Navigating Finances at UCLA: A Guide to Financial Wellness Resources
UCLA is committed to supporting its students' overall well-being, which includes their financial health. Recognizing that financial literacy is a crucial life skill, UCLA offers a comprehensive suite of resources designed to empower students to confidently manage their finances throughout their academic journey and beyond.
The Importance of Financial Literacy for Students
"Financial literacy" teaches life skills that students need in areas such as navigating credit and saving, understanding student loan debt and repayment, making major purchases such as a car or house, and distinguishing necessary financial products from unnecessary ones. “Financial literacy” also means that students know how to live on a reasonable budget, and that they should only borrow as much as they need. Additionally, “Financial Literacy” means students will have the confidence and knowledge to navigate the university’s financial resources successfully, know when, who, and how to ask for help if necessary, and know how and when to apply for scholarships, fellowships, and other educational funding. If applicable, they will also know how, when, and why they should fill out a FAFSA or California Dream Act Application.
As this is a time in both our undergraduate and graduate students’ lives where they are becoming more financially independent, and as many of them are from low socioeconomic backgrounds or are first-generation college students, UCLA has an ethical obligation, as a provider of financial products to assist with our students’ cost of education, to make sure they have the information necessary to make informed choices.
Mandatory Financial Literacy Course for Incoming Students
As part of UCLA’s comprehensive and proactive commitment to student well-being, all incoming first-year and transfer students are required to complete a brief online course: Achieve-Financial Wellness. This essential program provides foundational financial literacy education designed to support students throughout their time at UCLA and beyond. Whether you're budgeting for daily expenses or planning a major purchase like a car, Achieve equips you with practical skills to confidently manage your finances.
Completing the Achieve-Financial Wellness Course
The Achieve-Financial Wellness course provides user-driven learning environments that offer students key financial decision-making skills. The course has a set list of modules each with their own time frame. This online experience includes scientifically designed student surveys and knowledge assessments as it teaches topics such as student loan debt, credit card usage and other self-reported financial attitudes and behaviors.
Read also: UCLA vs. Illinois: Basketball History
Here are the steps to complete the course:
- Visit the following link to access the course “ Achieve - Financial Wellness Course ”.
- Make sure to sign in using your UCLA login and then click "Start Learning"
- Complete all modules listed by October 31, 2025. This course takes about 90 minutes to complete. The course starts and ends with a pre and post survey. You must complete the post-survey to successfully pass the course requirement.
- Questions? To take Achieve-Financial Wellness, you will need Internet access and audio capabilities.
The 2025 course will open in late June 2025.
UCLA’s Financial Wellness Program: A Centralized Resource
In mid-2012, in response to efforts by the USAC Financial Supports Commission to bring attention to financial literacy needs among students at UCLA, UCLA Student Affairs created the UCLA Student Affairs Financial Literacy Working Group to study the best practices in financial literacy preparedness and make recommendations for increased financial literacy services for undergraduate, graduate, and professional school students at UCLA. The discussion and membership quickly expanded, as the topic is of interest to many constituent groups. Working group membership included many Student Affairs entities, as well as representation from the USAC Financial Supports Commission, the Campus Retention Committee, the UCLA Graduate Division, and the UCLA Office of Government and Community Relations.
The Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs requested funds to create a program to centralize and enhance financial literacy services for UCLA undergraduate, graduate, and professional school students. This Financial Wellness Program, building on the findings of the Financial Literacy Working Group, aims to increase collaboration and streamline coordination of already-existing financial literacy services at UCLA, hopes to increase the effectiveness of such services, allow services to be expanded to the entire student body, is innovative, and creates opportunities for student employment.
The mission of UCLA’s Financial Wellness Program is to empower all Bruins to confidently navigate their finances in a way that supports their overall well-being. This program fosters financial literacy skills through workshops, coaching and online educational efforts. Additionally, the program aims to encourage students to know who, when and why to ask for help.
