Colleges and universities present a unique marketing environment. Students are a large-scale, captive audience whose financial requirements have a generally uniform and narrow scope. Enticing them to enroll for credit cards is relatively easy for marketers. According to Sallie Mae, approximately half of all college students hold four or more credit cards.

According to market research, the downturn in the American economy that began in 2008 has led consumers to alter spending and saving habits nationwide. Nowhere is this more evident than in the credit sector. Recent data from the Federal government and analysis by the business intelligence and consumer insights firm Packaged Facts indicate that Americans across the income spectrum are more cognizant of the pitfalls of carrying too much credit and of having poor credit ratings.