Aggieland Credit Union Tuition Takedown Giveaway Offers Financial Boost During COVID-19 Pandemic

student standing outside with a large check — Aggieland Credit Union has awarded $15,000 to Texas A&M students through its previous Tuition Takedown giveaways.
Texas A&M Division of Marketing & Communications

Starting this semester, a local financial institution is renewing a popular contest to give Texas A&M University students a chance to win $5,000 when they swipe their debit cards to make a purchase.

Aggieland Credit Union, a branch of Greater Texas Federal Credit Union, kicked off its fourth annual Tuition Takedown Giveaway August 16. It takes a few easy steps to qualify: Students who are enrolled full-time at Texas A&M University need to have a checking account with Aggieland or Greater Texas Federal Credit Union, complete the contest registration form*, and make sure they’re signed up for E-Statements.

Once they’ve completed those steps, entering for a chance to win is as easy as swiping a debit card. An independent, third-party legal team will draw the winning names once the contest wraps up on March 31, 2021.

The credit union has awarded a total of $15,000 in three previous giveaways. This year’s contest arrives at a critical time for the local economy, with local restaurants and retailers struggling amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, recent survey shows that 56 percent of 10,000 U.S. college students say they can’t afford their tuition, while about half of undergraduates say they’ve been forced to look for new ways to pay for school because of the pandemic. Students from Texas A&M such as Blanca Correa, who as a previous winner and pay off her cell phone, have said the Tuition Takedown has been a big financial boost.

The program also gives students the opportunity to become more familiar with credit unions, which are cooperatives that return profits to members in the form of lower fees and lending rates, as well as higher savings yields.

The credit union has been serving Bryan-College Station for more than 20 years, and Central Texas since 1952. It has taking steps to keep customers safe under today’s uncertain environment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition to increasing the frequency of cleaning and sanitation and relying on drive-through lanes to avoid person-to-person contact, branches are seeing customers on an appointment-only basis to limit the number of customers and adhere to local health regulations – part of Aggieland Credit Union’s commitment to the financial and person well-being of its members.

* This link is no longer active and has been removed.