You really have to wonder why personal finance isn’t a requirement for college students. This sort of knowledge is useful for your entire life.

Brent Hunsberger of The Oregonian reports.

More college students finding Personal Finance a must-have class

Miriah Page boosted her credit score by 100 points.

Mark Morrissey refinanced his home mortgage.

Yoshiko Inoue carved $120 a month out of her spending that she’s now able to save.

All three students took Brenda Eichelberger’s personal finance class at Portland State University – one of a large and growing number of colleges nationwide that have expanded their personal finance offerings .

For students, even older ones, the impact is immediate, measurable and memorable.

“I wish I’d had this stuff 45 years ago,” said Morrissey, 58, a mail-processing clerk for the U.S. Postal Service in Portland and a late-blooming PSU student. “There’s a lot of things that could make a lot of difference to a young person.”

With more freshmen entering school with limited financial experience and leaving with more debt than ever, colleges are taking it upon themselves to educate their students in the ways of credit, budgeting and saving.

“We have a responsibility to address and provide this information to our students,” Eichelberger said. “And there’s a big demand for it.”