Hargreaves Lansdown joins forces with University of Bristol to launch financial wellbeing course

Hargreaves Lansdown is working with University of Bristol to provide financial wellbeing courses for students.

The pilot launched in April 2024 and comprised five custom-built modules delivered to over 70 University of Bristol students through blended learning, webinar and face-to-face mentoring sessions.

The students who choose to enrol on the HL Financial Wellbeing course will get the blueprint for good financial health: how to create a smart spending plan and shop savvy – the tools to make their money work harder and build good money habits that they can take into life after university, setting them on the right financial path.

The content has been tailor-made for students, structured on HL’s 5 to Thrive framework, the five key building blocks for financial resilience. There are five modules which will be delivered as a blended learning experience. The course will also cover what core employee benefits to look out for when entering the world of work, as well as the role of investments when it comes to growing wealth.

Honor Yue Ai Brown, a University of Bristol Psychology student who took part in the pilot, said: “The course has been an empowering experience, equipping me with the tools to manage my current and future finances effectively. I feel less anxious about my current University finances, and more confident in taking the initiative to make informed financial decisions to support my life goals. For example, I now consider employer pension schemes when applying to different graduate jobs.”

Clare Stinton, head of workplace saving analysis at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: “University is a major milestone for many young adults, it’s the point in the road when newfound independence meets financial responsibility head on. Big financial decisions line the path ahead, and the choices made can pave the way towards financial security and freedom, yet we find that many are often unprepared to navigate this transition.

“Many young people have been largely left in the dark when it comes to managing money, because despite the introduction of financial education to the national curriculum in 2014, six in ten young adults can’t recall receiving any during their time at school. Leaving such essential knowledge up to chance, often determined by postcode, does not equip the next generation with the tools needed to start adult life on the right financial foot.”

Pr Bruce Hood, professor of developmental psychology at the University of Bristol, said: “Student wellbeing is a priority for us here at the University of Bristol. Debt and money worries play major role in mental health which is why we are delighted to be teaming up with Hargreaves Lansdown to deliver a course that provides some basic fundamentals and practical wisdom for students to better organise their financial situation.”