Welcome to FSWI’s Student Financial Well-Being Page! Please take time to browse the resources that include UMB, UMSSW, and community organizations that can inform, support, and help with your financial well-being. Before exploring the site, please take a minute to complete the online anonymous financial well-being and stress scale (only about 2-3 minutes) so that you can get immediate feedback about your personal state of financial well-being. Results might help guide you to the various resources that you want to explore. We would also appreciate it if you could complete the very brief, online, anonymous evaluation survey about this page and resources at the bottom of this page. Your feedback is very important to us so that the UMSSW can work to better support you and other students in the future. Thank you!
Thank you again for visiting this page!
The UMSSW and UMB offer several resources to support student financial well-being which include but are not limited to the following:
Student Financial Well-Being Fairs on the Baltimore and Shady Grove Campuses
Student resources are provided including a variety of topics that affect student financial well-being. Presentations include:
- Understanding the psychology behind financial decision-making,
- Learning to manage credit and student loan debt,
- Creating individual spending plans that work for you,
- Financial wellness seminars, and
- Getting help with taxes.
During the pandemic we began offering virtual events featuring presentations on Resources for Student Financial Well-Being (by Dr. Christine Callahan, Research Associate Professor, UMSSW and former Chair of the Financial Social Work Initiative) and Financing Graduate School (by Laura Evans, Senior Financial Aid Counselor, UMB).
Office of Student Services
The Office of Student Services (OSS) provides direct one-on-one services for students addressing the many challenges during a student’s tenure. Students may contact OSS directly at Henriette Taylor, Assistant Dean of Student Services HTaylor@ssw.umaryland.edu.
The Student Emergency Fund
Supported by the generosity of SSW Alumni and many SSW community members, the Student Emergency Fund (SEF) is a $599.00 limited, one-time financial assistance for currently enrolled graduate students who are experiencing a financial hardship due to a sudden or unforeseen event. Criteria, application, and contact information can be found at Student Emergency Fund.
Financial Aid Office
Providing assistance to any UMB student who seeks support in obtaining funding to finance their education cost, the Financial Aid Office encourages SSW students to contact Peggy Buerhaus at mbuerhau@umaryland.edu to address any questions or concerns.
Office of University Student Financial Assistance
Information on financial assistance for prospective, current and graduating students can be found at https://www.umaryland.edu/fin/. This includes financial aid calculators, information on work study opportunities and student loan repayment options, and UMB’s Student Guide to Financial Assistance.
Resources from Non-Profit Community Partners
In addition to the above campus-based resources, the statewide non-profit CASH Campaign of Maryland (https://cashmd.org/) offers numerous financial well-being services that SSW students may wish to explore. These include free tax-preparation services for individuals, families and small businesses, benefits eligibility screening, financial coaching, and a calendar of free financial education classes throughout the year offered through the Maryland CASH Academy (https://www.mdcashacademy.org/).
For resources relating to student loan repayment, consolidation and forgiveness programs, the Maryland Center for Collegiate Financial Wellness (https://mccfw.org/) offers low-cost 1:1 individual student loan strategy advising sessions. Online appointment scheduling is available at https://www.mccfw.org/events.
EDUCATIONAL AND PRACTITIONER RESOURCES ON FINANCIAL WELL-BEING
The UMSSW Financial Social Work Initiative (FSWI) at https://www.ssw.umaryland.edu/fsw/ launched in 2008 to prepare both current social work students and practitioners to identify and address financial stressors, barriers, and inequities in their work with diverse client populations and communities. Students desiring to learn about integrating financial social work and financial capability skills into their career or practice can pursue educational opportunities which are continuously updated at https://www.ssw.umaryland.edu/fsw/education-msw--cpe/?&. Coursework options include:
Financial Stability for Individuals, Families and Communities Clinical/Macro Elective Course
Offered for current UMSSW students once a year during the fall or spring.
Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Courses on FSW Topics
Open to current students and practitioners, student fees are sometimes reduced. Half- and full-day sessions are offered each semester on varying FSW topics. The “Intro to FSW” course is generally taken first, as many other CPE courses in FSW build off of that content. Register at https://www.ssw.umaryland.edu/cpe/ - click on the tab for Financial Social Work.
The Financial Social Work Certificate Program
Open to BSW and MSW graduates and other helping professionals, this is a 7-month long, fee-based certificate program for Continuing Education credits. It is designed for social workers and other allied practitioners who were not able to take the 3-credit course during their MSW degree. You can learn more about topics covered, the schedule, and cost by contacting fsw@ssw.umaryland.edu.
Other UMSSW MSW Degree Opportunities
Scholarships in financial social work, along with a list of typical financial social work field placements, are available at https://www.ssw.umaryland.edu/fsw/fsw-scholarships--student-engagement-opportunities-/?&.
Practitioner Resources in Financial Social Work
Please visit the FSWI website for a library of presentations and articles on financial social work (https://www.ssw.umaryland.edu/fsw/publications--presentations/? &), practice tools (https://www.ssw.umaryland.edu/fsw/policy--practice/useful-practice-links--resources/?&), and information about research projects (https://www.ssw.umaryland.edu/fsw/research/?&). Additionally, the FSWI website also publishes upcoming FSW convenings, special events, and practitioner networking events (https://www.ssw.umaryland.edu/fsw/events/?&).