SmartAboutCollege

College Savings Plans

Montana Students Save

This program is an Individual Development Account (IDA) — or matched savings program — that helps qualified students and their families save for postsecondary education. Program participants earn a 6-to-1 match on savings up to $500. ($6 will be matched for every $1 they save.) This provides participants with a total of $3,500 toward their education. The Montana Students Save program is a project of Student Assistance Foundation, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Assets for Independence and Montana’s credit unions.

To qualify, students must:

  • Meet income requirements.
  • Plan to pursue their postsecondary education in Montana. (For more details on eligibility, see application form.)

In addition, students are asked to commit to:

  • Make monthly deposits of at least $20 and save for at least 6 months.
  • Participate in personal finance/money management training and career and postsecondary planning.
  • Maintain regular contact with a program representative.

For more information, check out our Frequently Asked Questions document.

Apply now!

For more information, contact Karen at Karen@mcun.org.

Rural Montana Saves

This program is an Individual Development Account (IDA) — or matched savings program — that helps qualified individuals and their families save for postsecondary education or job training. Program participants earn a 3-to-1 match on savings up to $500. ($3 will be matched for every $1 they save.) That means a participant will be able to save up to $2,000 to pay for tuition, books, supplies, or other education or training-related costs. The Rural Montana Saves program is a project of Rural Employment Opportunities, Montana’s credit unions, Montana State Extension Service and Student Assistance Foundation.

To qualify, individuals must:

  • Meet income requirements.
  • Be between 16 and 19 years of age, or over the age of 18 with at least one minor child living in his/her household.
  • Live in one of Montana’s participating rural counties.
    (For more details on eligibility see the Frequently Asked Questions.)

In addition, individuals are asked to:

  • Make a minimum of six consecutive, monthly, or bi-weekly, savings deposits of at least $25. Participate in personal finance/money management training and career and postsecondary planning.
  • Maintain regular contact with a program representative.
  • For more information, check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

Apply now!

For more information, contact Rural Employment Opportunities at (800) 546-1140 or rmsinfo@reomontana.org

Matched Education Saving Accounts (MESA)

These matched education savings accounts allow qualifying college students to maximize their ability to save for higher education. Program participants earn matches for every dollar saved thanks to a cooperative effort by Student Assistance Foundation and the Montana Credit Unions for Community Development (MCUCD). At this time, the MESA program is available only to students of Carroll College and The University of Montana. However, program coordinators hope to expand MESA to include students from other Montana schools in the future. For additional details, visit www.montanacreditunions.coop, click on “Matched Savings Account/IDA” and select the appropriate MESA program.