Read also: Navigating Tech Breadth at UCLA
The Financial Wellness Program envisions this collaborative pilot program’s outcomes as leading to a successful centralization and expansion of already existing services, as an incubator for determining promising practices, and an effort in readiness to be able to respond to and deliver excellent financial literacy services to our students in line with cutting edge best practices.
Accessing the Financial Wellness Program
Here's how you can engage with the Financial Wellness Program:
- Make an Appointment: Sign up for a financial coaching appointment.
- Request a Workshop: Explore and request a workshop on financial wellness.
- Online Education: Check out online financial wellness resources available to all UCLA students.
- Leadership: Meet the people who bring the Financial Wellness Program to life.
- Campus Resources: Explore financial resources available on UCLA's campus.
Front line staff, especially on the UCLA Economic Crisis Response Team, have seen firsthand how many of our students do not have even the most basic knowledge about filing a FAFSA, what is a reasonable amount of loans to accept, which office they should speak to about a particular financial issue, or when to apply for scholarships.
Key Campus Resources for Financial Support
UCLA offers a variety of campus resources to support students' financial needs. These resources provide assistance with financial aid, loan management, debt counseling, and navigating financial crises.
Financial Aid Office
Read also: Understanding UCLA Counselors
- Location: A-129 Murphy Hall
- Phone Assistance: (310) 206-0400
- Hours: Mon-Wed, Fri 10 AM - 3 PM visit their contact page for more information
- Description: Assists with completing the application for financial aid, determining level of need and offering financial aid to meet educational expenses.
Financial Education, Loan and Support Services Loan Services Unit
- Location: Suite 106 Strathmore Building
- Hours/Zoom Phone Assistance: (310) 825-9864
- Description: Electronic loan disbursement, Paper loan check disbursement, Parent PLUS Loan disbursement, Online Debt Management Session/Entrance Exam, Exit Interview packaging and counseling, Campus-based loan document processing, Short-term loans, Budget counseling.
Debt Management Services Unit
- Location: A227 Murphy Hall
- Hours/Zoom Phone Assistance: (310) 794-2812
- Description: Call for loan repayment counseling, Campus-based student loan repayment, Temporary alternative payment plans, Deferments, Cancellations, debt management counseling, Resolution of delinquencies, Delinquent long and short-term loan recovery, Campus delinquent debt recovery, Exit papers.
Economic Crisis Response Team (ECRT)
- Location:Suite 106 Strathmore Building
- The Economic Crisis Response Team (ECRT) provides support and guidance to students who have self-identified, or are identified by UCLA faculty or staff, as experiencing a financial crisis that impacts their academic success at UCLA.
- ECRT aims to efficiently, compassionately and discreetly: Provide a seamless and individualized response to UCLA students in extraordinary financial crisis and Develop proposals for actions to examine (and revise, when appropriate) university policies and office protocols in order to improve students' ability to manage their financial situations and avoid economic crisis.
Wescom Credit Union
- Location: Ackerman 1st Level
- Hours: Mon-Fri 10 AM - 5 PM
- Phone Assistance: (310) 689-5077
- Description: An UCLA-partnered nonprofit financial institution offering financial literacy resources for UCLA students, banking accounts, and loan options.
University Credit Union
- Location: Ackerman A Level
- Hours: Mon-Fri 9 AM - 5 PM
- Phone Assistance: (310) 477-6628
- Description: A nonprofit financial institution with financial literacy resources for UCLA students as well as different banking account, tuition and textbook scholarships, and loan options.
UCLA USAC Financial Supports Commission (FSC)
- Location: 300A Kerckhoff Hall
- Description: Student run, FSC is a branch of UCLA student government that advocates for students’ financial needs. They have created loan programs, host workshops, connect with external partners and brainstorm student initiatives.
Student Legal Services
- Phone Assistance: (310) 825-9894
- Description: Provides low-cost confidential legal counseling and assistance regarding a wide range of legal issues to all currently registered and enrolled UCLA students.
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)
- Location: 405 Kerckhoff Hall
- Description: Nonprofit organization that provides free tax services to the Los Angeles community. They are able to file your Federal and California tax returns and provide tax consultation.
tags: #ucla #financial #wellness #resources
