Southern Methodist University is a school on a mission. Their mission is to create independent thinkers rather than 20-somethings who can memorize facts. They want students to find purpose, solve problems, and enter the working world prepared for its many challenges. That's why every incoming student is required to go through Dave Ramsey’s Foundation in Personal Finance: College Edition.

In his role as a University 101 instructor, Rico Reed is responsible for helping students transition to life on USC’s campus. Since 2013, he’s used Foundations in Personal Finance to teach first-year and transfer students the basics of personal finance. Rico’s students spend class time watching videos, discussing budgeting concepts, and engaging in group activities. Outside of class, they focus on reading assignments and written activities. The student response has been phenomenal. Thanks to Foundations and Rico’s passion for personal finance, these undergraduates are learning that less debt equals less stress, and less stress equals a better life.

The Director of Financial Aid Processing at Liberty University, Ashley Ann Reich, is on a mission to equip students to make smarter financial decisions during their college years. Since 2013, Liberty University has put nearly 5,000 students through the Foundations in Personal Finance curriculum. And in order to reach as many students as possible, Liberty offers the five-chapter class in a free, online format that allows individuals to study at their own pace. As more and more students learn the financial principles taught in Foundations, Ashley hopes the curriculum will not only change their lives but also increase retention rates and prevent student loan defaults overall.

The best way to learn about money management is long before you have the opportunity to make big mistakes. Dr. Nick Hagemeier understands that truth, and that’s why he’s taken the lead in making sure his pharmacy school students at East Tennessee State University are prepared when they start their profitable careers. Many of these students will make six figures when they enter their profession, and Hagemeier wants to make sure they’re ready for that type of financial responsibility.

Brad Duerson believes so much in the power of teaching personal finance that he's helped implement personal finance modules in a student development course that’s required of all freshmen at Des Moines Area Community College. All student development instructors and academic advisors encourage students to enroll in Personal Finance, which uses the Foundations in Personal Finance curriculum.

Three years ago, University of Houston Finance Professor John Lopez wanted to create a personal finance curriculum for his students. When he ran across Dave Ramsey’s Foundations in Personal Finance College Edition, he knew it was just what he was looking for. By spring of 2012, Professor Lopez began teaching Foundations to a class of 80 students. Today, more than 700 students have been through his Introduction to Personal Finance class, which has grown into one of the most popular courses offered by the Bauer College of Business on the University of Houston campus.

In the three years since Jason Hill began teaching Dave Ramsey’s Foundations in Personal Finance College Edition at New Castle School of Trades, a funny thing happened. The financial aid department noticed lower than expected borrowing and default rates by its students. That’s either a striking coincidence or evidence that these newly educated mechanics, carpenters and welders are learning that debt doesn’t have to be a way of life. And they’re applying this classroom knowledge to real life.

Finance professor Dr. Christi Wann noticed some astounding results after her first semester teaching Dave Ramsey’s 12-chapter Foundations in Personal Finance. By the end of the semester, her class of 42 students had collectively saved more than $30,000! She was blown away. Not only were her students getting it, but they were also protecting themselves against minor money emergencies that might otherwise derail them from their college degrees. That’s a win for the school and a win for the students.