The Program
Start Strong: How to Build Credit in the U.S.
A financial onboarding program for people preparing to live, study, and work in the United States.
Learn it. Plan it. Live it.
Learn
Understand how the U.S. financial system works before you enter it.
Plan
Turn what you learn into decisions and plans for your own transition.
Live
Apply that knowledge as you begin navigating financial life in the U.S.
What Learners Will Learn
Financial knowledge for the life they are entering
Entering the U.S. Financial System
Understand how the financial system works, why credit matters, and what newcomers should know before entering it.
Financial Identity & Access
Learn how SSNs, ITINs, identification requirements, banking access, and financial institutions fit into life in the U.S.
Building Credit From Scratch
Learn how to begin establishing U.S. credit responsibly when you have little or no credit history.
Understanding & Caring for Credit
Understand what affects your credit, how credit reports work, and which habits help you maintain healthy credit.
Budgeting in a New Financial Environment
Learn how to plan spending around living costs, cash flow, and how to adjust as your financial reality takes shape.
Borrowing & Debt
Learn how to evaluate borrowing options, understand common lending products, compare costs, and recognize harmful debt.
Paychecks & Taxes
Learn how to read a paycheck, understand common deductions, and become familiar with basic tax and W-4 concepts.
Consumer Rights & Financial Safety
Learn how to protect yourself, recognize financial scams and identity theft, and understand your rights as a U.S. consumer.
Saving & Building for the Future
Learn how to build emergency savings, work toward long-term goals, and understand basic U.S. savings account, investing, and retirement options.
Building Your Financial Future in the U.S.
Bring everything together into an actionable financial plan for your first months and beyond.
From Learning to Living
Start Strong doesn't end with understanding a concept. As students move through the course they research real-life offers, make key financial decisions, and create a roadmap for their new life in the States.
What that looks like in practice
Build Your First Credit Strategy
Identify credit-building options and develop a personal approach for establishing credit responsibly.
Build Your Financial Access Map
Compare financial institutions, their requirements, fees, services, and credit-building options to identify what fits your needs.
Build Your Credit Care Checklist
Turn what you've learned about credit into a monthly routine for payments, monitoring, credit reports, and financial check-ins.
Create a Financial Action Plan
Outline your financial goals for the next 6 months.
Built Around the Transition
Some things can be prepared before relocation. Others begin once you arrive to your destination.
Relocation
Before Relocation
Understand. Prepare. Organize.
Learners can begin building their financial foundation by understanding the U.S. system, identifying access points, comparing financial institutions, preparing for credit building, and thinking through financial options in advance.
After Relocation
Activate. Navigate. Build.
As their circumstances allow, learners will begin putting preparation into practice by establishing financial accounts, building credit, managing income and expenses, understanding their paycheck, protecting their financial identity, and working toward long-term goals.
Before Relocation
Understand. Prepare. Organize.
Learners can begin building their financial foundation by understanding the U.S. system, identifying access points, comparing financial institutions, preparing for credit building, and thinking through financial options in advance.
After Relocation
Activate. Navigate. Build.
As their circumstances allow, learners will begin putting preparation into practice by establishing financial accounts, building credit, managing income and expenses, understanding their paycheck, protecting their financial identity, and working toward long-term goals.