SALT is a new, free-of-charge program that ACU is introducing to help students manage their finances.
SALT, founded by American Student Assistance, is now available to all ACU students and alumni. Miranda Heikes, financial aid representative in ACU Student Financial Services, explains the different services that SALT provides.
“SALT is a program that would give students student loan advice from expert counselors and also advice on scholarships, internships and job searching,” Heikes said. “It gives them money-saving deals on stuff that they would need and tools to help them control their finances now and later in life.”
SALT is a free program that has been offered to college students and alums all over the country for the past year. Ed Kerestly, the director of Student Financial Services, said he chose SALT for ACU because of the unique nature of the program.
“When I looked at the different options that were available as a financial tool for students, what attracted me to SALT was the interactive nature of it and the fact that the information is all there and it can be accessed by whoever wants to use it,” Kerestly said.
Kerestly said he is also interested in SALT because of the personal aspects of the program.
“We’ve partnered with them in a way that you, as a student giving them access to your loan information, can be counseled by them based on your unique situation,” Kerestly said. “You can personalize it to your own situation, budget and your specific loans.”
Although SALT is already set up to be used by ACU students, the Financial Services office will be sending out a campus-wide email in early November to give students more information on the program.
“Our goal right now is to raise awareness and encourage people to sign up,” Kerestly said.
Kerestly said he believes SALT can be a very important tool for students, not only during their college years, but also later in life.
“Out of all of the things you need to learn to be successful in life, managing finances and having an understanding in that is a very important skill to have,” Kerestly said.
You can sign up for SALT by creating an account at saltmoney.org/ACU.
