The college student is a prime demographic for credit card companies. Students are at the age where most have not accumulated financial debt and nearly every college student would like to have more financial liberties. Credit cards provide a solution but the marketing is being called into question - as well as the exorbitant interest rates:

“With small incomes and big bills, college students make a prime market for credit cards. But critics say the card companies take unfair advantage, luring students with free T-shirts and food — then snaring them with high interest rates.”

link: Colleges asked to crack down on credit-card marketing

Some students are finding that credit card offers are appearing frequently in their snail mail. Their names and addresses are being marketed to advertising firms and students are finding that they are on mail out data bases. In some states, there is legislation banning the sale of student information to marketing firms. The educational institutions are unwilling to disclose the financial arrangements with these marketing firms. The schools claim that it is proprietary information. It is a means of generating income - and the student population information creates revenue. It is just at the expense of the students’ privacy and security.

Catherine Forsythe
Director of Operations
FlyingHamster

Tags: credit cards, marketing, universities, colleges, revenue, legislation, privacy, security, student data