Testing the Influence of College Education on the Financial Literacy Level of University Students in Turkey

This research investigates whether the undergraduate education experience in Turkey affects financial literacy (FL) levels of university students. A survey study was carried out in Suleyman Demirel University (Isparta, Turkey). Students from 7 departments under the fields of natural and applied sciences, social sciences, and health sciences were included in the study, and the participants of which were composed of first-year and senior students. The results indicate that the FL levels of the senior students are significantly higher than those of the first-year students. In addition, senior students higher FL level is also verified by the analyses performed separately for each of the fields of science. It has been determined that this difference might be affected by factors such as getting to know the concept of FL, having an investment, intensity of reading, thinking, and talking about finance, attending a financial course, employment status and having an independent income. Students who undertook a specifically FL-based course showed higher levels of FL knowledge.