Thursday, September 11, 2014

College Students and Low-Income Designation

Numerous studies show that lifetime earnings and level of educational attainment are positively correlated.

However, there are some college and university credit unions, which have received a low-income designation from the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA).

According to NCUA's regulations, "[t]he term “low-income members” also includes those members enrolled as students in a college, university, high school, or vocational school."

In other words, NCUA does not consider the income of the member enrolled in college or university nor the financial wherewithal of the student's family. Also, NCUA does not take into consideration that upon graduating college students will on average see a significant increase in their earnings relative to the broader population.

For example, Georgetown University Alumni & Student Federal Credit Union has a low-income designation.

But a study by Payscale.com found that Georgetown graduates had a median starting salary of $55,000 and a median mid-career salary of $110,000, according to a November 2008 article in The Hoya. The survey only considered students without graduate degrees.

If the study had included students with graduate or professional degrees, the pay would have been significantly higher.

College students have greater economic mobility. It is a misnomer to call credit union members enrolled in college low-income members.

NCUA needs to reconsider treating members that are enrolled in college or universities as de facto low-income members.

No comments:

Post a Comment

 

The content is provided for educational purposes only, with the understanding that neither the authors, contributors, nor the publishers of this site are engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other expert or professional services. If legal or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

Comments appearing in response to articles appearing on this site do not necessarily reflect the views of the ABA. ABA makes no representations regarding the truth or accuracy of commentary or opinions that may be posted in response to the articles that appear on this website.

The inclusion herein of any link to a website, either in the text of an article or in a comment, does not denote any approval, sponsorship, or endorsement by the ABA, and ABA is not responsible for the content or opinions expressed on those linked websites or related commentary. This content is not licensed to third parties sites and is not affiliated with any third party site. Any reference to the author or this content on any third party site on the Internet is not authorized by the ABA.

It is the policy of the American Bankers Association to comply fully with all antitrust laws. Certain discussions should be considered off-limits, including those that contain competitively sensitive data such as price and cost information, or statements that could be construed as reflecting an attempt or desire to control or influence a particular market or markets. Future pricing or other prospective competitive information should never be shared.