance class in high school and that can leave some serious gaps in basic financial skills like budgeting, credit management and borrowing.
SNHU’s Financial Literacy team has SNHU students covered, however. Over the summer, a new interactive online platform, iGrad, was released for SNHU students, staff and alumni. This free program allows students to customize their experience, after a brief registration, towards specific financial goals and objectives they want to achieve.
iGrad is not a standard financial advising website. Once registered, users can immediately begin to play games, watch videos, read articles and complete modules to learn more about any financial topics like credit cards, identity theft or investing. The site features a scholarship search that allows users to filter scholarships by due dates, eligibility or geographic location. There are also some fun calculators that help calculate budgets, loan payments and even if a car is affordable or not.
iGrad users can earn badges as various activities are completed and even have the option to share those achievements, along with a brief description of the badge earned, on social media with friends, family or future employers. There are as many as 50 badges possible allowing for users to challenge themselves and see just how many they can earn.
iGrad can be accessed through mySNHU several different ways. On the mySNHU homepage, in the applications section, select the “Financial Success Powered by iGrad” link or under the “Student Financial Services” tab and select the link “iGrad” located at the bottom left of the screen.