University of Kentucky Expands Financial Wellness with iGrad Exploratory Center

Lexington, KY, May 16, 2017 --(PR.com)-- Financial literacy leader iGrad has partnered with the University of Kentucky offering students the opportunity to develop critical financial wellness skills. The iGrad Financial Literacy Platform will be accessible to all students in the state-of-the-art Student Financial Wellness Center and through the financial aid website.

According to an on-campus study, 49.5% of University of Kentucky students suffer from financial stress. In January Tiffany Jackson, Director of Student Financial Wellness, launched the innovative Student Financial Wellness Center to address this issue. “The student feedback has been tremendous!” stated Jackson. The initiative was officially launched in January, and already the platform has registered over 450 users. University of Kentucky students averaged a 92.7% on the financial wellness module post-assessments, representing a 39% increase in knowledge. Jackson went on to state that students often come to the center prompted by information seen on the iGrad platform, and over 50 students have taken advantage of in-person appointments with more consultations via phone or email. “Our numbers will grow as students become more aware we are here,” declared Jackson.

The adaptive learning iGrad platform is the centerpiece of the iGrad Exploratory Center housed within the Student Financial Wellness Center. Workstations featuring the iGrad platform are available for students to navigate topics including budgeting, loan counseling, financial calculators, learning modules, news, and articles. Tiffany Jackson points out that iGrad offers the self-navigated learning she was seeking and when taken in conjunction with confidential peer-to-peer counseling sessions behavioral changes soon follow. “I want a student to know this is a resource where they can share what is going on with them,” Jackson said.

Regarding the iGrad platform, Jackson stated “You’re not just getting a platform. You’re getting the whole team of the iGrad family.” iGrad was chosen, Jackson said, because she was impressed with the continual updates to the platform, as well as the plethora of available information. Jackson remarked “to encourage iGrad is to know you are encouraging something great.” Describing the platform as “the cadillac of financial literacy tools,” Jackson went on to state she “couldn’t be more happy with iGrad.”

About iGrad:
iGrad is privileged to partner with over 600 campuses across the country to provide an industry-leading, customizable platform, which connects over 1.2 million students, as well as alumni and staff, with the tools needed to succeed in the real world of personal finance. iGrad is the only online community providing a comprehensive and customized financial literacy program featuring career assistance for students and graduates, user-specific financial education courses, and video-based student loan entrance and exit counseling. iGrad's recent accolades include: 2013 & 2015 Education Program of the Year, the Institute for Financial Literacy; Best Product of 2013, 2014 & 2015, University Business magazine; and Outstanding Consumer Information Award, Association for Financial Counseling, Planning and Education (AFCPE).

About University of Kentucky:
The University of Kentucky transforms the lives of our students and advances the Commonwealth we serve - and beyond - through our teaching and learning, diversity and inclusion, discovery, research and creativity, promotion of health, and deep community engagement.

The Division of Student and Academic Life is the newest organization under the Office of the Provost. Born out of merging the Office of the Undergraduate Education and the Division of Student Affairs, its purpose is to conjoin the formal curriculum with the co-curriculum and the extra-curriculum. In doing so, we ushered in a new era of student support at the University of Kentucky - designed to integrate fully the UK undergraduate experience.